Are You Asking The Right Questions?
Sermon
PROPHETS, PIONEERS AND POSSIBILITIES
Sermons for Pentecost [Last Third]
An article titled Widespread Spiritual Hunger Should Be Major News Story caught my eye on the editorial page of the Sunday paper. The author, Bill Tammeus, a columnist for the Kansas City Star, speculated about some journalists and some scientists who refused to see truths that are not physical. The case in point was Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico. Huge crowds appeared wherever he spoke. In San Juan los Lagos an estimated one million people gathered in a meadow to listen to him.
Why did these enormous crowds seek out this man? Such questions were never addressed by most news stories which covered the papal visit.
Tammeus asks: “Why are they so interested in a man who can only give them sermons, not jobs, food or shelter?”1
The prophet Zechariah confronted a similar situation. On December 7, 528 B.C., he received a delegation from the sanctuary town of Bethel. The people represented some of the returning Jews from the Babylonian Exile. Sharezer and Regemmelech were the leaders. Scholars are not agreed on the identification of Regemmelech. (The name literally means “Friend of the king.”) He may have been a Persian convert to Judaism.
In any event, Zecharish is queried about whether or not they should continue to maintain the quarterly fast that was instituted to remind the Jews of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Should they continue to observe the fast even though the new temple was being re-constructed?
The Word of the Lord came to the prophet with a question for the people. During the past 70 years when you fasted, “was it for me that you fasted (7:5)?”
In other words, what was your motivation in fasting? Was it merely a sentimental observance, an exercise in self-pity? Or, was it a genuine fast concentrated upon the Lord of hosts and the true purpose behind the fast? Did the people really know why the temple had been destroyed? Had they any idea how God had been offended by their lack of devotion, their blindness to poor, hurting and neglected people in their midst?
Zechariah, like Amos and Micah, called for ethical righteousness. More important than a ritual fast that had lost its original intent was the charge to render true judgments, to show kindness and mercy, to refrain from oppressing weaker persons and not to devise evil in their hearts (7:8-10).
What about our own day? Are we asking the right questions? Are we really absorbed in the nature and function of our religious devotion and worship, or are we like the Bethel delegation caught up in the self-centeredness of things that do not really matter?
In our young congregation we have had to re-examine our motives from the start of our existence. In a new church development the pressure is tremendous to ask survival questions rather than to ask mission questions. It seems so natural to entreat: “How are we going to attract new members?” “Where is the money coming from?” “How soon will we be able to build?”
More demanding questions that should be raised are the following: “Why has God called us to start this project in the first place?” “What can we learn about the Gospel in our new beginnings with forced simplicity and meager resources?” “Who are the people in distress on our own doorstep and beyond?”
All too often people unite with a church because they want something from such membership -- peace of mind, a feeling of togetherness and promises of future prosperity. How much better it is to challenge people not to ask what their church
can do for them but rather what can they do for their church. All new members in our congregation are asked to complete a volunteer form indicating in what capacity they will serve. The underlying assumption is that we all have gifts in helping to build up the body of Christ and to extend its outreach.
What are some of the specific questions we should be raising regarding prayer and corporate worship?
How Shall We Adore Our Lord?
The first question we might ask is “How shall we adore our Lord?”
One of Jean Francois Millet’s most well-known paintings is The Angelus. The poignant scene shows a peasant farmer and his wife stopping work for a moment out in the field. As the bells announce the Angelus they bow their heads in prayer. The weariness of work subsides as they adore their Lord in silence.
We all require a quiet time during the day for nothing else but the adoration of God. For some the best time may be early in the morning before the frantic pace of the day overwhelms us. For others the close of the day when the world prepares for sleep is the ideal time. For still others it may be noon or some other stopping-off-place during the course of the day that serves their lifestyle best.
No particular time is sacred in itself. The crucial point is that adoration becomes central in our living. Adoration is the beginning of worship and prayer. Before we ask anything, whether it be for others or for ourselves, even before we confess our sins, we praise God plainly for being God. We stand in awe in the presence of the Almighty.
What Sins Should We Confess?
A second question we might ask is “What sins should we confess?”
In Susan Howatch’s novel, Glittering Images, Charles Ashworth, an Anglican clergyman and scholar, suffers a spiritual collapse. He seeks help from Abbot Jon Darrow who is known as a skilled and an understanding counselor. The abbot soon realizes as they talk that while others see only the “glittering image” projected by this highly successful man deep inside is a clearly troubled soul weighed down with excessive baggage of guilt and of regrets. Gradually the abbot persuades Ashworth to unload the unnecessary baggage he is carrying. But, he can only go so far: “My function is simply to offer you the chance to get rid of any bags which you don’t want to carry any more, but the decision to keep or discard each bag must be yours and yours alone.”2
Confession of sin is essential to our spiritual well-being. We cannot be the vibrant people we want to be until we find liberation from the burdens that press upon us. In our inner being we know that something is out of alignment with God’s intended will for us. Certainly, God knows that we are unworthy, even before we make our personal confession. Healing begins when we are willing to face our true selves, and when we are ready to have something done about the oppressive loads we carry.
We are not fully cleansed until we hear the word of God’s forgiveness speaking to us. Then, we resolve by God’s grace not to repeat the sins of the past and to face tomorrow with humility and gratitude. To confess our sins and to receive God’s pardon is like being released from a darkened room and walking in the light once again.
How Inclusive Should Our Petitions Be?
A third question we might ask is “How inclusive should our petitions be?”
Of course, we are urged to pray for our basic needs; nevertheless, a major part of our petitions ought to be for others.
Another famous painting with a spiritual message is Albrecht Durer’s Praying Hands. Durer, a contemporary of Martin Luther in 16th century Germany, was a poor art student when he found a friend who opened up new possibilities for him. His friend, also a promising art student, said he would work in a kitchen and serve meals to raise money so that Durer could continue his vocation. When Durer’s art began to sell, then his friend agreed that he would return to his own first love.
Eventually Durer’s attractive wood carvings did sell, and it was time for his friend to resume work as an artist. However, the manual labor had so stiffened his hands that no longer was he able to exhibit the skill he once possessed.
One day as Durer returned home earlier than expected he discovered his friend praying quietly with folded hands. He was well aware that he could not give his friend back the use of his hands, but he did want to do something to repay him for his great sacrifice. Finally, he decided he would paint these praying hands so that the world would be reminded of all those who sacrificially pray and work for others.
Is there any higher calling than intercessory prayer? Throughout the world there are people in all walks of life, not just in monastic orders, who devote themselves to praying for others. These intercessors are not usually in the limelight, but their influence for good upon others must be of inestimable value in God’s sight.
We engage in intercessions for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, we pray for others because we believe God loves them and wants us to pray on their behalf. Although intercession is a mystery in the ultimate sense, the Scriptures are consistent in stating that God works through human beings like ourselves to work out the eternal design.
Second, we make intercessions because we know that when we do other people are changed. Today, we accept the fact that through television words, music and pictures are sent to all parts of the world. Can we also not believe on a higher level that God has provided a network of cooperation whereby our loved ones can be influenced and changed for the better?
Third, we intercede because such prayers also do something for us. We cannot sincerely pray for some one else without a change taking place in our own life. Our horizons are lifted. We begin to see others as God sees them. Furthermore, we begin to act in assisting those for whom we are praying. In other words, we decide to become part of the answer.
Whom Should We Serve?
A final question we might ask is “Whom should we serve?” Adoration, confession and petitions will seem shallow unless they issue forth in some kind of service. Not only the prophet Zechariah, but all the prophets underscore ethical righteousness as the logical outcome of genuine prayer and worship.
Dr. Karl Menninger’s funeral service was held on July 21, 1990, at the First Presbyterian Church in Topeka, Kansas, where he had worshiped throughout his adult life. The pastor giving the eulogy for this 96-year-old man cited his extraordinary contributions to American psychiatry that brought this discipline out of the “snake pit” era into a new day where real hope was offered to the mentally ill.
The pastor also recollected the first year of his present pastorate in 1984. At the time, Dr. Menninger was 91. The pastor and a youth group during the Christmas season went to the shut-in families of the congregation including the Menninger home to sing carols. “But Dr. Karl was not home that evening,” the pastor said, “He was having Christmas with the prisoners at the county jail.”3
Do we see the lonely, hurting, neglected people around us? They are in our neighborhood. They work alongside us. We meet them in our social contacts. They are in the nearby nursing home. Yes, as Menninger knew well, they are especially in our prisons.
In many Christian worship services people pass the peace of Christ to one another at some point in the service. It is a dramatic symbol of shared love, but it does little good unless the same love also flows out beyond worship to encompass friends and strangers alike in our Monday to Saturday existence.
James Herriot, the Yorkshire, England veterinary surgeon, who has written many popular books, such as All Creatures Great and Small and numerous other books, was interviewed one day by a Canadian reporter. The man rather cynically asked Herriot if he would be skipping off one day to a tax haven to avoid the crushing British taxes on his book royalties. The author assured the reporter he had no desire to leave the Yorkshire dales. He had all he ever wanted -- wonderful people, soccer, cricket, tennis, rugby -- what else would he ever need?
At the conclusion of the article the reporter made this statement: “The man and the writer seem nicely consonant one with the other.”
What a fine tribute!
Is that not what Zechariah was driving at in his appeal to his people? Did he not want their profession and their practice to be “nicely consonant one with the other”? Is that not what we want, too?
We can make a telling start right now in our prayers and in our worship -- if we ask ourselves the right questions.
Why did these enormous crowds seek out this man? Such questions were never addressed by most news stories which covered the papal visit.
Tammeus asks: “Why are they so interested in a man who can only give them sermons, not jobs, food or shelter?”1
The prophet Zechariah confronted a similar situation. On December 7, 528 B.C., he received a delegation from the sanctuary town of Bethel. The people represented some of the returning Jews from the Babylonian Exile. Sharezer and Regemmelech were the leaders. Scholars are not agreed on the identification of Regemmelech. (The name literally means “Friend of the king.”) He may have been a Persian convert to Judaism.
In any event, Zecharish is queried about whether or not they should continue to maintain the quarterly fast that was instituted to remind the Jews of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Should they continue to observe the fast even though the new temple was being re-constructed?
The Word of the Lord came to the prophet with a question for the people. During the past 70 years when you fasted, “was it for me that you fasted (7:5)?”
In other words, what was your motivation in fasting? Was it merely a sentimental observance, an exercise in self-pity? Or, was it a genuine fast concentrated upon the Lord of hosts and the true purpose behind the fast? Did the people really know why the temple had been destroyed? Had they any idea how God had been offended by their lack of devotion, their blindness to poor, hurting and neglected people in their midst?
Zechariah, like Amos and Micah, called for ethical righteousness. More important than a ritual fast that had lost its original intent was the charge to render true judgments, to show kindness and mercy, to refrain from oppressing weaker persons and not to devise evil in their hearts (7:8-10).
What about our own day? Are we asking the right questions? Are we really absorbed in the nature and function of our religious devotion and worship, or are we like the Bethel delegation caught up in the self-centeredness of things that do not really matter?
In our young congregation we have had to re-examine our motives from the start of our existence. In a new church development the pressure is tremendous to ask survival questions rather than to ask mission questions. It seems so natural to entreat: “How are we going to attract new members?” “Where is the money coming from?” “How soon will we be able to build?”
More demanding questions that should be raised are the following: “Why has God called us to start this project in the first place?” “What can we learn about the Gospel in our new beginnings with forced simplicity and meager resources?” “Who are the people in distress on our own doorstep and beyond?”
All too often people unite with a church because they want something from such membership -- peace of mind, a feeling of togetherness and promises of future prosperity. How much better it is to challenge people not to ask what their church
can do for them but rather what can they do for their church. All new members in our congregation are asked to complete a volunteer form indicating in what capacity they will serve. The underlying assumption is that we all have gifts in helping to build up the body of Christ and to extend its outreach.
What are some of the specific questions we should be raising regarding prayer and corporate worship?
How Shall We Adore Our Lord?
The first question we might ask is “How shall we adore our Lord?”
One of Jean Francois Millet’s most well-known paintings is The Angelus. The poignant scene shows a peasant farmer and his wife stopping work for a moment out in the field. As the bells announce the Angelus they bow their heads in prayer. The weariness of work subsides as they adore their Lord in silence.
We all require a quiet time during the day for nothing else but the adoration of God. For some the best time may be early in the morning before the frantic pace of the day overwhelms us. For others the close of the day when the world prepares for sleep is the ideal time. For still others it may be noon or some other stopping-off-place during the course of the day that serves their lifestyle best.
No particular time is sacred in itself. The crucial point is that adoration becomes central in our living. Adoration is the beginning of worship and prayer. Before we ask anything, whether it be for others or for ourselves, even before we confess our sins, we praise God plainly for being God. We stand in awe in the presence of the Almighty.
What Sins Should We Confess?
A second question we might ask is “What sins should we confess?”
In Susan Howatch’s novel, Glittering Images, Charles Ashworth, an Anglican clergyman and scholar, suffers a spiritual collapse. He seeks help from Abbot Jon Darrow who is known as a skilled and an understanding counselor. The abbot soon realizes as they talk that while others see only the “glittering image” projected by this highly successful man deep inside is a clearly troubled soul weighed down with excessive baggage of guilt and of regrets. Gradually the abbot persuades Ashworth to unload the unnecessary baggage he is carrying. But, he can only go so far: “My function is simply to offer you the chance to get rid of any bags which you don’t want to carry any more, but the decision to keep or discard each bag must be yours and yours alone.”2
Confession of sin is essential to our spiritual well-being. We cannot be the vibrant people we want to be until we find liberation from the burdens that press upon us. In our inner being we know that something is out of alignment with God’s intended will for us. Certainly, God knows that we are unworthy, even before we make our personal confession. Healing begins when we are willing to face our true selves, and when we are ready to have something done about the oppressive loads we carry.
We are not fully cleansed until we hear the word of God’s forgiveness speaking to us. Then, we resolve by God’s grace not to repeat the sins of the past and to face tomorrow with humility and gratitude. To confess our sins and to receive God’s pardon is like being released from a darkened room and walking in the light once again.
How Inclusive Should Our Petitions Be?
A third question we might ask is “How inclusive should our petitions be?”
Of course, we are urged to pray for our basic needs; nevertheless, a major part of our petitions ought to be for others.
Another famous painting with a spiritual message is Albrecht Durer’s Praying Hands. Durer, a contemporary of Martin Luther in 16th century Germany, was a poor art student when he found a friend who opened up new possibilities for him. His friend, also a promising art student, said he would work in a kitchen and serve meals to raise money so that Durer could continue his vocation. When Durer’s art began to sell, then his friend agreed that he would return to his own first love.
Eventually Durer’s attractive wood carvings did sell, and it was time for his friend to resume work as an artist. However, the manual labor had so stiffened his hands that no longer was he able to exhibit the skill he once possessed.
One day as Durer returned home earlier than expected he discovered his friend praying quietly with folded hands. He was well aware that he could not give his friend back the use of his hands, but he did want to do something to repay him for his great sacrifice. Finally, he decided he would paint these praying hands so that the world would be reminded of all those who sacrificially pray and work for others.
Is there any higher calling than intercessory prayer? Throughout the world there are people in all walks of life, not just in monastic orders, who devote themselves to praying for others. These intercessors are not usually in the limelight, but their influence for good upon others must be of inestimable value in God’s sight.
We engage in intercessions for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, we pray for others because we believe God loves them and wants us to pray on their behalf. Although intercession is a mystery in the ultimate sense, the Scriptures are consistent in stating that God works through human beings like ourselves to work out the eternal design.
Second, we make intercessions because we know that when we do other people are changed. Today, we accept the fact that through television words, music and pictures are sent to all parts of the world. Can we also not believe on a higher level that God has provided a network of cooperation whereby our loved ones can be influenced and changed for the better?
Third, we intercede because such prayers also do something for us. We cannot sincerely pray for some one else without a change taking place in our own life. Our horizons are lifted. We begin to see others as God sees them. Furthermore, we begin to act in assisting those for whom we are praying. In other words, we decide to become part of the answer.
Whom Should We Serve?
A final question we might ask is “Whom should we serve?” Adoration, confession and petitions will seem shallow unless they issue forth in some kind of service. Not only the prophet Zechariah, but all the prophets underscore ethical righteousness as the logical outcome of genuine prayer and worship.
Dr. Karl Menninger’s funeral service was held on July 21, 1990, at the First Presbyterian Church in Topeka, Kansas, where he had worshiped throughout his adult life. The pastor giving the eulogy for this 96-year-old man cited his extraordinary contributions to American psychiatry that brought this discipline out of the “snake pit” era into a new day where real hope was offered to the mentally ill.
The pastor also recollected the first year of his present pastorate in 1984. At the time, Dr. Menninger was 91. The pastor and a youth group during the Christmas season went to the shut-in families of the congregation including the Menninger home to sing carols. “But Dr. Karl was not home that evening,” the pastor said, “He was having Christmas with the prisoners at the county jail.”3
Do we see the lonely, hurting, neglected people around us? They are in our neighborhood. They work alongside us. We meet them in our social contacts. They are in the nearby nursing home. Yes, as Menninger knew well, they are especially in our prisons.
In many Christian worship services people pass the peace of Christ to one another at some point in the service. It is a dramatic symbol of shared love, but it does little good unless the same love also flows out beyond worship to encompass friends and strangers alike in our Monday to Saturday existence.
James Herriot, the Yorkshire, England veterinary surgeon, who has written many popular books, such as All Creatures Great and Small and numerous other books, was interviewed one day by a Canadian reporter. The man rather cynically asked Herriot if he would be skipping off one day to a tax haven to avoid the crushing British taxes on his book royalties. The author assured the reporter he had no desire to leave the Yorkshire dales. He had all he ever wanted -- wonderful people, soccer, cricket, tennis, rugby -- what else would he ever need?
At the conclusion of the article the reporter made this statement: “The man and the writer seem nicely consonant one with the other.”
What a fine tribute!
Is that not what Zechariah was driving at in his appeal to his people? Did he not want their profession and their practice to be “nicely consonant one with the other”? Is that not what we want, too?
We can make a telling start right now in our prayers and in our worship -- if we ask ourselves the right questions.
