Sunday, February 18, 2007
“Living With the Father Forever”
Matthew 6:5-13
Reverend David Wiggs
Senior Pastor
Open with Stephen Ministry skit about man who has a need (wife has left him, losing his job) and he does not know where to turn. He talks with a co-worker who recommends a Stephen Minister from his church.
Many of us have been in a
situation where someone we knows turns to us with their problems. Sometimes we can talk or pray with them and
that is enough. But at other times they
need more than that and it can be more than we can provide by ourselves. So, we want you to be aware of our Stephen
Ministry program where these people have responded to a call and have gone
through careful training to prepare themselves to walk alongside someone like the
fellow in our skit this morning.
But, it also strikes me as
important that we notice that this fellow finds himself in a crisis and he has
no plan. He is not prepared. He was so surprised. It is probably not too strong to say he is
shocked by this turn of events. He does
not know how to respond or what to do.
He can see no way out. That is
not uncommon among people in crisis.
They are not sure what to do next and they have no plan to follow, they
feel stuck.
Even though most of us are
not in a full-blown crisis right now we share some similarities with
this fellow in that we have no plan.
Humans are a notorious lot for short-term thinking. Most of us do not have an up-to-date
will. Most of us do not have a clearly
articulated retirement or estate plan.
Most of us do not have a physical fitness plan. Most of us do not have a spiritual growth
plan. But until a crisis strikes,
either in our health or our finances or in our spiritual lives, we give it
little thought or attention.
This morning I want to
spend some time helping you consider developing a prayer plan that will improve
your spiritual fitness, without it taking a crisis. You might remember, if you were here on the first Sunday of
January, as we started this series, that I pointed out that we have no record
of Jesus teaching the disciples how to preach or how to tell a poignant parable
or such things. But we do have this
record of Jesus teaching them how to pray.
Jesus says, Pray then in this way (v. 9) and then gives us this model prayer.
We have a model, right
here in Matthew 6. We have a prayer
plan right here before us. I have put
the hexagon in your outline one more time to help you really grab a hold of this
model and put it to work in your life.
As I was working on this
during the week I came up with one word keys to make this even simpler in my
own mind. I look at the hexagon and think:
The Father’s
Character: Father.
The Father’s Kingdom: Align.
The Father’s
Provision: Daily.
The Father’s Forgiveness:
Refresh (I think of the refresh button
on the computer that you can use when you get stuck on the internet or can’t
get to the information you are looking for; you can simply click on refresh and
it starts over. I thought that was a
good image for God’s forgiveness. So I
have Refresh there.)
The Father’s Guidance:
Follow.
The Father’s Protection: I
have Power on that one.
So, my prayer plan
becomes: Father, Align, Daily. Refresh, Follow and Power. You
could use mine or come up with your own.
But the idea is to use the model prayer Jesus gives us to deepen your
personal prayer life. Because that is
the key. When we are aligned with
God, we experience the power of God’s life surging through our lives.
Across the country today
has been designated as Amazing Grace Sunday. This is a
part of a Christian movement to end slavery worldwide. There are many Christian groups that have
come together to respond to this ongoing, evil practice still alive in our
world today.
They have chosen this Spring as a launch date because it is
the occasion of the 200th
anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. The main proponent for this abolition was William
Wilberforce, a courageous Christian who used his seat in Parliament as a
forum to work against the ingrained and accepted practice of slave trading in
his country.
Interestingly enough, one of the
influences on his life as he was growing up were his Aunt and Uncle, who
happened to be part of a religious movement in England known by the derogatory
name “Methodists” -- who were also opposed to slavery. They were also close friends of the former
slave trader John Newton. But his
mother discouraged his relationships with these Christians.
Wilberforce was a bright young
man who was educated at Cambridge and then elected to Parliament at the age of
only twenty-one. Through his
relationships as a young adult, Wilberforce renewed his commitment to
Christianity and his relationship with Newton.
He considered his faith and his political career incompatible. But it was Newton who suggested to him that
perhaps God was planning to use him through his work in politics. He took that to heart and for the next eighteen
years introduced bills in Parliament to end the slave trade between Africa and
the West Indies.
Powerful people who profited
handsomely through the slave trade opposed him at every turn. Yet Wilberforce persevered, believing that
God was directing him in this work.
Finally in 1807 Parliament passed an act that ended the slave
trade. More legislation came later to
free all those who were already held as slaves within the British Empire. (The
United Methodist Reporter, 2/2/07)
27 million people are still
being oppressed today
and held as slaves. In fact, I
saw a portion of a television show in which American journalists were following
the efforts of some in Africa to reclaim young children who have been kidnapped
or sold into slavery and forced to work as manual laborers. It is a story that has been under told, but
this campaign invites us to remember in our prayers those oppressed and
dehumanized by this practice, which is certainly contrary to the will of
God. For more information there is a
website – the address is on your outline.
(www.amazinggracesunday.com)
But what I want us to notice is
the witness that Wilberforce was in his day.
I think his life is a great example of a life aligned with God and
illustrates the power we experience when we do so align ourselves. Not that aligning with God leads one onto a
national stage fighting social ills, although that may happen, but rather that aligning
one’s life with God empowers and inspires one to live a life
contributing to God’s kingdom coming on the earth.
Jesus says, Whenever you
pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in
secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (v. 6) What a powerful promise!
I think Wilberforce knew the power of that promise. He was sustained in his life’s work by the
grace of God his Father.
Shortly before John Wesley died
he wrote Wilberforce a letter, which said in part, “If God be for you, who can
be against you? Oh, be not weary of
well-doing. Go on in the name of
God…”
This prayer from Jesus gives us
a model to utilize to align our lives with God’s life. Are you ready to experience the power of a
life aligned with God? If so, let me
suggest that you use the upcoming season of Lent, which begins on Wednesday and
runs for the next six Sundays, as a time to develop a prayer plan.
You could simply commit to praying
The Lord’s Prayer daily, being attentive to which part stands out that day
for you and asking God to speak to you through that. You could commit to yourself and to God that you will carve
out a regular time of meeting.
Susan is preparing our Lenten Prayer Guide, which gives
daily instructions for a prayer plan.
Or you could sign-up for one of Lenten Small Groups, which will
give you a weekly support meeting providing Bible study, prayer and fellowship
for these next several weeks. We are
also going to be offering a variety of prayer meetings that will be held
each Sunday evening in Lent – that could be part of your prayer plan. We will be modeling different kinds and
styles of prayers in each of those services.
Lots of ways to deepen your
prayer life, I hope you will choose one or more and watch for God’s power and
love to invigorate your faith and life.
The campaign to end slavery chose the name Amazing Grace Sunday
because the hymn by the same title was written by John Newton. Did you know that Newton was himself a
slave, then became a slave-trader before becoming a Christian? His is a striking witness to the power of
God to change lives through prayer. For
it was while Newton’s slave ship was in great distress that he was praying and
felt God not only saving his ship but converting his heart.
For this special Sunday there is
a new rendition of that wonderful old hymn that Thom and Brain are going to
offer to us now as we contemplate what commitments we are ready to make. Choose a prayer plan. Write it down. Follow it throughout Lent.
May God’s blessings be upon you.
Matthew 6:5-13
Living With the Father Forever 2/18/06
…some similarities… in
that we have no ________.
Pray then in this way (v. ___) …gives us this model prayer.
So, my prayer plan
becomes: Father, Align,
__________.
Refresh, Follow and Power.
When we are aligned
with God we experience the __________
of God’s life surging
through our lives.
Amazing Grace Sunday
William ______________________
27 million people are still being… held as ____________.
…aligning one’s life with God
empowers and inspires…
live a life contributing to __________ kingdom…
v. ____ What
a powerful promise!
…develop a ____________ plan.
…praying The Lord’s Prayer __________,
…carve out a regular ________ of meeting.
Lenten Prayer
Guide
Lenten Small
Groups
…prayer meetings…
Choose a prayer plan.
Write it down.
Follow it throughout ________.
Kid’s Question:
What kind of plan are we to develop for Lent?