Reborn As God's Children
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Reborn As God's Children" by Frank R. Fisher
"Doorkeepers in the House of God" by Ron Lavin
"Prayer Warriors" by Ron Lavin
What's Up This Week
It's said that "We've never done it that way before" are the true Seven Last Words of the Church -- but, of course, we can follow another path. In the featured story of this edition of StoryShare, Frank Fisher strikingly reminds us that in baptism we are reborn as God's children... and that's why things can't be the way they've always been. Ron Lavin then shares a pair of enlightening accounts drawn from parish ministry. He tells an amusing story about Herman, a shining example of a steadfast doorkeeper in the house of God, and recounts the reluctance of Carol to take on leadership of a prayer group. But as Carol and her minister study the Lord's Prayer together, she finds answers to several questions and is inspired to become a "prayer warrior."
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Reborn As God's Children
Frank R. Fisher
Colossians 2:6-15
"Why can't things be the way they've always been?"
Over the last few months, those words have played over and over again in the depths of your mind. At first they were simply a whisper, echoing softly through your thoughts. But lately they've become a shout -- a shout which drowns out all the activity of your busy days.
The increasing volume of your thoughts isn't too surprising, for your name is Brenda. You're a member of Indispensable Presbyterian Church, the church everyone once acknowledged as the biggest and most important church in the entire presbytery. But you know your church has changed lately. And you're a long way from the heyday of your church's past.
You sigh a bit as you try to put aside the shouting in your mind and get ready to face another day. Then your mind drifts back into the past and you remember the way things used to be. You remember the days when your congregation was the social center of the entire city. Couples -- young, old, and middle-aged -- would pack the fellowship hall for dinners and dances. Anyone who was anyone would be sure to be there.
But then the neighborhood around the church began to change. People began to feel unsafe when they came to evening events. It wasn't long before the longtime members drifted away to other congregations. And you found the church's newer neighbors were much too busy trying to survive to be interested in your social events.
Now, you think, there's only handful of us left, a handful who're quite puzzled by your pastor's insistence on the need to reach out and serve your community. "But we can't do those type of things," you always firmly replied. "What would people think? And besides, with all our social events on the schedule there's no time for doing the things that have been suggested, things like tutoring disadvantaged children."
Your grumbling continues as you struggle through breakfast and climb into the shower. The warm water relaxes you a bit and your mind slips back to last Sunday's worship. You remember how the scripture said you shouldn't be captive to the things of the past.
Then, as the water strikes your head you remember something else. You remember what you'd been told about the day of your baptism -- how when the water had flowed over your head you'd been buried with Jesus and then raised with him to life. You remember how you'd reaffirmed the vows your parents had made on your baptism day; how you'd declared Jesus is your Lord and Savior. And you realize if you're rooted in Jesus you must seek to live the way Jesus lived and strive to serve others just as Jesus did.
A smile lights up your face as you know now why things can't be the way they've always been -- for in baptism you've been reborn as one of God's children. And now you must follow the new life you're called to lead.
"Why can't things be the way they've always been?"
Over the last few months, those words have played over and over again in the depths of your mind. At first they were simply a whisper, echoing softly through your thoughts. But lately they've become a shout -- a shout which drowns out all the activity of your busy days.
The increasing volume of your thoughts isn't too surprising, for your name is Mark. You're a member of Melodious Presbyterian Church, the church everyone once acknowledged as the church with the best worship in town. But you know your church has changed lately. And you're a long way from the heyday of your church's past.
"It all started with those blasted computer chips," you mumble to yourself. "If they hadn't been invented things could be like they used to be." But even as you mumble those words, you realize their futility. After all, computers have been invented. Children have been raised to take in things at a different pace. They can chat on the net, do their homework, answer the telephone, and watch TV. And they can do all those things, and more, at the same time. "I guess," you sigh, "it's no wonder that they get bored in a worship service where only one thing happens at a time. And it's no also no wonder that they've left our congregation to worship in different ways."
"But we still have the best," you continue to mutter during your lunchtime walk through the park. "We have the best pipe organ, the most comfortable pews, and the best choir money can buy." Then your muttering ceases as you stop by the park's fountain and lose yourself in the splashing of its waters.
The gentle bubbling lets your mind drift back to the scripture you heard during last Sunday's service. You remember how as a Christian you aren't captive to the demands of doing things in any certain way. You remember how in Jesus you have been raised to new life and reborn as one of God's children.
Then suddenly, in the splashing waters of the fountain, you remember your baptismal promises -- promises to follow Jesus wherever Jesus might lead, promises that never guaranteed a life of doing things in the same old way. And as you amble back from lunch you begin to wonder just how you could outfit the current fellowship hall with display screens, computers, and a rock band.
"Why can't things be the way they've always been?"
Over the last few months, those words have played over and over again in the depths of your mind. At first they were simply a whisper, echoing softly through your thoughts. But lately they've become a shout -- a shout which drowns out all the activity of your busy days.
The increasing volume of your thoughts isn't too surprising, for your name is your own. You're a member of your own church, a church where you've loved doing many things in the same way for a very long time.
Of course, you think, things have changed. You've gone along with all those changes. And you often think to yourself that things have changed more than enough.
But when you look around at the empty places where departed friends once worshiped, you realize change will come whether we will it or not. And you know if you're to survive as a congregation you must be willing to lead the change instead of letting it happen to you.
You also know that if you would follow Jesus you must be willing to abandon anything standing in the way of doing Jesus' work -- for you have been buried with Jesus in baptism and reborn as God's children. And as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in Christ; rooted not in the ways of the past, but instead rooted only in Christ, the one to whom we offer eternal thanks.
And in our embracing the new ways Christ leads, may we give to God alone all glory.
Frank R. Fisher is a second-career interim/transitional pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He currently serves as the interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Bushnell, Illinois. A former paramedic and administrator for the Chicago Fire Department, Fisher is an Oblate of the ecumenical Abbey of John the Baptist and Saint Benedict in Bartonville, Illinois.
Doorkeepers in the House of God
Ron Lavin
Herman was an outstanding usher at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona. He was especially good at weddings. Whenever Herman was in charge, the pastor could count on every detail of ushering in the back of the church being taken care of with expert care.
The psalmist wrote: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to live in the tents of wickedness" (Psalm 84:10b). Another translation reads: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the dens of iniquity." Herman was a first-class doorkeeper in the house of God. He was the church custodian, and he doubled as chief usher for weddings. (He had ushered for over 200 of them.)
One hot Friday night in June, Herman showed up early for a scheduled wedding rehearsal at Our Saviour's. He cleaned up some trash that had been left in the back pew, turned on the lights and air conditioning, and met the wedding party at the back door when they arrived. He ushered them forward to the front two pews of the church. Herman and the wedding party waited for the pastor to show up. They waited... and waited... and waited.
After a half-hour of waiting, Herman came forward and said to the group, "The pastor has never been late for a rehearsal. I guess he must have had an emergency. We'd better get started without him. I've been the chief usher for weddings here for many years. I think I can get you through all the things you have to say and do." Herman knew what to say. He knew what to do.
Meanwhile, the pastor was at the top of Mount Lemon, about an hour north of Tucson. He and some friends had bought a cabin there and they were doing repairs on some windows. All of a sudden the pastor looked at his watch, panicked, and shouted to his wife, "I've missed my wedding rehearsal! Jump in the car -- we've got to go now!" It was 6:00 p.m. -- and the rehearsal had been scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m.
The pastor drove down the mountain road at breakneck speed. He knew it was too late to go to the church, so he rushed to the rehearsal dinner. He found the bride and groom and profusely apologized for missing the rehearsal. "No problem," the couple graciously replied. "Herman covered everything we need to do. He's quite an usher." The pastor asked the wedding party to meet him in the nave of the church an hour before the wedding the next day to go over some details. They agreed.
When he got home from the rehearsal dinner, the pastor phoned Herman. "I can't tell you how sorry I am that I wasn't there. I can't believe I missed it. That's never happened before. We were up at the cabin on Mount Lemon we just bought with some friends. We were making some repairs, and I guess I just lost track of time. I'm so grateful you were there and could cover for me. Thank you so much."
"Glad to do it," Herman said. Then the pastor quoted Psalm 84:10b to Herman: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the den of iniquity."
"You are a great doorkeeper in the house of the Lord," the pastor said. Then he paused and continued, "I want you to know I really was up at the top of Mount Lemon. I wasn't in any dens of iniquity. I just forgot what time it was." They had a good laugh about that.
The pastor wasn't late for the second rehearsal the next day. He and Herman got everything ready before the wedding party showed up. Everything went well, although the groom gave him a strange look about halfway through the rehearsal. "He's probably still a little upset by my missing the rehearsal last night," the pastor thought. "I can hardly blame him." When he left the nave and went to his study to change into his robes, the pastor realized that he had conducted the rehearsal with his fly open.
It wasn't a good weekend for the pastor. He had never been late for a wedding rehearsal before, much less missed it altogether. He was further embarrassed by his fly being open during the second rehearsal. "At least this couple is moving out of town, so I won't have to face them every Sunday," he thought.
It was a good weekend for Herman. He not only covered the details in the back of the church at the Friday night rehearsal; he also covered the details and instructions in the front of the church.
Herman and the pastor went out for a cup of coffee after the wedding. They raised their coffee cups high as the pastor said, "I have a toast. Here's to all the great doorkeepers in the House of God. Herman, you are the greatest of them all." From that time on, the pastor called him "Reverend Herman."
Prayer Warriors
Ron Lavin
Luke 11:1-13
Her name was Carol. She was a faithful member of her church and a woman of prayer. But when her pastor approached her with a request about leadership of a group he called "Prayer Warriors," she hesitated. "I have three questions," she said. "Unless I get satisfactory answers to these questions, I don't think I can take the assignment you are challenging me to take. People will ask me these questions, and I need clear answers. The questions are: 1) Just what is prayer? 2) Why are you calling this group Prayer Warriors? and 3) What should we expect from prayer?"
Pastor Johnson smiled. "Those are good questions," he said. "Let's study Luke 11:1-13 together. Maybe we can find the answers to your questions in God's Word." They read the passage aloud and discovered that Jesus' disciples, after watching and listening to him pray, wanted to know how to pray like he prayed. The disciples had prayed before, using the Jewish rituals and forms they had learned as children, but when they watched Jesus pray and listened to his words they knew he was praying with a power they had never before observed.
Carol and Pastor Johnson took out a Bible commentary and studied it along with the Bible text. They learned that when Jesus called God "Father," the actual word he used was Abba, an Aramaic term of affectionate intimacy that we might translate as "Daddy." It was used by children of his time for their fathers. "Can we really pray, being that personal with God?" Carol asked. Together they read the commentary: "Jesus encourages us to pray with affectionate intimacy, just like he did. Prayer is simply talking to God as a child might talk to his or her daddy."
"Hallowed be your name," Jesus said. Pastor Johnson opened Luther's Small Catechism, where it says that God's name is holy in itself, but that in this petition we pray that we may make it holy in our lives by how we speak and act. "I remember studying that when I was a young girl," Carol said. "That's a powerful petition that challenges us to be Christian in everyday life."
The two of them turned to the commentary on the next petition, "Your kingdom come." The kingdom of God is simply God's rule over us for our own good, they learned. It's not easy for any of us to submit to the lordship of Christ, because we want to run our own lives. By our sinful nature we don't want anyone, not even God, to rule over us. We want to control our own lives. "That's the heart of prayer," the pastor said. "This commentary points us to the one thing we need -- and the hardest thing of all. All people have trouble doing this, and in the Christian community we all need to be reminded over and over again to submit to God. God wants us to submit to him because he knows what we too easily forget, namely that if God doesn't rule over us, someone or something else will. The question is not whether we will be ruled; the question is who will rule us. Only God rules us for our own good."
Carol thought for a moment. Then she said, "I agree. In the Gospel of Matthew, there is another petition in the Lord's Prayer that confirms that: 'Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' "
The next petition was "Give us each day our daily bread." Carol said, "I guess that means we are to be grateful for our meals and say grace each time we eat." The commentary said that this interpretation was correct, but that Jesus may have had much more than gratefulness for food in mind when he taught his disciples to pray this petition. In some early translations this petition read, "Give us tomorrow's bread today."
"I remember reading something about that in seminary," Pastor Johnson said. "Look, there is a footnote in our Bible that says that." The commentary said that "tomorrow's bread" is the bread of the kingdom. Since the kingdom of God is not fully received until the end of time or when we face God at the end of our lives, we pray in this petition that we may have a foretaste of the kingdom bread in this life to strengthen us as Christians today. We get a foretaste of tomorrow's bread in the Word and sacraments, and when Christians practice genuine sharing and selfless service.
"It's like a preview of coming attractions at the movies," Carol said. "I never thought of it that way before." Then she said, "The next petition is a tough one for me."
Then they looked at the petition: "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." The commentary pointed out that asking God for forgiveness must be accompanied by a willingness to forgive people who have offended us. It's not really that we have to forgive them, but that we are called to be like God: willing to forgive. To forgive means that there is repentance. Sometimes people who offend us don't repent. We have no control over that. The only part we control is whether we are willing to forgive. "Wow," Carol said, "this is powerful stuff. That means that we are called to be willing to forgive under all circumstances."
The next petition was about "the time of trial." The commentary pointed out that Jesus may have meant, "Save us from the Great Ordeal." When they read further, they discovered that the Great Ordeal was the ultimate temptation Jesus experienced on the cross when he said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" All of his life, Jesus experienced the battle between God and Satan. Satan was always trying to get Jesus to disconnect from God and follow him. We have the same temptation. We pray in this petition that, since Jesus went through the ultimate temptation, we never have to go through the valley of shadows where we are totally separated from God. This is the dark night of the soul that we want to avoid at all costs. If we ever go through it, we can be assured by the fact that Jesus got through it and stands with us and will never forsake us. "There's a lot in this petition I never thought about before," Carol said.
"Frankly, Carol," Pastor Johnson replied, "that's why I want to call the group 'Prayer Warriors.' Christians are warriors against the powers of Satan. Satan is stronger than we are, but God is stronger than Satan. That's why we depend so completely on God."
Then the two of them studied Jesus' illustrations about prayer in Luke 11. These stories mean that God is more willing to hear our prayers than we are to pray, the commentary said. When they finished their study, the pastor said, "Now we can get to your three questions."
Carol said, "I don't think we need to do that. I got the answers to my questions during our Bible study. First, prayer is just responding to God's initiative, like answering the door when God knocks and talking to him like children talk to their father. Second, there is a great battle going on between God and Satan for our souls. Prayer warriors line up on God's side. Third, we are expected to be persistent in prayer, even in those times when God doesn't answer the way we want him to answer. We are always expected to seek God's will, not our own, in prayer. Our expectation for prayer is to have a closer walk with our Abba."
"You are a wise woman, Carol. I hope you will lead our new Prayer Warriors group."
"I'm not worthy of leading this group," Carol replied, "but I will pray about it."
As of this writing, Carol has been leading the Prayer Warriors at her church for 14 years.
(For further information about the Lord's Prayer, see Ron Lavin's book Abba: Another Look at the Lord's Prayer, CSS Publishing Co., 2002.)
Ron Lavin is the award-winning author of more than 20 books, including Turning Griping into Gratitude, Way to Grow! and the popular Another Look series (CSS). He is the former Pastor-Director of Evangelical Outreach for the Lutheran Church in America, and was a pastor of five thriving congregations, all of which grew substantially under his leadership.
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StoryShare, July 29, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
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What's Up This Week
"Reborn As God's Children" by Frank R. Fisher
"Doorkeepers in the House of God" by Ron Lavin
"Prayer Warriors" by Ron Lavin
What's Up This Week
It's said that "We've never done it that way before" are the true Seven Last Words of the Church -- but, of course, we can follow another path. In the featured story of this edition of StoryShare, Frank Fisher strikingly reminds us that in baptism we are reborn as God's children... and that's why things can't be the way they've always been. Ron Lavin then shares a pair of enlightening accounts drawn from parish ministry. He tells an amusing story about Herman, a shining example of a steadfast doorkeeper in the house of God, and recounts the reluctance of Carol to take on leadership of a prayer group. But as Carol and her minister study the Lord's Prayer together, she finds answers to several questions and is inspired to become a "prayer warrior."
* * * * * * * * *
Reborn As God's Children
Frank R. Fisher
Colossians 2:6-15
"Why can't things be the way they've always been?"
Over the last few months, those words have played over and over again in the depths of your mind. At first they were simply a whisper, echoing softly through your thoughts. But lately they've become a shout -- a shout which drowns out all the activity of your busy days.
The increasing volume of your thoughts isn't too surprising, for your name is Brenda. You're a member of Indispensable Presbyterian Church, the church everyone once acknowledged as the biggest and most important church in the entire presbytery. But you know your church has changed lately. And you're a long way from the heyday of your church's past.
You sigh a bit as you try to put aside the shouting in your mind and get ready to face another day. Then your mind drifts back into the past and you remember the way things used to be. You remember the days when your congregation was the social center of the entire city. Couples -- young, old, and middle-aged -- would pack the fellowship hall for dinners and dances. Anyone who was anyone would be sure to be there.
But then the neighborhood around the church began to change. People began to feel unsafe when they came to evening events. It wasn't long before the longtime members drifted away to other congregations. And you found the church's newer neighbors were much too busy trying to survive to be interested in your social events.
Now, you think, there's only handful of us left, a handful who're quite puzzled by your pastor's insistence on the need to reach out and serve your community. "But we can't do those type of things," you always firmly replied. "What would people think? And besides, with all our social events on the schedule there's no time for doing the things that have been suggested, things like tutoring disadvantaged children."
Your grumbling continues as you struggle through breakfast and climb into the shower. The warm water relaxes you a bit and your mind slips back to last Sunday's worship. You remember how the scripture said you shouldn't be captive to the things of the past.
Then, as the water strikes your head you remember something else. You remember what you'd been told about the day of your baptism -- how when the water had flowed over your head you'd been buried with Jesus and then raised with him to life. You remember how you'd reaffirmed the vows your parents had made on your baptism day; how you'd declared Jesus is your Lord and Savior. And you realize if you're rooted in Jesus you must seek to live the way Jesus lived and strive to serve others just as Jesus did.
A smile lights up your face as you know now why things can't be the way they've always been -- for in baptism you've been reborn as one of God's children. And now you must follow the new life you're called to lead.
"Why can't things be the way they've always been?"
Over the last few months, those words have played over and over again in the depths of your mind. At first they were simply a whisper, echoing softly through your thoughts. But lately they've become a shout -- a shout which drowns out all the activity of your busy days.
The increasing volume of your thoughts isn't too surprising, for your name is Mark. You're a member of Melodious Presbyterian Church, the church everyone once acknowledged as the church with the best worship in town. But you know your church has changed lately. And you're a long way from the heyday of your church's past.
"It all started with those blasted computer chips," you mumble to yourself. "If they hadn't been invented things could be like they used to be." But even as you mumble those words, you realize their futility. After all, computers have been invented. Children have been raised to take in things at a different pace. They can chat on the net, do their homework, answer the telephone, and watch TV. And they can do all those things, and more, at the same time. "I guess," you sigh, "it's no wonder that they get bored in a worship service where only one thing happens at a time. And it's no also no wonder that they've left our congregation to worship in different ways."
"But we still have the best," you continue to mutter during your lunchtime walk through the park. "We have the best pipe organ, the most comfortable pews, and the best choir money can buy." Then your muttering ceases as you stop by the park's fountain and lose yourself in the splashing of its waters.
The gentle bubbling lets your mind drift back to the scripture you heard during last Sunday's service. You remember how as a Christian you aren't captive to the demands of doing things in any certain way. You remember how in Jesus you have been raised to new life and reborn as one of God's children.
Then suddenly, in the splashing waters of the fountain, you remember your baptismal promises -- promises to follow Jesus wherever Jesus might lead, promises that never guaranteed a life of doing things in the same old way. And as you amble back from lunch you begin to wonder just how you could outfit the current fellowship hall with display screens, computers, and a rock band.
"Why can't things be the way they've always been?"
Over the last few months, those words have played over and over again in the depths of your mind. At first they were simply a whisper, echoing softly through your thoughts. But lately they've become a shout -- a shout which drowns out all the activity of your busy days.
The increasing volume of your thoughts isn't too surprising, for your name is your own. You're a member of your own church, a church where you've loved doing many things in the same way for a very long time.
Of course, you think, things have changed. You've gone along with all those changes. And you often think to yourself that things have changed more than enough.
But when you look around at the empty places where departed friends once worshiped, you realize change will come whether we will it or not. And you know if you're to survive as a congregation you must be willing to lead the change instead of letting it happen to you.
You also know that if you would follow Jesus you must be willing to abandon anything standing in the way of doing Jesus' work -- for you have been buried with Jesus in baptism and reborn as God's children. And as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in Christ; rooted not in the ways of the past, but instead rooted only in Christ, the one to whom we offer eternal thanks.
And in our embracing the new ways Christ leads, may we give to God alone all glory.
Frank R. Fisher is a second-career interim/transitional pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He currently serves as the interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Bushnell, Illinois. A former paramedic and administrator for the Chicago Fire Department, Fisher is an Oblate of the ecumenical Abbey of John the Baptist and Saint Benedict in Bartonville, Illinois.
Doorkeepers in the House of God
Ron Lavin
Herman was an outstanding usher at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona. He was especially good at weddings. Whenever Herman was in charge, the pastor could count on every detail of ushering in the back of the church being taken care of with expert care.
The psalmist wrote: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to live in the tents of wickedness" (Psalm 84:10b). Another translation reads: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the dens of iniquity." Herman was a first-class doorkeeper in the house of God. He was the church custodian, and he doubled as chief usher for weddings. (He had ushered for over 200 of them.)
One hot Friday night in June, Herman showed up early for a scheduled wedding rehearsal at Our Saviour's. He cleaned up some trash that had been left in the back pew, turned on the lights and air conditioning, and met the wedding party at the back door when they arrived. He ushered them forward to the front two pews of the church. Herman and the wedding party waited for the pastor to show up. They waited... and waited... and waited.
After a half-hour of waiting, Herman came forward and said to the group, "The pastor has never been late for a rehearsal. I guess he must have had an emergency. We'd better get started without him. I've been the chief usher for weddings here for many years. I think I can get you through all the things you have to say and do." Herman knew what to say. He knew what to do.
Meanwhile, the pastor was at the top of Mount Lemon, about an hour north of Tucson. He and some friends had bought a cabin there and they were doing repairs on some windows. All of a sudden the pastor looked at his watch, panicked, and shouted to his wife, "I've missed my wedding rehearsal! Jump in the car -- we've got to go now!" It was 6:00 p.m. -- and the rehearsal had been scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m.
The pastor drove down the mountain road at breakneck speed. He knew it was too late to go to the church, so he rushed to the rehearsal dinner. He found the bride and groom and profusely apologized for missing the rehearsal. "No problem," the couple graciously replied. "Herman covered everything we need to do. He's quite an usher." The pastor asked the wedding party to meet him in the nave of the church an hour before the wedding the next day to go over some details. They agreed.
When he got home from the rehearsal dinner, the pastor phoned Herman. "I can't tell you how sorry I am that I wasn't there. I can't believe I missed it. That's never happened before. We were up at the cabin on Mount Lemon we just bought with some friends. We were making some repairs, and I guess I just lost track of time. I'm so grateful you were there and could cover for me. Thank you so much."
"Glad to do it," Herman said. Then the pastor quoted Psalm 84:10b to Herman: "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the den of iniquity."
"You are a great doorkeeper in the house of the Lord," the pastor said. Then he paused and continued, "I want you to know I really was up at the top of Mount Lemon. I wasn't in any dens of iniquity. I just forgot what time it was." They had a good laugh about that.
The pastor wasn't late for the second rehearsal the next day. He and Herman got everything ready before the wedding party showed up. Everything went well, although the groom gave him a strange look about halfway through the rehearsal. "He's probably still a little upset by my missing the rehearsal last night," the pastor thought. "I can hardly blame him." When he left the nave and went to his study to change into his robes, the pastor realized that he had conducted the rehearsal with his fly open.
It wasn't a good weekend for the pastor. He had never been late for a wedding rehearsal before, much less missed it altogether. He was further embarrassed by his fly being open during the second rehearsal. "At least this couple is moving out of town, so I won't have to face them every Sunday," he thought.
It was a good weekend for Herman. He not only covered the details in the back of the church at the Friday night rehearsal; he also covered the details and instructions in the front of the church.
Herman and the pastor went out for a cup of coffee after the wedding. They raised their coffee cups high as the pastor said, "I have a toast. Here's to all the great doorkeepers in the House of God. Herman, you are the greatest of them all." From that time on, the pastor called him "Reverend Herman."
Prayer Warriors
Ron Lavin
Luke 11:1-13
Her name was Carol. She was a faithful member of her church and a woman of prayer. But when her pastor approached her with a request about leadership of a group he called "Prayer Warriors," she hesitated. "I have three questions," she said. "Unless I get satisfactory answers to these questions, I don't think I can take the assignment you are challenging me to take. People will ask me these questions, and I need clear answers. The questions are: 1) Just what is prayer? 2) Why are you calling this group Prayer Warriors? and 3) What should we expect from prayer?"
Pastor Johnson smiled. "Those are good questions," he said. "Let's study Luke 11:1-13 together. Maybe we can find the answers to your questions in God's Word." They read the passage aloud and discovered that Jesus' disciples, after watching and listening to him pray, wanted to know how to pray like he prayed. The disciples had prayed before, using the Jewish rituals and forms they had learned as children, but when they watched Jesus pray and listened to his words they knew he was praying with a power they had never before observed.
Carol and Pastor Johnson took out a Bible commentary and studied it along with the Bible text. They learned that when Jesus called God "Father," the actual word he used was Abba, an Aramaic term of affectionate intimacy that we might translate as "Daddy." It was used by children of his time for their fathers. "Can we really pray, being that personal with God?" Carol asked. Together they read the commentary: "Jesus encourages us to pray with affectionate intimacy, just like he did. Prayer is simply talking to God as a child might talk to his or her daddy."
"Hallowed be your name," Jesus said. Pastor Johnson opened Luther's Small Catechism, where it says that God's name is holy in itself, but that in this petition we pray that we may make it holy in our lives by how we speak and act. "I remember studying that when I was a young girl," Carol said. "That's a powerful petition that challenges us to be Christian in everyday life."
The two of them turned to the commentary on the next petition, "Your kingdom come." The kingdom of God is simply God's rule over us for our own good, they learned. It's not easy for any of us to submit to the lordship of Christ, because we want to run our own lives. By our sinful nature we don't want anyone, not even God, to rule over us. We want to control our own lives. "That's the heart of prayer," the pastor said. "This commentary points us to the one thing we need -- and the hardest thing of all. All people have trouble doing this, and in the Christian community we all need to be reminded over and over again to submit to God. God wants us to submit to him because he knows what we too easily forget, namely that if God doesn't rule over us, someone or something else will. The question is not whether we will be ruled; the question is who will rule us. Only God rules us for our own good."
Carol thought for a moment. Then she said, "I agree. In the Gospel of Matthew, there is another petition in the Lord's Prayer that confirms that: 'Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' "
The next petition was "Give us each day our daily bread." Carol said, "I guess that means we are to be grateful for our meals and say grace each time we eat." The commentary said that this interpretation was correct, but that Jesus may have had much more than gratefulness for food in mind when he taught his disciples to pray this petition. In some early translations this petition read, "Give us tomorrow's bread today."
"I remember reading something about that in seminary," Pastor Johnson said. "Look, there is a footnote in our Bible that says that." The commentary said that "tomorrow's bread" is the bread of the kingdom. Since the kingdom of God is not fully received until the end of time or when we face God at the end of our lives, we pray in this petition that we may have a foretaste of the kingdom bread in this life to strengthen us as Christians today. We get a foretaste of tomorrow's bread in the Word and sacraments, and when Christians practice genuine sharing and selfless service.
"It's like a preview of coming attractions at the movies," Carol said. "I never thought of it that way before." Then she said, "The next petition is a tough one for me."
Then they looked at the petition: "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." The commentary pointed out that asking God for forgiveness must be accompanied by a willingness to forgive people who have offended us. It's not really that we have to forgive them, but that we are called to be like God: willing to forgive. To forgive means that there is repentance. Sometimes people who offend us don't repent. We have no control over that. The only part we control is whether we are willing to forgive. "Wow," Carol said, "this is powerful stuff. That means that we are called to be willing to forgive under all circumstances."
The next petition was about "the time of trial." The commentary pointed out that Jesus may have meant, "Save us from the Great Ordeal." When they read further, they discovered that the Great Ordeal was the ultimate temptation Jesus experienced on the cross when he said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" All of his life, Jesus experienced the battle between God and Satan. Satan was always trying to get Jesus to disconnect from God and follow him. We have the same temptation. We pray in this petition that, since Jesus went through the ultimate temptation, we never have to go through the valley of shadows where we are totally separated from God. This is the dark night of the soul that we want to avoid at all costs. If we ever go through it, we can be assured by the fact that Jesus got through it and stands with us and will never forsake us. "There's a lot in this petition I never thought about before," Carol said.
"Frankly, Carol," Pastor Johnson replied, "that's why I want to call the group 'Prayer Warriors.' Christians are warriors against the powers of Satan. Satan is stronger than we are, but God is stronger than Satan. That's why we depend so completely on God."
Then the two of them studied Jesus' illustrations about prayer in Luke 11. These stories mean that God is more willing to hear our prayers than we are to pray, the commentary said. When they finished their study, the pastor said, "Now we can get to your three questions."
Carol said, "I don't think we need to do that. I got the answers to my questions during our Bible study. First, prayer is just responding to God's initiative, like answering the door when God knocks and talking to him like children talk to their father. Second, there is a great battle going on between God and Satan for our souls. Prayer warriors line up on God's side. Third, we are expected to be persistent in prayer, even in those times when God doesn't answer the way we want him to answer. We are always expected to seek God's will, not our own, in prayer. Our expectation for prayer is to have a closer walk with our Abba."
"You are a wise woman, Carol. I hope you will lead our new Prayer Warriors group."
"I'm not worthy of leading this group," Carol replied, "but I will pray about it."
As of this writing, Carol has been leading the Prayer Warriors at her church for 14 years.
(For further information about the Lord's Prayer, see Ron Lavin's book Abba: Another Look at the Lord's Prayer, CSS Publishing Co., 2002.)
Ron Lavin is the award-winning author of more than 20 books, including Turning Griping into Gratitude, Way to Grow! and the popular Another Look series (CSS). He is the former Pastor-Director of Evangelical Outreach for the Lutheran Church in America, and was a pastor of five thriving congregations, all of which grew substantially under his leadership.
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StoryShare, July 29, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
