Antidote For Bad Times
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series III, Cycle B
Object:
A minister waited in line to get his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. A station attendant was helping direct traffic to the pumps as they became available, but there was a long line of cars in front of the minister. Finally, the attendant motioned him to a vacant pump. "Reverend," said the young man, "I'm sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip." The minister answered, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business."
The Bible gives us some helpful antidotes to life's challenges to keep us from waiting until the last minute.
• When you're in trouble, pray.
• When you are sick, seek the prayers of your friends.
• When you have sinned, confess.
First, "When you're in trouble, pray." It is so easy to neglect this spiritual gift. You are I are richly blessed by having been taught about the power of prayer. It may have started early in your life, when you learned a prayer before bedtime. Maybe a Sunday school teacher taught you a prayer to say before a meal. Our worship service begins and ends in prayer. It is an essential part of our lives. Prayer has healing power because it is the practice of entering into the presence of God. We think of prayer only as a means of getting something for ourselves. Prayer is also a means of giving ourselves to God.
Jesus realized the power of prayer. It was an important part of his life. When he was overworked, he sought a quiet place to get away and pray. When he was afraid of the future, he went off to pray. When he was disappointed, he sought comfort in prayer.
Prayer helps us deal with our frustration and anger. Have you ever been so angry with someone that you couldn't stop thinking about it? Here's an antidote to that anger. Don't pray to stop being angry. Instead, pray that good things will come to that person who has angered you. Pray for his welfare. Pray for blessings to rain upon her. Amazingly you will feel the hurt and anger drift away. The obsession with revenge and retribution will dissipate. That's the power of prayer. Jesus says that our own welfare depends upon our ability to forgive: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Matthew 11:25).
I was called to my first job as a parish minister in the '60s when the war in Vietnam was going on. In the pastoral prayer at the end of the service, I prayed for those who were in combat, including the Vietcong. It was alarming to members of the congregation (and no doubt unnecessarily insensitive), some of whom had sons or daughters involved in the war. The church council president paid me a visit and intimated that my position as pastor of that church might be in jeopardy. I answered that I had prayed for those people because Jesus had told me to do so. He thought I was crazy, but I explained: Jesus says in Matthew 5:44-45, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."
This is what made Jesus' message revolutionary. It was a message of peace that the world does not want to hear. "Violence," said Gandhi, "will only overcome violence when darkness can be overcome by darkness." That will never happen. Darkness can only be overcome with light, just as violence can only be overcome by love. Praying for those who disturb us, who cause us pain and anguish, is the only way to personally heal from our pain and anguish.
The fact is, most Americans do pray. Recent statistics report that 78% of Americans pray at least once a week -- 57% say they pray daily. Rabbi Shira Stern in New Jersey says, "When people come to my temple or a church, they expect a spiritual experience; but I say that if they haven't done it (prayed) on their own before they step into a sacred place, that place is going to be no more sacred than a library or movie theater."
Current books in print list almost 2,000 titles on prayer, meditation, and spiritual growth. After the Bible, books on prayer are among the biggest sellers.
A Newsweek article tells about a 31-year-old woman who drops to her knees at her front door each morning before rushing off to her job as a bakery representative; and a seventy-year-old bank vice president who prays for twenty minutes while on his stationary bicycle. A 53-year-old man who prays five times a day says, "I don't look for anything miraculous to happen. The miracle is being able to speak directly to your maker."
James' first antidote: When you're in trouble, pray!
Next, writes James, "when you're sick, seek the prayers of your friends." There is strength and power in seeking the support, the comfort, and the nurturing of like-minded fellow believers. I would not base the efficacy of corporate prayer on the findings of scientific studies because some would dispute the validity of the evidence. But it is interesting to note that several double blind studies have indicated that sick individuals for whom a group of believers have prayed have recovered more rapidly and more completely than those for whom no prayers were raised. This occurred even though the individuals did not know that they were being prayed for.
Cardiologist Dr. Randolph Byrd conducted a study of 393 coronary patients. They were divided into two groups. One group would be the beneficiaries of prayer and the other would not. No one knew which group the patients were in. The prayer groups were simply given the first names of the patients, along with brief descriptions of their medical problems. When the study was completed ten months later, the prayed-for patients benefited in several areas: they were five times less likely to require antibiotics; they were two and a half times less likely to suffer congestive heart failure; they were less likely to suffer cardiac arrest.
An edition of American Scientist magazine included the article "The Revival of Experiments on Prayer" by Keith Stewart Thomson, former president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. In the article he wrote, "Evidence is growing that the experience of sharing prayer with friends has a powerful effect on health outcomes. These benefits are susceptible to explanations that do not necessarily involve the direct intervention of God." Thomson goes on to note the biblical relationship between prayer and faith or "believing." Notice that Jesus tells his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Matthew 11:24).
James tell us that when we ask God for anything we must ask in faith:
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
-- James 1:6-7
The second antidote is this: "When you are sick, seek the prayers of your friends."
The last antidote, which James offers, is "When you have sinned, confess."
Alcoholics Anonymous has long recognized that repressed and unadmitted guilt leads to deeper and deeper trouble and despair. When an alcoholic keeps certain facts hidden, it feeds the compulsion to get drunk. Recovery involves an honest self-evaluation and a public confession of character defects and shortcomings. With that confession comes relief, forgiveness, healing.
It's not easy to confess our weaknesses. It is not easy to say, "I was wrong." There is something in each of us that insists on being right and believing that it is always someone else's fault. It really takes great courage to admit failure, to confess a defect or shortcoming. But such confessions are part of our spiritual healing and well-being. Unconfessed guilt festers within us. It produces impatience, rage, even ill health. It destroys friendships and leads to isolation and hostility. We are much more likely to appreciate and respect the person who humbly confesses his guilt than the self-righteous individual who professes to be flawless.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- robbers, evildoers, adulterers -- or even like this tax collector." And Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
-- Luke 18:11, 14b
Jesus says that we should confess our sins to another. Each one of us should have a trusted confidante with whom we can empty our soul's burdens. We need a person who can listen without judgment when we confess with our whole heart that we are wrong: that we are doing something wrong; that we have said something wrong; that we have gone the wrong direction in life. We need someone in our Christian fellowship who will listen with compassion and tell us, "I love you and will help you turn around and make a better life."
The biblical message from the book of James gives sound advice, offering antidotes to life's problems. Pray and confess. Pray in your own times of solitude. Share in the communal prayer life of fellow believers. And last, relieve yourself of the torture of hidden guilt. Confess to a trusted friend. Amen.
The Bible gives us some helpful antidotes to life's challenges to keep us from waiting until the last minute.
• When you're in trouble, pray.
• When you are sick, seek the prayers of your friends.
• When you have sinned, confess.
First, "When you're in trouble, pray." It is so easy to neglect this spiritual gift. You are I are richly blessed by having been taught about the power of prayer. It may have started early in your life, when you learned a prayer before bedtime. Maybe a Sunday school teacher taught you a prayer to say before a meal. Our worship service begins and ends in prayer. It is an essential part of our lives. Prayer has healing power because it is the practice of entering into the presence of God. We think of prayer only as a means of getting something for ourselves. Prayer is also a means of giving ourselves to God.
Jesus realized the power of prayer. It was an important part of his life. When he was overworked, he sought a quiet place to get away and pray. When he was afraid of the future, he went off to pray. When he was disappointed, he sought comfort in prayer.
Prayer helps us deal with our frustration and anger. Have you ever been so angry with someone that you couldn't stop thinking about it? Here's an antidote to that anger. Don't pray to stop being angry. Instead, pray that good things will come to that person who has angered you. Pray for his welfare. Pray for blessings to rain upon her. Amazingly you will feel the hurt and anger drift away. The obsession with revenge and retribution will dissipate. That's the power of prayer. Jesus says that our own welfare depends upon our ability to forgive: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Matthew 11:25).
I was called to my first job as a parish minister in the '60s when the war in Vietnam was going on. In the pastoral prayer at the end of the service, I prayed for those who were in combat, including the Vietcong. It was alarming to members of the congregation (and no doubt unnecessarily insensitive), some of whom had sons or daughters involved in the war. The church council president paid me a visit and intimated that my position as pastor of that church might be in jeopardy. I answered that I had prayed for those people because Jesus had told me to do so. He thought I was crazy, but I explained: Jesus says in Matthew 5:44-45, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."
This is what made Jesus' message revolutionary. It was a message of peace that the world does not want to hear. "Violence," said Gandhi, "will only overcome violence when darkness can be overcome by darkness." That will never happen. Darkness can only be overcome with light, just as violence can only be overcome by love. Praying for those who disturb us, who cause us pain and anguish, is the only way to personally heal from our pain and anguish.
The fact is, most Americans do pray. Recent statistics report that 78% of Americans pray at least once a week -- 57% say they pray daily. Rabbi Shira Stern in New Jersey says, "When people come to my temple or a church, they expect a spiritual experience; but I say that if they haven't done it (prayed) on their own before they step into a sacred place, that place is going to be no more sacred than a library or movie theater."
Current books in print list almost 2,000 titles on prayer, meditation, and spiritual growth. After the Bible, books on prayer are among the biggest sellers.
A Newsweek article tells about a 31-year-old woman who drops to her knees at her front door each morning before rushing off to her job as a bakery representative; and a seventy-year-old bank vice president who prays for twenty minutes while on his stationary bicycle. A 53-year-old man who prays five times a day says, "I don't look for anything miraculous to happen. The miracle is being able to speak directly to your maker."
James' first antidote: When you're in trouble, pray!
Next, writes James, "when you're sick, seek the prayers of your friends." There is strength and power in seeking the support, the comfort, and the nurturing of like-minded fellow believers. I would not base the efficacy of corporate prayer on the findings of scientific studies because some would dispute the validity of the evidence. But it is interesting to note that several double blind studies have indicated that sick individuals for whom a group of believers have prayed have recovered more rapidly and more completely than those for whom no prayers were raised. This occurred even though the individuals did not know that they were being prayed for.
Cardiologist Dr. Randolph Byrd conducted a study of 393 coronary patients. They were divided into two groups. One group would be the beneficiaries of prayer and the other would not. No one knew which group the patients were in. The prayer groups were simply given the first names of the patients, along with brief descriptions of their medical problems. When the study was completed ten months later, the prayed-for patients benefited in several areas: they were five times less likely to require antibiotics; they were two and a half times less likely to suffer congestive heart failure; they were less likely to suffer cardiac arrest.
An edition of American Scientist magazine included the article "The Revival of Experiments on Prayer" by Keith Stewart Thomson, former president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. In the article he wrote, "Evidence is growing that the experience of sharing prayer with friends has a powerful effect on health outcomes. These benefits are susceptible to explanations that do not necessarily involve the direct intervention of God." Thomson goes on to note the biblical relationship between prayer and faith or "believing." Notice that Jesus tells his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Matthew 11:24).
James tell us that when we ask God for anything we must ask in faith:
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
-- James 1:6-7
The second antidote is this: "When you are sick, seek the prayers of your friends."
The last antidote, which James offers, is "When you have sinned, confess."
Alcoholics Anonymous has long recognized that repressed and unadmitted guilt leads to deeper and deeper trouble and despair. When an alcoholic keeps certain facts hidden, it feeds the compulsion to get drunk. Recovery involves an honest self-evaluation and a public confession of character defects and shortcomings. With that confession comes relief, forgiveness, healing.
It's not easy to confess our weaknesses. It is not easy to say, "I was wrong." There is something in each of us that insists on being right and believing that it is always someone else's fault. It really takes great courage to admit failure, to confess a defect or shortcoming. But such confessions are part of our spiritual healing and well-being. Unconfessed guilt festers within us. It produces impatience, rage, even ill health. It destroys friendships and leads to isolation and hostility. We are much more likely to appreciate and respect the person who humbly confesses his guilt than the self-righteous individual who professes to be flawless.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- robbers, evildoers, adulterers -- or even like this tax collector." And Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
-- Luke 18:11, 14b
Jesus says that we should confess our sins to another. Each one of us should have a trusted confidante with whom we can empty our soul's burdens. We need a person who can listen without judgment when we confess with our whole heart that we are wrong: that we are doing something wrong; that we have said something wrong; that we have gone the wrong direction in life. We need someone in our Christian fellowship who will listen with compassion and tell us, "I love you and will help you turn around and make a better life."
The biblical message from the book of James gives sound advice, offering antidotes to life's problems. Pray and confess. Pray in your own times of solitude. Share in the communal prayer life of fellow believers. And last, relieve yourself of the torture of hidden guilt. Confess to a trusted friend. Amen.
