August 7th, 2022

Sermon by Pastor Ron Nelson

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time August 7, 2022 Turtle Island

THE REV. ROGER KARBAN SAID, “PRACTICALLY NOTHING IN SCRIPTURE WAS WRITTEN BY AN EYEWITNESS – NOT EVEN OUR GOSPELS.” ONLY AFTER YEARS, OR EVEN CENTURIES OF REFLECTING ON GOD’S ACTIONS IN THEIR LIVES, DID OUR SACRED AUTHORS EVENTUALLY COMPOSE THE WRITINGS THAT MAKE UP OUR SACRED SCRIPTURES TODAY. MANY OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THEIR STORIES, SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THOSE DIVINE ACTIONS, AS THEY WERE ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE.

SCHOLARS TODAY CONSTANTLY REMIND US THAT SUCH INSIGHTS PROBABLY DID NOT BECOME PART OF THEIR FAITH LIVES UNTIL FAR DOWN THE ROAD. AS WE GET OLDER, WE OFTEN SAY, “I DID NOT UNDERSTAND “THAT” THEN, BUT I DO NOW.” SO WE HAVE THREE LITURGICAL READINGS PLUS A PSALM EVERY SUNDAY TO HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR AUTHORS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT IN THEIR LIVES AND THUS WHAT SAME THINGS AND EVENTS ARE HAPPENING IN OUR OWN LIVES TODAY. IF WE ARE NOT PREPARED TO LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, THEN OFTEN WE WILL NOT EVEN NOTICE WHAT IS TAKING PLACE IN OUR OWN LIVES. SO WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO NEVER LISTEN TO OR READ THE NEWS OR WHO LISTEN TO SOME ONE SPOUTING SOMETHING FROM AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE AND WE WONDER WHY WE HAVE PROBLEMS IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY.

I WAS TRAINED TO WRITE SERMONS WITH THE BIBLE IN ONE HAND AND THE NEWSPAPER IN THE OTHER HAND. ON ANY GIVEN DAY I READ AT LEAST TWO NEWSPAPERS. SO, LET US LOOK AT TODAY’S LESSONS. OUR AUTHOR OF WISDOM IS CONVINCED THAT ONLY THOSE WHO WERE ENSLAVED ISRAELITES, WHO WERE ANTICIPATING YAHWEH TO DESTROY THEIR ENEMIES, ACTUALLY INTERPRETED EXODUS CORRECTLY. HISTORICALLY, ACCORDING TO THE AUTHOR OF EXODUS [NOT MOSES.], THE MAJORITY OF THE JEWS IN EGYPT ARGUED AGAINST MOSES.

IN OTHER WORDS, A GREAT SAVING EVENT IN JEWISH HISTORY STARTED OUT AS A HUGE AGGRAVATION. WE HAVE THE WRITER OF WISDOM POINTING OUT THAT THE LAST PLAGUE THAT TOOK PLACE AND UNFOLDED LIKE THE WRITER OF EXODUS HAD SAID, HAD BEEN TREATED SO BADLY BY THE MAJORITY OF THE HEBREWS THAT THEY ALMOST MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE FREE PEOPLE.

JUST THINK WHAT MANY PEOPLE STILL DO WITH THE NEWS OF THE DAY? THUS THE AUTHOR OF HEBREWS WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT SUCH BLINDNESS NEVER HAPPENS TO US WHO FOLLOW JESUS. SO THE AUTHOR OF HEBREWS HAMMERS AWAY AT ABRAHAM AND SARAH’S FAITH. YOU SEE, IF ABRAHAM AND SARAH WERE THE FIRST JEWS, THEN, THEY DID NOT HAVE YAHWEH’S RECORD TO FALL BACK ON. THEIR FAITH HELPS THEM TO SEE YAHWEH’S HAND IN THE DAILY EVENTS OF THEIR LIVES. I HOPE WE DO ALSO. THEY DID NOT EMIGRATE FROM UR TO CANAAN SIMPLY TO ACQUIRE FOOD. THEY CAME BECAUSE, THEY FELT, YAHWEH HAD A UNIQUE PLAN FOR THEM AND THEIR DESCENDANTS. THEIR/OUR FUTURE WAS/IS SECURE WITH GOD, SO FAITH CAN LIVE IN THE UNCERTAINTY, AND EVEN THE AGONY OF NOW.

FAITH IS NOT ABOUT SALUTING A SET OF BELIEFS. IT IS ABOUT WALKING WITH GOD AND BEING A COMPANION, PARTICULARLY STANDING IN THE LOWLY PLACE WITH THE EASILY DESPISED AND READILY LEFT OUT. THINK ABOUT IT, ABRAHAM HAD NO CITY, SARAH HAD NO WOMB,

WE CANNOT DEPEND ON OUR RESOURCES BUT ON GOD’S VISION AND OUR FOLLOWING HER.

IN OTHER WORDS NOT OUR ABILITY BUT OUR AVAILABILITY. BOTH MOSES AND MLK SAID SOMETHING LIKE THIS, “I HAVE SEEN THE PROMISED LAND BUT I MAY NOT GET THERE WITH YOU.” NIEBUHR SAID, “NOTHING WORTH DOING CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IN A SINGLE LIFE-TIME, THEREFORE WE ARE SAVED BY HOPE.”

JUST RECENTLY A FORMER HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATE HAS BEEN ASKING ME ABOUT HOW, WHY, WE CAME TO CANADA, WHICH WILL ALSO BECOME, WHY DID I BECOME A PASTOR?

I HAVE ALWAYS FELT IT WAS TOO PIOUS TO SAY, “BECAUSE GOD CALLED ME, BUT?” I HAD A CALL, AND CALLS TO OTHER CONGREGATIONS, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED ME TO STAY IN THE STATES BUT I ANSWERED THE ONE TO DRUMHELLER, AB. I/WE WERE NOT RUNNING AWAY FROM ANYTHING. I HAD RECEIVED MY HONOURABLE DISCHARGE FROM THE USMC ON FEBRUARY 19TH, 1965 AND I WAS ORDAINED ON JUNE 2, 1965. I DID NOT HAVE THE NEGATIVE FEELINGS ABOUT THE STATES THEN, THAT I DO NOW. SO, I CERTAINLY DO NOT PUT MYSELF AND ABRAHAM AND SARAH IN THE SAME SPACE.

JAN, JULIE’S MOTHER, AND I WERE ONLY 25, NOT 90 AND 100, LIKE SARAH AND ABRAHAM.

SO, I HAVE TO PUT MYSELF IN THE HANDS OF OUR SACRED AUTHORS. THEY WERE/ARE CONVINCED THAT FAITH ENABLES US TO NOTICE WHAT OTHERS IGNORE. THAT SEEMS TO BE WHY LUKE’S JESUS WANTS US TO BE CERTAIN ABOUT WHERE OUR “TREASURE” IS LOCATED.

AGAIN,

>I CANNOT PUT MYSELF IN A CLASS WHERE I “SELL MY POSSESSIONS AND GIVE ALMS.”

>I CERTAINLY DO NOT FEEL LIKE I AM SEEING JESUS IN MY LIFE.

>I CERTAINLY DO NOT FEEL I AM FOCUSING ON CARING FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHERS AND THEREFORE WILL BE EXPERIENCING GOD’S REIGN IN MY LIFE.

THE HISTORICAL JESUS PRESUMED HIS FOLLOWERS WOULD SEE HIM DURING HIS MINISTRY.

>NO, I HAVE NOT HAD ANY VISIONS.

JESUS SEEMED TO SAY OR AT LEAST IMPLY, THEY/WE WOULD ONLY BE FAITHFUL AND PRUDENT STEWARDS IF THEY/WE HAD A DIRECT CONNECTION TO HIM. YES, JESUS SEEMS TO SAY, DISCIPLESHIP IS EXTREMELY DEMANDING AND THAT HIS “KINGDOM” IS A GIFT WHOSE VALUE EXCEEDS ALL OTHERS.

>MORE IS DEMANDED OF JESUS’ DISCIPLES THAN OTHER PEOPLE.

I WISH I COULD JUST READ THE SHORT VERSION BECAUSE THE LONG VERSION EVEN TALKS ABOUT BEING BEATEN IF WE DO NOT DO OUR FAIR SHARE. AS I OFTEN SAY, “THAT IS BEYOND MY PAY GRADE,” FOR ME I HAVE TO HEAR WHAT JESUS SAID, “DO NOT BE AFRAID, LITTLE FLOCK.”

POPE FRANCIS SAID, “HUMAN BEINGS ARE SO MADE THAT WE CANNOT LIVE, DEVELOP AND FIND FULFILLMENT EXCEPT IN THE SINCERE GIFT OF SELF TO OTHERS. LIFE EXISTS WHERE THERE IS COMMUNION WITH OTHERS AND LIFE IS STRONGER THAN DEATH WHEN IT IS BUILT ON TRUE RELATIONSHIPS.” WHAT IF WE REALLY BELIEVED THAT?

>WHAT IF WE BELIEVED THAT WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR IN SHARING WHAT GIVES US SECURITY BECAUSE IT IS ALL A FREE GIFT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

>WHAT IF WE BELIEVED, LIKE ABRAHAM, THAT THE UNKNOWABLE FUTURE GOD OFFERS US IS WORTH MORE THAN THE PRESENT WE ARE USED TO?

>WHAT IF WE BELIEVED THAT LOVING RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ONLY TREASURE THAT WILL NEVER WEAR OUT AND THAT OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL IS TO BE IN COMMUNION WITH ALL OF GOD’S CREATION?

>WHAT IF WE BELIEVED IN WHAT GOD SAID,/SAYS AND NOT SOME FEAR MONGERING POLITICIAN, WHICH IS WHAT YOU HEAR FROM THOSE USUALLY ON THE EXTREME RIGHT.

IT IS AMAZING THE AMOUNT OF THUGGERY AND INTIMIDATION THAT IS BEING USED BY THE DEMAGOGUES TODAY TO INSTALL FEAR IN US. THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM IS CELEBRATED IN TODAY’S SECOND LESSON FROM HEBREWS. AGAIN I REITERATE.

>HAD ABRAHAM LIVED IN FEAR, HE WOULD NEVER HAVE VENTURED FORTH FROM UR FOR PARTS UNKNOWN. HE HAD NO GPS. ALL HE HAD WAS HIS FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE TO THE GOD IN WHOM HE TRUSTED.

>HAD ABRAHAM LIVED IN FEAR, HE WOULD HAVE SHRUNK FROM HIS RESPONSIBILITIES AT SUCH AN ADVANCED AGE. HOW MUCH OF THIS STORY IS JUST A STORY, I DO NOT KNOW,

BUT THIS ABRAHAM IS THE PERSON WHO THE JEWS, MOSLEMS, AND CHRISTIANS REGARD AS OUR FATHER IN THE FAITH. IN ANOTHER PART OF HIS WRITINGS, THE AUTHOR OF WISDOM REFERRED TO FEAR AS “SOUL-SICKENING” AND “RIDICULOUS.” HE SAID, DO NOT SURRENDER TO FEAR.

TODAY, EACH OF US WHO HEEDS HIS WISE ADVICE AND WHO ADMIRES ABRAHAM AND SARAH FOR THEIR PIONEERING FAITH IS CALLED TO FOREGO THOSE FEARS WHICH, CRIPPLE AND STIFLE US, AND ROUSE SUSPICIONS AND SEPARATE US FROM ONE ANOTHER AND GOD.

>IF WE CHOOSE THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE, AND SETTLE FOR THE STATUS QUO, RATHER THAN EMBRACE THE UNKNOWN,

>IF WE FIND SECURITY IN SAVING RATHER THAN GIVING,

>IF WE PREFER THE LESSER RISK OF PASSIVELY WAITING FOR GOD TO EMERGE RATHER THAN THE GREATER CHALLENGE OF WORKING FOR THE REALIZATION OF GOD THEN WE HAVE PROBLEMS.

JESUS WAS FULLY AWARE THAT FEAR IS AT THE ROOT OF MANY HUMAN DIFFICULTIES.

WHY DO YOU THINK SO MANY POLITICIANS OPERATE ON OUR FEARS?

LOOK AT WHAT THE COVID DID, IT FOSTERED FEAR OF WANT AND SO SOME OF US HOARDED TOILET PAPER, CAN YOU IMAGINE? WHEN THE GAS CRISIS OF THE 70’S WAS ON, ONE PERSON WAS ASKED, WHY SHE LINED UP AT THE GAS STATION EVERY DAY, EVEN THOUGH SHE DROVE VERY LITTLE? SHE SAID, “BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT THE HOARDERS TO GET MY GAS.”

YES, INORDINATE FEAR OF GOD, ENEMIES AND THE LIST IS ENDLESS AND WE HAVE PROBLEMS.

JESUS CHALLENGED HIS DISCIPLES BY SAYING, DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR. OUR JESUS IN LUKE TODAY, SAYS, FAITH NOT FEAR IS TO BE THE GUIDING FORCE IN OUR LIVES.

>FAITH ENABLES US TO LIVE IN A CONSTANT ATTITUDE OF PREPAREDNESS, READY TO RECOGNIZE GOD IN OUR LIVES.

>FAITH KEEPS US AWARE,

>FAITH KEEPS US ATTENTIVE TO OUR RESPONSIBILITIES,

>FAITH PROMPTS US TOWARD MUTUAL LOVE AND SUPPORT OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

TODAY,

>WE ARE INVITED INTO THE FUTURE WHERE WE LONG FOR THE DEEPEST LEVEL OF OUR BEING.

TODAY,

>WE REALIZE WE WILL ONLY GET THERE BY LEAVING BEHIND OUR FEARS AND PESSIMISM.

>BY DONATING OUR RICHES,

>BY VENTURING BEYOND OUR NORMAL SURROUNDINGS,

>BY TREASURING OUR CONNECTIONS WITH ALL OF GOD’S PEOPLE,

>BY WATCHING FOR GOD TO SHOW UP UNPREDICTABLY AND IN AN UNFAMILIAR DISGUISE—

THOSE ARE ALL STEPS THAT WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE, TO BE IN COMMUNION WITH GOD’S CREATION. SO, AS AGAIN, WE PARTICIPATE IN OUR WORSHIP, INSTEAD OF GIRDING OUR LOINS AND DUSTING OFF OUR SANDALS, LET US PUT ON, METAPHORICALLY, OUR HIKING BOOTS AND LET OUR CELEBRATION LAUNCH US INTO THE VENTURE OF FAITH THAT TRANSFORMS HOPE INTO REALITY.

GOD SAYS, ‘HAVE NO FEAR, LITTLE FLOCK, HAVE NO FEAR LITTLE FLOCK, FOR THE FATHER HAS CHOSEN TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM, HAVE NO FEAR LITTLE, LITTLE FLOCK.’ [ELW 764]

AND WE ANSWER IN OUR LAST HYMN TODAY. ‘THE GOD OF ABRAHAM PRAISE! YOUR ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE SHALL GUIDE ME ALL MY PILGRIM DAYS. IN ALL MY WAYS, YOU DEIGN TO CALL ME FRIEND, YOU CALL YOURSELF MY GOD! AND YOU WILL SAVE ME TO THE END THROUGH JESUS’ BLOOD.’ [ELW 831]

‘YES, SUMMER AND WINTER AND SPRINGTIME AND HARVEST, SUN, MOON, AND STARS IN THEIR COURSES ABOVE JOIN WITH ALL NATURE IN MANIFOLD WITNESS TO THY GREAT FAITHFULNESS, MERCY, AND LOVE. GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

MORNING BY MORNING NEW MERCIES I SEE, ALL I HAVE NEEDED THY HAND HATH PROVIDED,

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, LORD UNTO THEE.’ [ELW 733]

July 31st, 2022

Sermon Bishop Larry Kochendorfer Synod of Alberta and the Territories It was one of those blessed summer holiday moments. Picture this: a marvellously warm, summer afternoon in my backyard. The grass freshly mowed; the garden of beans, peas, sunflowers, gladiola, potatoes, beets and carrots reaching for the bright, brilliant, warm sun; the perennials blooming majestically in pinks and reds and golds and purples; the hydrangea which had survived another Edmonton winter in our unheated garage was producing leaves and soon flowers would grace the branches; the birdhouse next to the garage was an active home with the parents constantly flying to and fro, busy with the activity of mouths to feed and chicks to raise; our grandchild playing contentedly, running back and forth in the backyard; an excellent book in my hands, a hat on my head, a cold beverage beside me, relaxed, content, several days of holiday before me – all was right in my world. I considered my life…my family…healthy and happy. And it was good. It was very good! “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” I grabbed another beverage and settled back on my plush, extremely comfortable, outdoor lawn furniture. Summer – with the family at relatives, or on a long-awaited post-pandemic trip, or just relaxing on the deck in the backyard – is a time for visions of contentment. I hope that your summer has blessed you with similar moments. If not on a beautiful beach, or hiking in the mountains, or kayaking on the nearby lake, then maybe when you witnessed your child graduate from university, or when you romped with a grandchild on the living room carpet, or when you were lazing around the backyard with good friends, or when you pondered your golf score – pleased to be only a few strokes over par. “Soul…relax, eat, drink, be merry.” This morning’s parable begins, not in contentment, but in a quandary. A rich landowner has a problem. The landowner has received a spectacular harvest, a harvest so great that he has nowhere to store all of the grain. “He thought to himself,” Jesus says, “he deliberated with himself…he had a discussion with himself, saying, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’” And then, still talking to himself, he says, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. He doesn’t just plan to build new barns to augment his old ones, he plans to tear down his old barns and to build new barns, huge barns…this was some harvest! If the rich landowner has enough from this harvest to need larger barns…to be tearing down the old and building new, larger barns…then the harvest must have been nothing short of miraculous. The rich landowner hasn’t just done well, he has done very well! Miraculously well! And still talking to himself, he says, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” We most often call this parable, name this parable, the parable of the rich landowner…but Jesus doesn’t. Jesus begins the story, not with talk about the man, but with talk about the land and its’ bounty. “The land of a rich man produced abundantly,” Jesus tells the hearer. What Jesus first noted is the miraculous barn-bursting harvest. A gift. A miracle. “The land…produced abundantly.” Recently I was visiting family in northwestern Alberta on the family farm. A farm of several generations now. A farm on which my elderly parents still live, and which my twin brother and sister-in-law farm, and now, farm with their son and daughter-in-law and family. The fields were lush and green. The rains in that part of Alberta have come at just the right times. The day my brother finished seeding the rain began. Ideal weather for germination, and growth, and hope-filled harvest. My father, perhaps the typical, stereotypical farmer, is never one to count the chickens before they’re hatched, never one to count the harvest before the crop is harvested and the grain dry and in the bin; or in a good year, a very good year, when the crop is harvested and augered on to the ground in an ever-growing mountain of grain when there is no room in the bins. The weather is never quite perfect for my father, the stereotypical farmer. “How are the crops?” I ask regularly. And he is never satisfied. There is always a need for a bit slower snowmelt in the spring or there has been too much snowmelt together with the spring rain. It has been too dry, and the crops are withering or its been too wet, and the crops are turning yellow. “How are the crops?” I ask. And in his telling of the weather, he isn’t complaining…no, not complaining if you listen closely. No, my father is telling the reality of farming, of planting seed and waiting and wondering and hoping…and trusting…that again a miracle will take place…that again there will be a crop to harvest. No, he isn’t complaining, he is affirming a belief, his trust, in the creator of all, who has provided and continues to provide…he is speaking the language of faith…of trust and belief in the wonder of the land which provides…a gift…a miracle. My father’s focus, his witness, begins with the creator, and with the land and its’ bounty. But not this rich landowner. Just notice how the blessings become a burden. The gift becomes a problem…a huge problem. And the story becomes not, “what a miraculous gift” and gratitude and thanks to the creator, but “how do I manage my miracle? What should I do? I have no place to store my crops. I will pull down my barns. I will store my grain and my goods. I will say to my soul, ‘relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” If we take a closer look at today’s text we will discover that this rich landowner uses “I” a multitude of times, and “my” several times, and even the word “you” refers to himself. All of the talk in this parable, thus far, has been the monologue of the landowner. He talks to himself, plans for himself, congratulates himself, celebrates himself. The rich landowner manages by “I” and “my.” It is only at the end, at the very end, that another voice speaks into the parable…the voice of God. This voice doesn’t accuse the landowner of injustice, or immorality, or even greed. This voice simply says, “You fool!” “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” End of story. In the Greek of this text this verse says something like this: “Fool, this very night they shall demand your life.” They. These things themselves…are the they. The landowner thought these things were his miracle – what am I going to do with my grain and my goods. He thought these things were his. Surprise! He was the thing to manage as they pleased. This parable tells the story…the irony of a landowner who thought he had so many things, only to discover that his things had him. That he had nothing…and that nothing was his. If your life is like mine, and like the rich landowners, we often think, we are managing our modern lives quite well…with all that we cannot live without…and all that the world, its media and management, tell us we must have to be successful, even to have an identity, only to discover that things are managing us. And it all becomes a monologue as we pat ourselves on our backs for our great progress, our miracles, our great work, our great contributions, our homes, our vocations, our health – our lives. And just when we get it all fenced in, hedged in, insured, locked in, there comes a voice from the outside, that intrusive, instructive, truthtelling voice – “these things you have prepared, whose will they be?” A voice…the voice…which states only the facts… “Fool.” Today, once again this voice speaks into my own false sense of security, my own smug contentment, and I am addressed, called “fool” by the One who is the source of all that I am and all that I will ever be. “Fool!” “Fool.” But there is more today…more for us who are caught up in this back-patting, congratulatory, self-centered, turned-in-on-self, I and my – this voice continues to speak words of grace, hope, new life, new beginnings into our lives…for us fools; this voice…the One who is the source of all that we are and all that we will ever be… speaks to us in the words of forgiveness following our own words of confession…of foolishness: “Almighty God, rich in mercy, abundant in love, forgives you all your sin and grants you newness of life in Jesus Christ.” And again, we will hear this voice…the voice of the One who is the source of all that we are and all that we will ever be…when we gather for a simple meal…for fools: “Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.” This is the voice of the One who is source of all that we are and all that we will ever be. Fool. Grace. Hope. New life. New beginnings. Mercy. Love. Forgiveness…as we move again and again, even daily, from “I and my”, to seeking to hear and know and follow; seeking to trust and believe and serve this One in our neighbour and in all of creation. Amen.

July 24th, 2022

Reflections on the Gospel by Art Pittman A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS In today’s Gospel lesson, found in Luke 11:2-4, Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, which is also found in Matthew 6:9-13. I have recited the Lord’s prayer— thousands of times—in church services, and at many other Christian gatherings. Which makes sense, because it is—word for word—exactly how Jesus taught us to pray. And so today, I am reflecting on what the Lord’s prayer means to me. Specifically, what does the Lord’s prayer tell me about nature of prayer, and my relationship with God? Let’s start with a personal confession. I do not always reflect on the significance of the words found in the Lord’s prayer as I recite them in church. Sometimes, I’m just going through the motions—distracted by other stuff that’s going on in my life. And while I believe that praying regularly is important for my spiritual health—I fall short of this standard, more often than I meet it. I could argue that I am too busy to pray. We’ve all been there—days when, even with the best of intentions, all of our time seems to be consumed with tasks and obligations. But do we benefit from our focus on the tasks and obligations of everyday life, if it is at the cost of praying to God? I have been down this road more often than I would like to admit and, from my perspective, the times when we are the busiest are probably the times that we need to pray the most—because those are the times that we need God the most. As Martin Luther once said: “Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Again, full confession here, the times that I have been most inclined to pray, have been the times that I have been asking God for something. But, according to C. S. Lewis, a British writer and lay theologian—that misses the point of prayer entirely. From his perspective: “Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine.” How helpful is this explanation of the role of prayer? Let’s compare it with the actual prayer that Jesus taught: • Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. The Lord’s prayer starts with a recognition of God as a parental figure—we express adoration for God, bringing to mind an image of God’s unreserved love and compassion for us. • Give us each day our daily bread. We ask God to provide for our needs. We are not asking for wealth, or fame, or power—the petition portion of the Lord’s prayer is limited to asking God to provide the necessities of life. • And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. In our confession and penitence, we acknowledge our imperfections. We ask for forgiveness—and we promise to forgive others as we are forgiven. • And do not bring us to the time of trial. We ask for God’s guidance and vision, and for the enjoyment of being in God’s presence. Building on insights from C.S. Lewis, here are my thoughts on the nature of prayer and my relationship with God as illustrated by the Lord’s prayer. In our brokenness, we often allow ourselves to be distracted from experiencing God’s presence. The act of prayer helps remove those distractions: it reminds us of God’s unconditional love for us, it helps us focus our thoughts on what we need in life, instead of what we think we want; and it helps ground us in the knowledge of our imperfections, so we can seek forgiveness for our sins, and commit to loving others despite their imperfections. And so, for me, prayer is a bridge that crosses the chasm of distractions and sin that separate us from God. And when we choose to use that bridge, by making time to consciously communicate with God, we are able to open our hearts to the presence of God—to experience and enjoy God’s grace. Amen. ******** Sermon by Rev. Dr. Ali Tote, Assistant to the Bishop, Saskatchewan Synod Sisters and brothers in Christ, A life of prayer and thanksgiving, reliance in and trust of God, intimacy with God and love of the neighbour come together in the scripture passages assigned for this seventh Sunday after Pentecost. However, it is the theme of God’s generous and endless providence that frames our message on this day. From the outset, if God is so benevolently generous, why is it that we are not as thanksgiving a people as we need to be, given how blessed we are in this part of the world? Why is it that we who live in the land where milk and honey flow, that we are slow to give thanks and to live out our call to be a thanksgiving people? Psalm 138 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving that reminds us to praise and give thanks to God always for God’s steadfast and benevolent love. Giving thanks at all times even in the midst of the challenges that we face is an act of faith that centers us in God who as the author of creation, cares for and nurtures us, and provides for our needs when we rise and when we go to bed, in the morning as well as in the evening, when we are aware and when we are unaware, in life as well as in death. I was born and grew up in Cameroon where life expectancy was 46 years for the longest time. Now, life expectancy is around 57 years. This means that a person living in Cameroon could reasonably expect to live for 46 years on average. People died like flies when I was growing up. Many of my classmates died and the cause of death ranged from malaria, typhoid, tetanus, all kinds of infectious diseases, to accidents of all kinds. It seems that a month did not go by without either a classmate or an acquaintance dying, never mind a family member. It’s hard to imagine that my mother turned 70 just a month ago, and that my father is still alive. I give thanks and praise to God for that. In my family including extended family, we have had at least 15 family members die under the age of 40. Growing up, this environment where people died all the time led me to be very fearful of death. I was subjected to relentless trauma each time a young person died in my circle in the family or at my school. It’s really hard to imagine the kind of trauma that schoolchildren of Uvalde, Texas are going through, many of whom witnessed their classmates and teachers die in front of them. It is another reason why we are called to give thanks, we who live in a place of where enjoy peace. I wondered always whether my turn would be next. The schoolchildren in Uvalde Texas, wonder if going to school will lead to their turn being next. Next to worrying all the time of my passing, was my mother’s who had significant health issues very early in life. I started caring for my mother when I was not even 10 years old, and my mother was not even 30 years old. My prayer was initially that God would grant my mother to be 40. Growing up, 40 years was a big milestone. My mother almost did not make it to her 40th birthday. I remember her stay in hospital that lasted about three months with a significant amount of that time spent in intensive care. Finally, when my mom reached 40, I pray that God would grant her to see her 45 th birthday. After her 45th birthday, I prayed that she would see her 50th birthday. Miraculously, my mother turned 50. My prayer for my mom’s 50th birthday was that in thanksgiving, I would serve God for the remainder of my life, in full time ordained ministry. When my mom turned 50, I was already in Canada at that time, and I did not even remember the pledge I made to God. So, don’t fooled! I am not an ordained minister because I kept that promise! Still, I continued to pray that she would turn 60, and she did by God’s grace in 2012. Then I prayed that she would see her 70th birthday, and she just did last month. Wow! You are probably asking yourselves what my prayer is now. From this point on, I am giving thanks to God for everyday that my mother is blessed to spend with us, and that we are blessed to spend with my mother. Like Abraham in Genesis 18:20-32 who bargained with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah and God kept saying yes to his supplication, I bargained with God on behalf of my mother for more and more time with us. What is important to note in my journey with God concerning my mother’s health is my personal growth in intimacy with God. God taught me that despite the tragedies around me that had scarred and traumatized me, that I could rely on God. Even when tragedies happened in the family, I had already journeyed with God enough to continue to hold on to the hand of Christ extended to me. I had been enabled by the Holy Spirit to continue to trust God in the midst of the tragic events I could not understand and for which in my grief and anguish I blamed God for not intervening. Like the Rev Dr Erwin Buck once taught me, “Hang onto Christ even when you wonder and struggle”. It is the hanging onto to God in the midst of life’s ebbs and flows that we are called to embrace in the gospel text of Luke 11:1-13 that we just read. We are called to a life of total reliance on God who is the provider for our every need. We are called to recognize the incarnation as being real in our lives, bringing God not just to us in a real and tangible way, but more importantly in a familiar and intimate way. God is not simply our distant creator who from the heavens unleashes creation into being and into action. Rather, God is this parent who walks with us, who holds us by the hand, on whose chest we lay our head for comfort, nurture, and reassurance. God is a parent who is intimate, and whom we call with the most intimate name. God is more than our mother or father. God is like our mommy or daddy. That’s how close God is to us. The disciples who asked Jesus to teach them to pray like John who taught his disciples to pray, are simply asking to mimic what they hear others do. They want to be able to belong. They are alike my daughters who want to have a smartphone because their friends all have a smartphone. They’re like my younger daughter who harassed me to see the premieres of movies such as “Thor” or “Top Guns” because all her friends are going to see them and she does not want to be left out of the conversation. Even though we do not know the reason behind the disciples’ request to be taught to pray other than the fact that they want to be like John the Baptist’s disciples, it is easier to imagine that they just want to belong. They seem to hang their value and self-worth on their capacity to be like others. Peer pressure and societal pressure have a significant impact on our lives. In our increasingly materialistic world, the measuring stick we use is always how we compare to others. In our quest to be at least like the neighbour if not more, we seek more and more things and we acquire more and more things. The impact of such a materialistic view of life is seen in how more and more things are concentrated in the hands of the very few, leaving our economy and the majority of the population very vulnerable. The recent shortage of baby formula in the United States and in Canada to some extent is due to the concentration of too much power in the hands of very few. Farming difficulties with increasing costs of production have pushed small farmers out of the farming business with a smaller number of farming entities now responsible for crop production. This state of affair is rendering us vulnerable to even minor hiccups in the farming industry. Challenges in the past, absorbed by a multitude of farmers with little to no impact now have the capacity to cripple the farming industry. As a result of this greed, devastating consequences are being felt throughout the fabric of our communities. We are moving away from reliance upon each other and community solidarity to self-reliance, self-centeredness, and the disintegration of community solidarity. It is in this context of seemingly seeking to compete with each other and outdo one another that the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. How is Jesus going to address the fundamental issue with their request? How is Jesus going to tackle the apparent sin that is motivating their request? Not by rebuking them, but by showing them how reliant and dependent on God they are to be. If they can affirm in their prayer reliance and dependence on God, they will grow to be reliant and dependent upon one another. “Give us today our daily bread”. Not give us today “my” daily bread, but our daily bread, us together; not me alone, but us together. “Give us today our daily bread”. Not give us today our “weekly” bread, or our “monthly” bread, or our “yearly” bread, or our “centennial” bread, but our “daily” bread. Daily! Why? Because tomorrow we will come again and depend on you for tomorrow’s bread and the following day for the following day’s bread. It is in that dependence on God the provider of our needs daily that lies the gospel. God walks with us at all times and the material bread is a metaphor for all our needs, together. As Jesus prepares the disciples for the task of ministry, of the proclamation of the gospel together, two by two, as a group of 12, as a group of 70, as a group of many regardless of the number, and then as a body, the church, we as disciples need to learn and grow into being in the image of God, the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one and one in three, the community of God. Sisters and brothers in Christ, It is that image of the intimate God who walks with us daily and provides generously for our needs out of God’s benevolent love that we are called to proclaim to others. In praise, adoration and thanksgiving, we journey humbly with the neighbour sharing the generous love of God with all, and responding to the needs of other the way God has responded to our needs. We no longer live in fear because our Lord Jesus walks with us. We no longer need to amass things for ourselves and seek to secure our future in competition with or at the expense of others because our value is in God who deems us precious. Let us turn to God each and every day in humble adoration and prayer, seeking God’s provision for the day, and sharing that provision with those around us. As we do that, may Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless the word in our hearts and in our minds. Amen!