Imagine--
My
friend Deb has several beautiful garden spaces in her yard. One of them is almost walled off by
vine-covered trellises and flowering bushes. Suppose she wanted to bring together some family and
friends for fellowship in this intimate, peaceful outdoor space--to host a
summer meal there. Suppose she
asked Ken B for some of his tasty tomatoes for the salad in this meal. Imagine Ken answering, “No. I’m too tired to go out into the garden to pick some tomatoes,
and I don’t feel like getting any of the tomatoes I already picked from the
shelves in my kitchen or storeroom.
No, go away.” That’s
preposterous! No way would Ken say
that! Ken is a generous man who
loves to share. He encourages
fellowship opportunities, like the one we supposed with Deb. Because Ken has a green thumb--a gift
for growing tasty vegetables and fruits--it’s within his power to grant the
request. It is in Ken’s nature to
give, the request is in line with his values, and he has the means to
provide. It’s preposterous to
think he would say no! Of course
Ken will share some tomatoes--for fellowship.
Imagine
It’s
November--time for the Presbyterian Women’s annual Christmas and bake
sale. Suppose Bailey asks Helen
C to bake some of her lemon loaf cakes for the sale. Bailey’s youth group is planning a
lock-in and she wants the lemon loaves for breakfast the next morning. Imagine
Helen telling Bailey, “I’m not going to bake for the sale. I’m too busy planning ahead and baking for
my family’s Thanksgiving. That’s
preposterous! No way would Helen say that! She is a generous woman. Without being asked, she brought
brownies for the Youth bake sale. Helen has been devoted to supporting the
mission and ministry of this church through the work of Presbyterian Women for
many years. Because she is a
gifted baker, Helen has the power to grant the request. It is in her nature to
give, the request is in line with her values, and she has the means to
provide. It’s preposterous to
think she would say no! Of course
Helen will bake a lemon loaf cake--to feed the youth.
Imagine
A
service organization--like scouts or the blood bank-- is using our foyer
space. Suppose they need to
connect to the internet for the work they will do here, but they are having
difficulty. Suppose Bailey or I call James Mc asking how we might assist
the group with the internet connection.
Imagine James saying, “No, I can’t help you. I’m tired of working with technology. Just tell them to do without.” That’s preposterous! No way will James say that. James is a generous man who loves to
connect people with ideas and to connect people with each other--using
technology. Our new computers and
wifi had just arrived right before day camp. Even though they weren’t unpacked yet, James took the wifi
and set it up so that the Heartland staff would have access to their website
and to their email throughout the week they were here. It is in James’ nature
to give; the request is in line with his values, and he has the means--the
expertise--to grant the request. It’s preposterous to think he would say
no! Of course James will help the
group connect.
In
today’s text, Jesus tells a preposterous story--like the 3 preposterous stories
I just shared. It’s the parable of
the 2 neighbors. In the
mid-east--in Jesus’ time and now--hospitality was the foundation for communal
relationships. A person or a
family will go to great lengths to show hospitality--because it’s
expected. To fail to do so brings
shame upon the family. In Jesus’
story, a surprise guest shows up at midnight. The host has wine but no bread to set before the guest. What can he do? Go next door and get some bread from
his neighbor. Jesus says, “Imagine
that neighbor responds, ‘No, I won’t give you any bread. We’re all ready for bed. Quit bothering
me. Go away.’” And Jesus’ listeners--like you when I
said imagine Ken won’t share tomatoes; imagine Helen won’t bake for the PW
sale; imagine James won’t help people connect--Jesus’ listeners’ all say “that’s
preposterous! No way will the
neighbor refuse.” It’s in his nature to be generous; hospitality is in line
with his values; and he has he means to grant his friend’s request. It’s preposterous to think he would say
no! Of course the neighbor will get
up and give his friend bread for the surprise guest.
Jesus
uses this parable to drive home the point: Of course God will answer our prayers.
For
God is generous. Creating this
whole, beautiful, wonderful universe, God created us--humans--to share it
with. God is generous. Taking on the form and nature of
humanity--becoming incarnate, God as Jesus the Christ poured himself out for
us--in his life, death and resurrection. God is generous. God the Holy Spirit
draws us--individually--towards God, offering us communion -oneness--with
Christ. God the Holy Spirit empowers and sustains the church--the faith
community. God is generous. It is
in God’s nature to answer our prayers.
Of
course God will answer our prayers, for God is all powerful. God has the means to answer our
prayers.
Of
course God will answer our prayers--when our prayers are in line with God’s
values, in line with God’s good purposes.
We hear this in Jesus’ model prayer at the beginning of today’s text. The 1st request in that
model prayer is “God, bring in your
kingdom.” Our first thought, our
first desire, our first request, should be that God’s good plan will come
about. If our requests are framed
within God’s will, then Jesus assures us, as he did his disciples: Of course, God will answer our
prayers.
Knowing
who we are in relation to God: we
are the created--not the creator, we subject our wishes and more importantly
ourselves to God’s will. So even
as we pray, we are being re-formed.
In prayer, we are re-directed to ask for, to seek, to open up to, to
work towards what will be God’s good purposes for the world, for our community,
for our congregation, for ourselves.
Of
course God will answer our prayers.
It is in God’s nature to give, our requests are in line with God’s will,
and God has the power to grant our requests. Of course God will answer our prayers--giving us what we
need and transforming us into who we are meant to be--agents of God’s good
purposes here and now.
Let us pray:
Loving and Almighty God, may your rule be established in our hearts, in
our lives, in our church, in our community, in our world. As this is happening, give us what we
need--nourishment, reconciled relationships, and protection. Amen.
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