“Let Us Pray” – Matt. 6:5-15 – February 21, 2007 – Ash Wednesday

Here in Matthew, Jesus is teaching the disciples on prayer. It has been my experience that many people don’t know how to pray or what to pray for. And I wonder how many times someone has said to someone, “You will be in my thoughts and prayers,” but never really got around to praying for that person.

Since the Gentiles had a practice of saying prayers filled with empty and insincere talk, Jesus wanted his disciples’ prayers to be meaningful and sincere. The prayers of the Gentiles were mostly for personal gain and prestige. Jesus wanted the prayers of his followers to be genuine and based on trust in God. Jesus told the disciples that they should pray in secret rather than in public. “Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” At the same time, prayer is an expression of faith for the whole community. The Lord’s prayer is from “us.”

We learned last Sunday that prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue. On the one hand our prayers contain petitions, confessions and the acknowledgment of the Almighty. On the other hand, our prayers need to include time when we “listen” to God. That requires a total emptying of all our thoughts, agendas and distractions. Then and only then are we able to truly connect with God. It’s not easy to do, it’s something we have to work at.

Fortunately, Jesus didn’t leave his disciples without some guidelines. “Pray like this,” he said. And what follows is the Lord’s Prayer. So what exactly did Jesus teach?

First, his prayer assumed that we are not self-sufficient. We need God. We need daily bread to survive. We need protection. In other words, the prayer acknowledges our total dependency on God.

A couple, named Rachel and Jim, owned a commercial building, half of which Jim used for his business. For fifteen years they rented out the other half, using the extra money to pay their bills. Then they lost their renter. A real estate broker told them to forget about advertising since there was an excess of office space on the market. To ease her financial worries, Rachel started swimming laps at the YMCA pool. One day she was feeling especially anxious so she decided to pray as she swam. She decided to use the alphabet to keep track of the number of laps. She also used words, beginning with each letter, to describe an attribute of God. After she finished the first lap she prayed, “You are the Almighty.” After the second she prayed, “You are the great Benevolent one,” and so on. By the time she completed the 26 laps an hour had passed and surprisingly so was her anxiety. A short time later, a man called Rachel and Jim and said he had seen a For Rent sign in their business window. She and Jim were relieved. From then on Rachael still prays as she swims. “After all,” she says, “God’s goodness stretches from A to Z.”

Secondly, prayer is an expression of our humanness. Praying is not a sign of weakness. Rather, prayer is an expression of our faith. Our prayers should reflect what we feel, what we think and what we believe. If we don’t know how to pray or what to pray for, that should be our prayer. If we are waiting for the right time to pray, we may never pray.

Francis of Assisi was a thirteenth-century saint known for his simple lifestyle and deep love of poor people. He founded the Franciscan order, an organization that has helped millions of people in need. St. Francis spent most of his life, not doing good works, but praying. “Whether walking or sitting, within doors or without, at toil or at leisure, he was so absorbed in prayer that he seemed to have devoted not only his whole heart and body, but also his whole heart and time.” (God’s Devotional Book, Motivation, Honor Books)

Francis regularly set aside hours throughout the day which he called “appointments with God,” and he never missed one, even though he had serious eye, stomach, spleen and liver problems. On one occasion, as Francis traveled through the town of Borgo on a donkey, people pressed in upon him from all sides just to touch his garments. Francis was so absorbed in prayer that when he arrived at his destination some time later, he asked when they were going to get to Borgo.

Third, prayer is the language of confession. Therefore we ask God for forgiveness because we alone are not capable of repaying our debts. Debt was an Aaramaic word that was later replaced with an old English word, trespasses. Debt meant “missing the mark.” In other words, we need the forgiveness of God since we have gotten off track.

No matter what you pray for you are asking for forgiveness. If for example you petition the Lord on behalf of another person, you are really saying, “Do something for my friend, for I am unable our unwilling to help them myself.” Or, if you are asking for something that you would like to have, like a new car or house, you are really saying, “Forgive me for wanting something I probably don’t need.”

Forgiveness is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer is not “empty words,” but action. Jesus concludes the Lord’s Prayer with these words: “For if you forgive others their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you.” Make no mistake, Jesus’ prayer includes action.

Twenty years ago, a man drove a drove a cab for a living. When he arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away. But he had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.. This passenger might be someone who needed his assistance.

So he walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice. He could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before him. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. He took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took his arm and they walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking him for his kindness. "It's nothing", he said. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated". "Oh, you're such a good boy", she said. When they got in the cab, she gave him an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?" "It's not the shortest way," he answered quickly. "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

He looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long." He quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" he asked. For the next two hours, they drove through the city. She showed him the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. They drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had him pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask him to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now"

They drove in silence to the address she had given him. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as they pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. He opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse. "Nothing," he said. "You have to make a living," she answered. "There are other passengers," he responded. Almost without thinking, he bent and gave her a hug. She held onto him tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

He gently squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind him, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. He didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. Instead he drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, he could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if he had refused to take the run?
Prayer is the acknowledgment of our dependency on God. Prayer is an expression of our humanness. And prayer is the language of confession which is acted out through forgiveness and love.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio