Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sermon for 4/28/13: More Like Jesus: Prayerful

Mark 6:45-52
  Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
  When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by.
  But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.


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We get a lot of door-to-door salespeople in our neighborhood.  They bring them in by the van, drop them off and they scatter.  Most weekends, someone is dropping by trying to sell something.  Once, we even had a guy selling meat out of the back of his van.  I didn't buy any.
One guy in particular stands out.  He was from a lawn service, and he asked me if I had a current lawn service.  Anyone who has ever seen my lawn knows this question tends to answer itself.  I remember looking at him, looking at my lawn, then looking back at him before finally asking him, “Does it look like I have a lawn service?”  He stumbled through an answer before finally giving up and leaving.
Friends, I'm here to say that my lawn is a testament to the fact that I don't invest a lot of time and money into it.  Simply walking by will tell you that I don't pour the nutrients and chemicals into it that it so desperately needs.  Any casual observer in summer will know that I don't water my lawn, mostly because I'm too cheap.  You may think I choose to water the weeds, but I'm here to proclaim that they are merely testaments to God's providential care for all of creation.
My lawn is evidence that I haven't chosen to invest much in it.  The current state of my lawn speaks of our relationship—it is clear that I don't place a high priority upon it.
Now, I'm not here to say anything bad about nice lawns.  I wish I had one, and I have some envy toward the people who clearly enjoy and know a lot about their lawns.  It's just not a priority of mine, and every time I mow the grass I wonder why I didn't spend more time thinking about condos when we moved here.  I don't enjoy lawn care, and it shows. 

Friends, our lives usually give testimony about what we care deeply about.  A beautiful lawn tells of someone who cares about the lawn.  You've all seen cars draped in orange flags and stickers that tell of someone's dedication to the University of Tennessee.  It's pretty common to walk into someone's house and instantly know that they are dedicated to their children or grandchildren.  Anyone who wanders into my basement knows that I have a deep connection to the Cincinnati Reds.  After all, I'm the guy who took his wife on a trial date to a baseball game to make sure that this was someone who could tolerate baseball.  I'm lucky she tolerates me, let alone baseball.

Our lives tell a story about our focus, often well before we have ever had a chance to say anything. 

The question, then, is what our lives say about our relationship with God.

Jesus' life was extraordinary in a lot of ways.  He was absolutely remarkable in everything he did, and large crowds were constantly attracted to him, even when it seems like he wasn't doing anything.  People wanted to be around him—they wanted to make sure they didn't miss anything, some teaching or miracle.  He was magnetic.

But there was something else remarkable, too.  There was something about his prayer life that was attractional, I believe.  He was a man focused on prayer, on spending time alone with God, and this stood out.  How much did it stand out?

Well, what's the one thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them?

They could have asked him to teach them anything.  Perhaps they did and it's just not recorded.  We only have record of one request by the disciples for Jesus to teach them something.  They wanted to know how to pray.

Now, I believe that you don't ask someone to teach you how to do something unless they're evidently very good at it.  I believe that you don't go up to an amateur and ask them to teach you how to master a skill.  You're not going to ask me how to get an expert lawn.  You're not going to ask me to teach you to build an airplane or raise a child.  There are people in this church who are experts in these areas, and I'm not.  You wouldn't ask me.  You'd ask the person who you saw do it time and again, and who you thought was great at it.

So the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  This clearly means that they view Jesus as an expert.  They see him as someone worthy of imitation, as someone whose life is rooted in his prayer.  They see his ministry gaining power and his teaching is wise, and all of this is because they see a man who constantly sets time aside to go and pray.

Here in Mark 6, Jesus has just fed 5,000 people.  Doubtless there are some people pressing for questions, for explanations.  There are probably plenty of people who want something in this moment.  How does Jesus react?

First, he sends his disciples away.  Next, he dismissed the crowd.  Then he went up the mountain to be by himself and pray.  There were a million other things Jesus could have done in this moment.  I'm sure he had plenty of other options, but he chose to pray, to be alone with God and be rejuvenated, refueled, refreshed by the Holy Spirit.  Prayer was more important to him than anything else in that, and many other moments.

Friends, if we want to have a life rooted in a relationship with God, this is the kind of active choice we need to make—one that, despite everything else we have to do, makes prayer a priority.  If we want lives rooted in prayer, branching out from our relationship with God, it has to be a conscious choice, each and every day, and we have to turn our backs on the temptation to tend to the three thousand other things we have to do.  It doesn't mean we can't pray while we concentrate on those things—but we have to have time where we just pray.

Let me put it this way—when Rachel and I were dating, we had a lot of time when it was just the two of us.  We dated a lot, and we talked on the phone a lot.  To be completely honest, we have nothing left to say to each other on the phone.

Now that we're married, we're busier.  We both work, and we have a child who has a little energy.  He wants some of our attention.  Also, dinner doesn't cook itself and the house is thoroughly unable to clean up after itself.  Through it all, Rachel and I talk.
But if we never set time apart for just the two of us, our relationship will fall apart.  I guarantee it.  I am absolutely certain that if we never spend time together without any other distractions, we will not make it in our marriage.  So we make it a point to do that.

So why would we ever believe that we can have a healthy relationship with God without setting time apart for just the two of us?  It's utter foolishness, but because we don't see the immediate consequences, we try and do just that.  Other concerns seem more pressing.

It takes discipline to send people away, but it also sends a message if we're consistent—it teaches others that we are absolutely focused on our relationship with God.  It declares that it is a priority for us. 

So are you willing to make prayer a priority, that it might become foundational in your life?  Are you desirous of a great prayer life, to the point that it becomes a pillar in your life, that you make your relationship with God the most important relationship you have, that nothing happens without you covering it in prayer?  Are you willing to do that?

Then set some time apart.  I don't care if it's 2 minutes—start with that.  Find two minutes each day this week, and see how it goes.  Then you can expand upon it.

If it becomes foundational for you, it will be written on everything you do.  Others will notice.  Your relationship with God will deepen and grow.  I can't promise how it will grow or what direction it will go, but I promise you that it will grow.
The disciples thought it was so important that it was the one thing they asked Jesus to teach them.

Will you let him teach you, too?

Let us pray

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