Sharp About Your Prayers

the challenges, absurdities, and joys of an urban faith

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Some Good, Motherly Advice

May 9th, 2013 · Faith and the City

Mothers DayYesterday morning I was listening to the radio. It was a call-in program. I usually reach for the “off” button when a host starts to take calls from the “listening audience.”

This one, however, held my attention. 

The announcer said, “Ok, Mothers Day is coming up this weekend. So here’s my question for all of you: What’s the best advice your mother ever gave you?”

Right out of the gate, the phone-in responses were interesting. The first caller said that she would be forever grateful to her mother for saying that the key to life was “staying strong in the face of adversity.” Other valued motherly advice included:

  • “Always tell the truth.”
  • “Wear sunscreen!”
  • “Find humor in everything.”
  • “The mess will be there tomorrow, spend time with your kids!”
  • “Only God can judge you.”
  • “Keep studying.”
  • “Plan ahead, and don’t be afraid to take a nap.”

A few callers reported that their mothers were not very good at giving advice, or really at mothering. I felt deep sympathy for these folk. I am one of those people who got lucky in the mother lottery.

300px-Belarus-Minsk-Agriculture_Expo-John_Deere_8430My mom was supportive, strong and smart. She was an amazing gardener and cook. She could drive a John Deere 8430 tractor and was crazy competitive at Trivial Pursuit. She wasn’t big on dispensing proverbial wisdom, but I always knew where I stood with her.

Watching her approach life and faith with gusto and grace was all the counsel I ever needed. I still miss her mightily.

I know Mothers Day brings up all kinds of thoughts and emotions, but maybe a good place to start is where the radio announcer did: What’s the best advice your mother ever gave you?

Please post here, my wise friends. I am eager to hear your thoughts.

SBJ

P.S.  My favorite Mothers Day hymn is actually one that we usually sing on Thanksgiving: “Now Thank We All Our God” which contains the beautiful line, “Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way. With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.”

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Are You a Prophet?

May 2nd, 2013 · Faith and the City

Are you a prophet? Is there a Deborah or a Moses, an Ezekiel or an Anna inside of you, eager to deliver divine pronouncements?

Isaiah 6To assist you in answering, I have developed a quick survey—based entirely on scriptural categories—to test your prophetic aptitude.

  1. Has a seraph ever pressed a burning coal to your lips?
  2. Do you have visions of valleys filled with dancing bones or rivers flowing out the front door of our church?
  3. Are you prone to sprinkling insects—especially locusts—on your breakfast granola?
  4. Have you ever fled the wrath of a wicked king—or any elected ruler for that matter—hightailing it to the desert?
  5. Has God commanded you to walk around barefoot for the next three years?
  6. Are you eager to shave off all of your hair and throw it into the wind?
  7. Have you recently predicted the downfall of a nation?  Or an NFL franchise?
  8. Would you be willing to bury your underwear under a rock by the Euphrates River?
  9. Have you ever looked at the world and said, “This is not right. We have got to change direction”?
  10. Have you ever made a comment like that, and followed it up with, “This is the Word of the Lord”?

If you have nodded “Yes” to any of these questions, you may have “The Gift of Prophesy.” To confirm, come this Sunday, when we will be talking about the role of prophets in the Bible, in our own lives, and in a world that sorely needs direction.

See you in worship,

SBJ

Buried Boxers!?P.S. If you don’t believe me about the whole “buried underwear” thing, check out Jeremiah 13: 1-11.  As to the rest of the scriptural references, I’ll let you enterprising souls do a little research.

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Our Neighbors in Boston

April 19th, 2013 · Faith and the City

When I was five, my mother would turn on the television every afternoon and flip to Channel 13, so that I could catch “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Mr. Rogers always began with his trademark song, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which included the invitation:

Won’t you please…
Won’t you please…
Please won’t you be my neighbor?

 As a kid, I silently answered, “Yes, Mr. Rogers.” What five-year-old wouldn’t want to live next door to this gentle man whose house was filled with trolley cars, a fish tank and a whole magical realm?

Mister Rogers“I’ll be your neighbor,” I whispered.

At that time, I had no idea Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian minister; and I certainly wasn’t aware that all his talking and singing about neighbors had its roots in someone else’s teachings.

Yet, of course, Jesus of Nazareth spoke a lot about neighbors.

One of the most famous examples is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this story, robbers leave a man bloodied in a ditch. A number of people on that same road walk right by the injured man, but finally one traveler stops to help him. Then Jesus asks, “Which of these men was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

We all know the answer.

This week, as the terrible news and gruesome pictures came in from Boston, I have been hurling angry and sad questions at anyone in earshot: What is the world coming to? How can people do this to each other? How do I talk to my children about this?

Then, in the midst of my funk, my friend J.C. Austin reminded me of something Mr. Rogers said: “When I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

“Look for the helpers.” It’s another way of saying, “Look for the neighbors.”  

Boston MarathonIn the immediate aftermath of this evil act, people quickly moved from being strangers to being neighbors. In fact, a great many people in Boston chose not to pass by their bloodied brothers and sisters, but stopped to tend to them.

In these courageous actions, the simple invitation, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”, proves to be stronger—much, much stronger—than the cowardly acts of those who would sow fear. In these holy deeds, we find strength and hope.

Join us this Sunday as we pray for those injured and those who grieve; and as we consider our calling to neighborly love in this challenging and sometimes very frightening world.

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On Your Heart?

April 12th, 2013 · Sharp Prayers

A few weeks ago, I asked if you would think about and pray about this question: Who is my neighbor? Whom should we seek to serve, to care for, and to welcome into Christian community?

Sacred Heart of JesusThis question touches on the church’s outreach, evangelism, education and pastoral care. I have a friend who phrases the question this way: “Whom has God laid on your heart?” 

A few of you have already jotted down your thoughts and handed them to me. Here are some of the responses I have received so far.

God has placed on my heart…

  • The homeless poor
  • Children with special needs
  • The ozone layer
  • Young professionals in NYC who work so hard and feel they have no time for faith
  • The people of Haiti
  • College students
  • Those who can no longer make it to FAPC — our beloved, elderly “shut-ins”

Today, I am asking if you would add your prayerful responses to this list. Please post them to this blog.

Your responses will help FAPC’s strategic planning team as we think together about how best to deploy the resources and energies of this congregation on behalf of the world that “God so loves!” (John 3:16)

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Easter Monday & Opening Day

April 2nd, 2013 · Faith and the City

It is Easter Monday. It’s also Opening Day.

All over the world today, clergy are massaging sore muscles and ignoring their emails. Our faith’s World Series is over–again. So naturally, we feel spent, giddy and wistful.

LilyThe crowds came. The smell of hyacinths perfumed the air.  People said, as they always do, “Wouldn’t it be nice if the sanctuary were always this full?!” The music was glorious. We put extra oomph into our preaching and our praying. So much so, you would think Jesus depended on us—on our flailing—to emerge from the tomb.

We had the best of intentions. We knew there were folk in the house who did not know the rules, or the history, or the protocol of the game. Some settled into the bleachers under duress–tugged there by an eager fan. Others hadn’t been out to the park in a long time. None of that mattered. They were present. They were watching, trying to make sense of the goings on. We wanted to honor their attendance with our best. We wanted to convey that what we do here matters.

So, we set our sights high. We said, “We’ll hit all the bases: Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the garden tomb. We’ll let our hopes—our flawed, ferocious hopes—energize every at bat. We’ll swing fiercely, aiming to rip the ball over the left field fence, or at least bang a double off the wall.”

In the end, the story got told. In the presence of our anxiety, our eagerness, our wide-swinging hopefulness, the story got told.

It was–and always will be–bigger than us.  It will never depend on you or me hitting home runs.  Thank God.

BaseballNow, it’s over.

Next Sunday, things will return to normal. We will look at each other, a little embarrassed at last week’s ecstasy. Did we really fling off our flowered hats, shout “Alleluia!”, and rush the field!?

Relaxed, we will toss the ball around the diamond. We will wink at each other; for the tomb is still empty. Christ is risen! And, we’ve got the rest of our lives to get Easter right.

Indeed.

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So Amazing, So Divine (Reprise)

March 27th, 2013 · Faith and the City

Maundy Thursday, 2013

My favorite hymn writer is Isaac Watts.  Watts, a teacher, poet and pastor of meager estate, wrote over 750 hymns while serving a small London parish in the early 1700’s.  His hymnody is historically significant because rather than writing musical tunes for the psalms—which he also did, and which was primary function of church music at that time—Watts frequently set his own religious poetry to music.

The man’s poetry was (and is) sparking brilliant!

Almost everyone knows at least one of Watts’ compositions.  The most published hymn in the history of the world is “Joy to World.”  It is hard for me to imagine Christmas without trilling Watts’ concluding verse:

     He rules the world with truth and grace,

     And makes the nations prove

     The glories of His righteousness,

     And wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,

     And wonders, wonders, of His love.
 

I also have an Isaac Watts hymn that I need to sing when Holy Week rolls around.  The hymn I have in mind has lyrics that are sorrowful and strong, confessional and yet surprisingly noble.  The great preacher and hymn writer Charles Wesley once said that he would give up all of the hymns he had ever written, if he could have penned this particular one.  I am speaking of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

Watts begins by placing all who are singing at the foot of the cross:

     When I survey the wondrous cross

     On which the Prince of glory died,

     My richest gain I count but loss,

     And pour contempt on all my pride.
 

We conclude by confessing the absolute claim that the cross of Jesus makes on us:

     Were the whole realm of nature mine,

     That were a present far too small;

     Love so amazing, so divine,

     Demands my soul, my life, my all.

At first glance, this hymn, written in 1707, seems to stand in stark contrast to the upbeat Joy to the World.  Yet, over time I have come to realize that Watts’ theology is consistent.  In both cases, he focuses our attention on God’s love.

I hope you will join us this week as we travel a difficult road, surveying the wondrous cross, stooping to peer in the empty tomb, always surrounded by love, so amazing, so divine.

P.S.  Here’s a link to our Worship Schedule.  Don’t forget to bring a few blooms from your garden or the local market for the flowering of the cross on Easter morning.

P.P.S.  The American hymn writer who set Watts’ poetry in “When I Survey…” to its most familiar tune was Lowell Mason, Director of Music at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church from 1853-1860.  Mason is responsible for over 1600 hymn tunes!

 

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Hosanna

March 22nd, 2013 · Faith and the City

images-5Holy Week is upon us. This Sunday we begin our sacred journey.  We will stand at the gates of Jerusalem, cheer with an exuberant crowd, and wave palms as a humble man rides by on a donkey.  “Hosanna!” we will sing.

“Hosanna!”  

It is not a term that comes up in everyday conversation. If you are like me, the last time you uttered “Hosanna” was… well, a year ago on Palm Sunday.

Scholars tell us it is a difficult word to define. Their best guess is that “hosanna” is a contraction of two Hebrew terms: yaw-shah, meaning to save or deliver, and naw, meaning to beseech or pray. So you might translate the shouts of the Palm Sunday crowd as: “We beseech you to deliver us.”

The people cheered. They carpeted the street with greenery. They called out, “Hosanna!” They studied the face of the one rumored to be the Messiah; and they cried, “Save us!”

“Save us.”  

The meaning of Palm Sunday hangs on those two words, on that simple plea: “Save us.” From what?

Good question. To some, “save us” conjures fears of damnation.  Save us from the fires of hell! It is not a terrible request, but it is doubtful that the crowds in Jerusalem had this in mind. They wanted to be saved from Roman occupation. They wanted a messiah to free them.

Palm SundayDo we dare imagine what we really want God to save us from?

Save me from anger. Save me from cancer. Save me from depression. Save me from debt. Save me from fighting with my sister. Save me from humiliation at work. Save me from pain. Save me from loneliness. Save me, God — save me from my fears.

Shall we stand along the road together, my friends? Waving palms … reaching deep … risking honesty… shouting, “Hosanna!”

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Strategic Prayer II: Who is My Neighbor?

March 15th, 2013 · Faith and the City

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, the lawyer asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’  – Luke 10: 25-29

Good Samaritan -- He QiWho is my neighbor?

This is the pointed question that a lawyer poses right before Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is also a critical question for FAPC’s Strategic Planning Task Force.

Who are the people that we have an ethical obligation to care about? Who are our neighbors?

In worship, we confess (every week) that the Church exists to serve Jesus Christ. And we know that Jesus, in turn, calls us to serve others.

But who?

I once heard a revivalist preacher put the question this way: “Who has God laid on your heart?” As you move through life, who are the people you feel the Church exists to serve?

Over the next couple of weeks, our Task Force asks that you pray about this question. As you work and watch the news and grocery shop, look at those around you and ask yourself, “Who is my neighbor? Who is MY church called to reach out to?”

There are many possible answers to this question — many legitimate responses. So take your time. Ask God to give you eyes to see those we are called to serve.

Once again, we ask that you would write your prayerful reflections down. Keep a logbook. In about two weeks (after Easter), I’ll ask if you would be willing to post your responses here. 

We are very eager to hear what you have seen and prayerfully imagined.

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Alone Together

March 7th, 2013 · Faith and the City

Throughout Lent, we have been focused at church on the “I am” statements that Jesus makes in the Gospel of John. “I am the bread.” “I am the light.” “I am the good shepherd.” 

This Sunday, our attention turns to the next statement in our series: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” We are going to talk about what it means to be truly connected — connected to each other and connected to God.

As we think about this critical topic, I want to commend a video to you.  Have you heard of TED talks? TED is a website devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” It is full of fascinating videos (15 minutes or so in length) of smart people talking about their fields of expertise.

Alone TogetherThe video I commend to you this week features Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and sociologist whose research focuses on technology and its effects on the human psyche and the wider culture. Turkle’s newest book, Alone Together, investigates the ways in which people are starting to “expect more of technology and less of each other.”

I find Turkle to be insightful and provocative. She is not a Luddite. She doesn’t demand that we throw our smart phones away. But she does raise fascinating questions about the places technology is taking us.

Her commentary is important for parents, as well as for any of us (be honest now!) who find it difficult to go 10 minutes (5 minutes? 1 minute?) without looking at our phones.

Check out this video. Give it some time to pick up speed. It is worth 20 minutes, I promise.

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How Was Your Day?

February 22nd, 2013 · Sharp Prayers

I recently saw a rerun of the film “Bruce Almighty.” I enjoyed it. The premise of this Jim Carrey comedy is theologically interesting: What would you do if you had God’s powers?

One of the first things that the main character, Bruce, does — after God gives him dominion over a small part of western New York State — is to fix the wrongs that have been plaguing his life. Bruce gets a new car. He house trains his dog. He takes revenge on an archrival at work.

Insta-PrayerSoon, however, Bruce discovers that his vast powers come with added responsibility. He is now expected to answer people’s prayers. Every morning, Bruce awakes to a computer inbox overflowing with prayers, and those are just the ones from the Buffalo area.

YesThese prayers follow a fairly typical pattern: a child at school asks for help passing a math test; a hockey fan prays that the Sabres will win the Stanley Cup; a bunch of people pray that God will help them win the lottery. Shrugging, Bruce decides to say “yes” to all of these petitions.

The next morning he awakes to a sad realization. His unlimited “yes” has not created widespread happiness, but chaos. Hockey fans riot. Thousands of lottery winners complain because their share of the jackpot is painfully small. People are angrier and more frustrated than ever.

Maybe, the movie suggests, answering prayers is more complicated than it may seem.

The movie also prods us to think about something else. When we talk with God, do we usually fire off a laundry list of things we would like the Almighty to do?

Now, to be sure, asking God for things — like daily bread and healing for a loved one — is a faithful way to pray. But is it the only way?

C.S. Lewis once observed, ”I don’t pray to change God’s mind. I pray for God to change my mind!”

What does that sort of prayer look like — sound like? One example is a practice started by Ignatius of Loyola called the examen. Ignatius encouraged his students to pray by lifting up to God a moment from the past day when they felt surrounded by grace — a moment that was life-giving to them.

PrayerThe idea is to start a conversation with God. I compare it to that moment when I walk in the door and Amy asks me, “How was your day?” Ignatius believed that if we begin our prayers as if they were an answer to that question, we will move to a deeper relationship with God.

In recent weeks, I have asked you to lift up to God those events, occasions and encounters at this church when you have felt surrounded by grace and uplifted in your faith. I know some of you have been participating in this discipline.

So now I am curious: what have you been praying about?

Please post here…

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