Usually not the
formal, spoken prayer, but the stare-at-the-ceiling, not really paying
attention to the television, kind of prayer. You know what I mean.
It took a little
fortitude to call on these folks cold, because no matter how I dressed
(clerical collar or necktie, lab coat, clerical suit, or business casual)
patients would size me up and decide who I was and what I was about and act
accordingly. And that was okay… because this sizing up was theirs, not mine. Besides,
of all the professionals coming to see patients in hospital, I was the one
guy that the person had the right to say
“go away” to… and I’d go.
So when I was welcomed,
the conversation was up to them and some would guide that conversation for the
two of us. Some would dodge talking about their upcoming procedure choosing
instead small talk or “what about them (pick your team and sport)…? Or tell me
about their spouse, kids or grandkids, or work, or… whatever. Some would tell me about their illness and
procedure in great detail. And rarely, some would talk about whatever anxiety
of the moment was on their mind or heart (and it was not always medical!). A
few would nod and grunt me out of the room. Once a guy shooed me away before I
even entered the room saying, “I don’t need no [blankety-blank] priest!”
Whatever happened, it was all good.
Typically, I would
ask if the person would like a prayer… or I’d see if they’d ask. Every now and
then, a person would ask me the question that the disciples asked Jesus in
today’s Gospel: “Teach me how to pray.”
Now this is a
tricky question. Because as a chaplain, I was not there for me, but for the
person. And so, I had to learn how to rest in my own tradition and authority
while at the same time allowing the person to set the tone and direction.
Patients will put up with “Father Know-It-All” for only so long, because it ain’t
about me, right? So I’d encourage them to tell me what they wanted to know. Often,
the question was serious, along the lines of: “I know this is a big moment and I don’t know how to
put this into words.” Or, “I'm in crisis and I need the rituals of my tradition. or upbringing.”
Or, “I want to remember a prayer from my childhood but all I am coming up with
is table-grace.”
I brought this
question to a colleague and fellow student chaplain because I was asked by a
patient, who was Jewish, who was asking me, a Christian priest, how to pray. My
friend and classmate, who was a rabbi, said, “It’s okay. You’re the follower of a small-town
rabbi, right? Follow his lead!” In other words, pray the prayer that Jesus
taught.
In the Gospel of
Luke, we hear Jesus say:
“Father,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And
forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
The disciples saw that whenever their teacher and Master had exhausted himself doing good, he
would withdraw from the crowd in order to pray. And they had seen the results
of those prayers in his life-transforming deeds and in the calm he exuded
seemingly from every pore.
“Lord, teach us how
to pray!” They too wanted that peace and strength, the utter assurance that
Jesus had in doing the will of his Father.
The simple and
profound words that Jesus taught have become known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Over
the centuries countless faithful have uttered them together and in solitude and
utter them still. These words rise up and blend into an endless prayer of
praise, of supplication, of doxology. Their simplicity is interwoven with many
layers of meaning that has influenced many Christians.
My first real
exposure to the depth of the prayer came after my Confirmation through a little
book that came my way written by Igor Sikorsky, aviator, maker of flying boats, and the inventor of the helicopter. In it, he contemplated the Lord's Prayer in both Matthew and Luke as it impacted his faith and his work. The prayer has inspired many faithful people, lay and ordained over the millennia to go deeper in their prayer. Today, I am indebted to
the Rev. Katerina Katsarka Whitley for her commentary on the Lord’s Prayer in Luke,
which I share with you here:
Jesus started by
showing them that first they must know whom they are addressing. The Greek word
for prayer used in the gospels means “a wish, a request toward” someone. Luke’s
version that we heard is pared down, simpler than the prayer found in Matthew’s
gospel. The one we know best grew out of Matthew’s version, and has some points
that were added by ancient authorities over time. Yet, the core is the same.
“Our Father…”
There this word can be loaded because they had the terrible misfortune of
living with a bad father. And many of us were blessed with loving and caring
fathers and we have no difficulty in identifying the Creator with the word
Father. God, who is father and mother, understands all of this.
“Hallowed be
your name.” We are addressing the Holy of Holies, the all-sacred one.
Jesus reminds us that when we address God we are in the presence of holiness.
“Your kingdom
come.” Jesus’ teaching is filled withs image of God’s reign. It’s like a
mustard seed, or a little yeast in a big loaf, or a woman looking for a lost
coin, or a shepherd looking for a lost sheep. The kingdom of God that Jesus
teaches us to pray for is one where justice prevails, and where love conquers. In
the kingdom of God everyone is of equal value. And Jesus teaches us to pray
that the Kingdom of God may it come to us in our time and in our place.
“Your will be
done.” We long for a world where God’s will is done as automatically and
ordinarily as happens in heaven. God’s will is not done by putting it up on a
marble pedestal, in the public square. Statues or framed copied of the ten
commandments in classrooms or courtrooms will not save us. All of that is for
show; about telling us to be obedient to the State, the Culture, or “The Way
Things Are.” Jesus warned us about this, and to watch out for praying just so
we can prove how pious we are. True prayer is between us and God. Even when we
pray together in unison, in church, we are connecting to God and to each other
as a people of God.
This then is the
first portion of prayer: where we acknowledge God as Father/Mother, as Creator,
as Holy, where God’s rule of love and justice are natural and at home.
The second part of
the prayer is a simple request for what sustains life. Bread was the essence of
nourishment in the ancient world. Having bread meant one was not hungry. Not
having bread meant starvation. Instead of the word ‘bread’ imagine praying “Give
us the necessities for living because everything else is superfluous.”
“And forgive us
our sins…” We need to forgive. In every
gospel, Jesus shows us our need for forgiveness. The plea to be forgiven is
followed by the most surprising element of this prayer:
“. . . as we
forgive those who sin against us” reminds us that God’s forgiveness is deeply
connected to our ability and willingness to forgive. We need God’s
grace to forgive our fellow human beings, and the grace to recognize and accept
God’s forgiveness of our own sins. Some translation says “debts” instead of
“sin.” “Those who are indebted to us,” may also be taken literally. In the
ancient world, being indebted financially was very serious, just as our modern
world is built around the management and industry of debt. In Jesus’ day, debt
could mean life or death. Jesus knew that in Hebrew scriptures, Mammon was a
powerful idol, just as “the Market” is a powerful idol today, and those who
cannot forgive debts because they worship money cannot possibly comprehend the
free, unmerited, and total grace and forgiveness of God.
“Do not bring us
to the time of trial.” Trials are
frequent and no one is spared. We pray to be shielded from trials and
temptation, but when they do come, they must be faced. When we are tried, we
are tempted to take the easy way out, to avoid the hard choices. Jesus prayed in
the Garden of Gethsemane, “Let this cup pass from me,” but he was not spared, and
he faced his death, convinced of the will of his Father, enduring death and the
grave on the way to resurrection.
Jesus’ prayer, the
Lord’s Prayer, is the profound and simple prayer that binds us together as we
worship. In our parishes, with our ecumenical and interfaith friends, with
followers of Jesus all over the globe and throughout time. This is the prayer
that forms the basis for all our prayers. In it, Jesus shows us that we are both
known and being heard.
In the parable that
follows, Jesus reminds us in the Gospel that we are like the persistent child crying
out to a parent. A parent responds to the child’s plea, he tells us. And Jesus
encourages us to be persistent and not give up, because God’s will for us is
good.
Do you want to know how to pray? Do you want to know what to pray? Here is Jesus' school of prayer. We've been chewing on what he taught us ever since. Every time we say it, we are being invited by Jesus to go deeper.
And that's important, because prayer is more important than
ever… if you don’t believe me just turn on the car radio, the T.V., or open the
newspaper app in your phone. Every day we are bombarded with stories of terror
and harm and killing in our world. So it is good to remember that every day,
all over the globe, millions of faithful people are praying Jesus’ simple
prayer every minute of the day: “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” And
every day, we join with them when we pray Jesus’ prayer whether we are alone or
together. Listen as we pray together:
Father in heaven.
Your name is holy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on
earth as in heaven.
Give us today our
daily bread.
And forgive us our
sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
+ + + + + + + + +
Scripture for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, July 27, 2025
Website for Church of the Good Samaritan (Episcopal), Clearwater
Learn more about the Diocese of Southwest Florida here
Here is the bulletin for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, July 27, 2025, the Church of the Good Samaritan, Clearwater, Florida.
Here is the livestream of the liturgy. The sermon begins at XX:XX
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