Location! Location! Location!

Text:  John 6:56-69

Theme:  “Location! Location! Location!”

13^th Sunday after Pentecost

August 30, 2015

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Denton, Texas

Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[a] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

This Holy Gospel reading is the last part of a large chapter in the Holy Scripture.  The chapter is as significant as it is long -- and then some.  It begins with Jesus feeding the five thousand people.  The folks – literally and figuratively – ate it up!  Jesus had a blaze of fame.  They wanted to make Him king.  If TMZ or Entertainment Tonight were around, Jesus would be the feature story!

Jesus had other ideas.  The loaves and fish that fed the five thousand were food items that would perish eventually.  Jesus would give them something more:  the bread of life that will not perish.  He would give His flesh for the life of the world. 

The people did not understand – as we do not understand today.  Eventually, they departed from Jesus and no longer followed.  There are 5000+ at the beginning; at the end of the chapter, there are only twelve – and one of them is the devil’s man, Judas, who would betray Jesus. 

Jesus said:  “No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”  That’s a very poor translation into English.  A more accurate way of putting it is like this:  “No one can come to me unless the Father drags them.”  More acutely, “You cannot come to me unless the Father pulls you kicking and screaming.”  That’s more like it.  We can’t trust our good works, our good intentions, our piety or patriotism, our willingness to go the extra miles, or all the volunteer hours we’ve put in.  None of that will bring us to God.  Only God brings us to God.  “No one comes to Me unless the Father drags them,” says Jesus.

At that point, the 5000 had dwindled down to a trickle.  Many no longer followed.  Only the twelve were left.  Jesus asks:  “You aren’t going to leave too, are you?”  Peter replied:  “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life!”

Peter knew where he stood.  He knew His location.  He was with Jesus –the Jesus who had with Him the words of eternal life. 

If you are going to build something that’s going to thrive, and flourish, and grow, and expand, you have to pay attention to location.  As they say in colleges of business administration and in real estate offices:  “Location! Location! Location!” Very little will matter – it certainly won’t matter for very long – if location isn’t front and center in the decision-making process. 

Today, in this location, we give thanks to Almighty God for the years of service rendered by our organist, Hyun-Kyung Lee.  We wish her the very best in her new assignment, and we, of course, hope to see her again on this journey through life.  Think with me of all the preludes, postludes, offertories, anthem accompaniments, and solos she’s performed.  When I was ordained in 2010 at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church here in town, I worked with other pastors to put the service together.  I didn’t know Hyun-Kyung well at all.  I knew it was a stretch, but I thought:  “I’m going to give it a try.”  I asked that the “Toccata” by Charles Marie Widor be performed.  It is a wonderful and amazing to listen to.  Yet it is a highly technical piece of music that is difficult to play.  It is a special favorite of my father’s and a favorite of mine too.  All Hyun-Kyung could do was say no, right?  I mean, no harm; no foul. 

I had kind of forgotten about it until I saw it.  There at the bottom of the ordination service folder the “Toccata” was listed as postlude.  I saw the tears in my dad’s eyes.  They were in mine too.  And I’m sure I won’t be the only one without a dry eye when we hear it again, at our own organ, today. 

My point is this:  Hyun-Kyung could not have played any of these pieces if, at the very least, she didn’t pay attention to location.  She located herself behind that pipe organ, and, there at that location, she practiced and practiced and practiced.  God was glorified and His people benefitted. 

This past week, as many of you know, John C. Langford died.  He was a very big man in all the very best senses of the term.  He loved God, his wife, his family his country, and his church.  He supported his minister and his minister’s family.  When things didn’t always go his way, when his position on this, that, or the other didn’t win out, John C. Langford didn’t angrily jump ship.  He didn’t change location.  He knew where the Words of eternal life were located, and he was at that location regularly.  I’ll remember him most at Christmastime when he adorned this sanctuary with that bright red blazer.

The day after John’s death, I was perusing social media and I noticed what a neighbor who lived down the street in my boyhood hometown had posted.  It included a link that reported the tragic deaths of four people on a South Dakota highway.  A truck made a wrong turn on an interstate, and there was a head-on collision.  One of the deceased was Pastor Ty Schenzel, a high school classmate of mine.  His wife and son-in-law were also killed instantly in the accident. 

I didn’t know Tyler that well in high school, we just found ourselves in the same classes, the same location (if you will) from time to time.  Some years after I graduated, I learned that Tyler had a kind of spiritual awakening and he became a youth pastor at a large non-denominational congregation in Omaha, Nebraska.  During his tenure there, he and his wife, Terri, founded the Hope Center for Kids.  It planted itself in a part of town (North Omaha) that needed hope.  Through the Schenzels, God raised up the people, the funds, AND the location.  As a result, thousands of young people were given hope while living in a blighted, dangerous neighborhood.  They were loved; they were accepted; they were valued; they were housed; they were fed; they were picked up; they were dropped off; people who put faith into practice with love surrounded them.  This is what the Schenzels did in their location.

I was devastated when I heard the news.  “God, WHY?”  That’s when the floodgates burst, and the Facebook feed was blasted with stories and testimonies and accounts of what a difference the Schenzels had made in lives of others.   One South Dakota resident who read the story of the crash followed a few links and found out more about the Schenzels.  She, too, asked God “Why?”  But when the full picture emerged about God’s love coming through the Schenzels, that trumped all.  Her faith was renewed. 

Within hours of Ty and Terri’s death, a memorial page had been set up.  One person wrote this:  “What does it say about you when almost 3000 people are in mourning together within just hours of hearing the news?  They brought us all together – black and white, rich and poor – the kingdom of God was the Schenzel front door.”

“The kingdom of God was the Schenzel front door.”  Location!  Location!  Location!  Are you at a location in life, where you can make a difference for God and others?  If not, why not?

In Old Testament times, the visible presence of God on earth was the Ark of the Covenant.  That was the location:  the Ark of the Covenant.   Eventually, under the reign of King Solomon (the son of David), the ark was finally brought to the new temple in Jerusalem.  On that day, at that location, Solomon offered a dedicatory prayer:

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! Regard your servant's prayer and his plea, O LORD my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, “My name shall be there,” that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive.

Out from the name of God comes the presence of God.  Jesus said:  “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” It’s the Name that was put upon you with the water when you were baptized.  Again:  Location!  Location!  Location!

Speaking of location, at this location – 1114 W. University Drive, Denton, Texas --  Cristina Renteria will soon be baptized.  A dear, dear friend of FPC, Cristina – a long time member of our youth program and currently serving in our nursery -- has announced her attention to profess her faith and be baptized.  The name will be watered upon her.  Location!  Location!  Location!  That’s the sign and seal that even if the world forsakes you, God won’t.  You’re one of God’s children.

So a new week begins.  Sometimes it’s hard to get a handle on everything that happened in the week gone by.  How are we supposed to get a grip on a new one?  One recalls the title of an old favorite:  “Make the World Go Away”!  Those are the words of one who wants a change in location – for himself, or herself, or even the world.  I understand the feeling.  I believe that you do too.  There are times, more than we care to admit, when we’d like a change in location.

Perhaps the Spirit of the crucified and risen Christ is asking us the same question today in our location:  “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”

Grant us grace, Lord, to respond from our location:  “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”

Amen.

A Conversation on Values

Text:  John 6:51-58 & Lectionary Selections

Theme:  “A Conversation on Values”

12^th Sunday after Pentecost

August 16, 2015

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Denton, Texas

Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

There you have it.  You’ve heard all four Scriptures appointed for today, the twelfth Sunday in the second half of the church year.   Here is the “Cliff Notes” version:  the1 Kings passage gives us the meditation of the young King Solomon who asks for wisdom to govern the people of God.  Flipping pages over to the Psalm (#111), the writer declares:  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Fast-forward to the New Testament passage from Ephesians, the apostle Paul urges us to live wisely because the days are evil.  Living wisely presupposes that we are going to live.  Living requires nourishment.  Today’s Gospel delivers:  “I am the living bread,” declares Jesus.  “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.”  “I am the bread of life.”  You best get yourself some!

We can’t let the lectionary people have all the fun.  Let me throw a Scripture of my own into the mix.  Try 1 Corinthians 1:  “we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  Let’s see:  Jesus is the bread of life and also the wisdom of God.  Thus, divine wisdom nourishes us.

In any case, a theme is emerging via this Scriptural review.   It appears the lectionary people want us to be thinking about wisdom today.  Such a theme might interest the folks who live, say, in Amarillo, Texas.  But here in Denton wisdom is familiar stuff; it’s nothing new.  After all, it’s a university town, and education—efforts to make people wise--is a driving force in the local culture.  Amarillo or Denton, a wisdom topic sounds much better than maudlin pondering or dwelling on wisdom’s opposite which is foolishness.  The fool built his house on the sand.  The storm came and blew it all down.  The wise man built his house on the rock.  The storm came, but the house stood firm.  It had, you see, a foundation!

Wisdom, you might say, is foundational!  But how much do we value it?  If not wisdom, what is foundational then?  What is valuable to us?

We talk a lot about values  – and most of the time we’re not even aware of it.  Let’s be aware of it for a bit this morning. What is of value to you?  Are we talking about mineral rights, real estate holdings, an eclectic 401K with a mix of equities and bonds, a diverse portfolio with a hedge or two built in to guard against dark days still to come?  Do we value that 1.99 ct princess cut diamond?  The Rolex watch?  Great-grandma’s sterling silver tea service?  Is value all about the worth of tangible things?  Of course not.  But some things DO have sentimental value, don’t they? 

Sure, there are economic values.  But there are also, for starters, family values.  What exactly are they?  Sometimes we know what’s valuable by reference to what is not – as one bumper sticker illustrates:  “Hate is not a family value.”

There are cultural values.  If you don’t like this set of values, I’ll show you another!  How about traditional values?  Don’t forget progressive values!  We certainly value freedom and liberty – and our country’s founding documents have built-in safeguards to protect those values.

There are spiritual values.  Did I mention nutritional values?  Read those labels.  Scan those barcodes!   How about peace of mind?  We certainly value that.  Sanity?  We value that.  It’s likely we “value” our peace of mind and sanity in proportion to the extent that they – our peace of mind and sanity – are absent  from our lives at any given moment!  “If we weren’t all crazy, we’d all go insane!”  We say that tongue-in-cheek and in partial truth! What do we value?  Craziness?  Why, yes!  It keeps us from going insane!  My church is crazy!  Ha ha ha!  My church is crazy!  It makes me want to weep.  But at least my church isn’t insane.  But wait, maybe it is!

Do you get my point?  We can be confused about what truly is valuable.  But that’s never what we want other people to think or to see in us.  We want to project the image that we have it all together – including our “values system”, as some folks put it -- 24/7/365.

I’m glad you’re here!  I’m glad I’m here.  I’m glad we’re all vertical and taking in nourishment today.  I’m doubly glad because, in this status quo of confused and conflicted values, the Scriptural witness has something to say.  Think of it this way:  these Scriptures sit down with us and join in the conversation.  They have a place at the table.   They put in their “two cents worth” on our topic of values.  We’d better be careful, though.  Before we heard the Scriptural witness, we prayed to the Holy Spirit, that Spirit of God and the Pentecost season, that that Scriptural witness would be illumined in us.  Illumination is light in the darkness.  Practically speaking, we ask that God will use God’s Word to make us go “Aha!”

In your Old Testament Reading, a conversation on values was exactly what the young King Solomon was having with the King of the universe.  God comes off looking like some divine genie in a bottle!  He tells Solomon to ask for anything he wants.  There are days when I wish the good Lord would do the same with me!  You would figure that Solomon would get kaleidoscopic eyes.  He’d be all giddy and dreamy with the possibilities of getting what he wanted.

Yet Solomon was almost painfully honest.  There was no use in sugar-coating truth, slathering lipstick on a pig, being in denial, or pretending to be someone who he was not.  For his part of the conversation, he stated the facts. God told him to ask for whatever he wanted.  Solomon said:  “Give your servant wisdom to govern your people, the ability to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

Smack dab in this request itself, there is a good, workable definition of wisdom:  the ability to discern, to make distinctions, the willingness to work through confusion to clarity, and to use that skill to serve – or, in Solomon’s case, to govern – others. 

The language of recovery from alcoholism and addiction picks up on this.  Wisdom, at least in part, is the ability to “intuitively handle situations that used to baffle us.”

Life can be baffling at times.  Agreed? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to intuitively handle that bafflement?  Would that not be valuable?

The question, at this point, is:  where does this valuable wisdom begin?  Where is the starting point for me?  Psalm 111 joins the conversation:  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  And fear, here, is not that you’re afraid or “chicken”, as they say.  It has to do with the place of God in your life.  It essentially has you saying:  “There is a God, and I’m not it.  I’m not running the show!  I’m not directing the production!” Wisdom begins with an honest estimation of who you are and who you are not – before God and your fellowman.  Now, admittedly, this value runs almost directly counter to our current culture that tirelessly values self-promotion – and that to the highest degree.  For a lot of folks, life is a ratings game and a popularity contest. 

The alternative to that is there for you in the Ephesians passage.  “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise… . Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Worship God.  Give thanks to God. 

We’ve been told from various sources that “Knowledge is power.”  Getting information, or “intel”, is valuable.  But what good is it to gain all the information and intel in the world (and one could argue that we’ve already gained it and have it on the tip of our fingers with our cellphone computers), and forfeit the ability to discern?  My point is that it’s possible to know it all and still be a fool. It’s not that you have the information; it’s what you DO with the information you have, the value you attach to the information.

In short, we need wisdom.  It is, indeed, foundational. The good news is that, in Jesus, who is the bread of life and the wisdom of God personified, we have it.  And that wisdom is as available as words are to our eardrums, water is to our bodies, bread and wine are to our mouths.

It may or may not be your experience, but there are times in life – like in your 50something decade – when you take stock of things.  You look back on your thought processes through the years, you consider what you’ve said, you think about what you have done.  If you are like me, you would say that many of those thoughts, words, and deeds were knowledgeable.  But fewer of them were based on wisdom.  Many thoughts, words, and deeds were impulsive; far fewer were wise.

The person and work of Jesus Christ – including the forgiveness He earned and gives – more than covers that deficit. 

Just how valuable is this divine wisdom?  Well, at the very least, you can look to this week ahead – and, indeed, to the rest of your life – and say: 

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

"911" Prayers

Text:  Psalm 130

Theme:  “’911’ Prayers”

11^th Sunday after Pentecost

August 9, 2015

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Denton, Texas

Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

A song of ascents.

1

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

2

Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

3

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,

Lord, who could stand?

4

But with you there is forgiveness,

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

6

I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

8

He himself will redeem Israel

from all their sins.

It is a “Psalm of Ascents”.  “Ascent” has something of an upward movement to it – as in, “We’re going up.”  Where are we going up – or ascending – to?  Eugene Peterson reminds us that a “Psalm of Ascents” is travel song.  Highest point to go for a child of God at the time when this psalm was penned was likely Jerusalem and the temple.  Thus, they sang the psalm as they traveled along to the big city, the city of peace. 

There’s not much ascending going on and you’re certainly not in peace when you’re caught where the psalmist is, however.  “Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord.”  He or she is down there somewhere stuck in it – mired in the depths.  Every indication is that he/she wants out; he/she wants to ascend out of the mess he/she is in.

Then and now, “out of the depths” is where many prayers originate. Such entreaties to the almighty, as we have in Psalm 130, are the ancient equivalent of what many, nowadays, call a “911” prayer.  911 is the number you dial if there is some sort of emergency.  

I remember receiving a plaque as a confirmation gift way back in 1975.  A friend of mine from school gave it to me, and it read:  “When All Else Fails, Try A Prayer.”  Surely, we all need a little encouragement when it comes to our prayer lives, but since when did prayer become a last resort when “all else fails”?  It was a nice sentiment, but it contained bad theology.

There is an old saying that goes like this:  “There are no atheists in foxholes.”  A foxhole is where you go when the enemy is shooting at you in a war.  The phrase seems to suggest that even atheists, confronted with a life or death situation, can tap a kind of primal God consciousness. A foxhole prayer is another name for a 911 prayer.

Most of the 911 prayers I’ve seen are in hospital chapels.  Many of them have a prayer register.  Patients and family members come in to say a prayer or two, and, if they wish, they write down who and what they are praying for. Invariably, there is a health crisis of some sort.  The thoughts in the prayer book run the gamut of human emotion.  There is joy and anger, denial and acceptance, and no small amount of bargaining – as in, “God, if you get me out of this jam, I’ll change my life” (or words to that effect). 

I’m called upon to do a lot of public praying.  It may be of some surprise to you that I’ve never been comfortable doing it – although I know it comes with the job.  I guess I’m more of a “Sermon on the Mount”-type prayer person.  Our Lord talked about going into a closet and praying in secret.  I’m much more comfortable doing that than leading that part of worship we call “Prayers of the People.”  If people ask me to offer a prayer, I’ll more than likely do it.  I just don’t OFFER to do it.  I’ve noticed a tendency over my years of public ministry where prayer has all but become a means of grace.  Prayer may be a response to the means of grace, but it’s not, by itself, a means of grace.  The gospel, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are the means of grace – and not prayer.  In addition, people these days talk about “praying over” someone, some thing, or some situation.  I’m half tempted to ask you to “pray over” my left shoulder today because it hurts.  MRI revealed two significant rotator cuff muscle tears, and I don’t know yet what the treatment will be.  Where this concept of “praying over” came from, I don’t know.  Apparently, I still have a lot to learn – and that’s fine.

I guess I’m okay with prayer vigils, for a vigil implies waiting.  We have one here on Easter Eve.  Vigils are often held when a tragedy occurs.  Most important, the psalmist – in our very text for today – encourages waiting.  So, thumbs up for prayer vigils.  Prayer “breakfasts” and national days of prayer and so forth I’m not so sure about.  I’m not discouraging your participation in them, but the ones I’ve attended often had some axe to grind.  The more I know about prayer, the more, I guess, I don’t know.  I hope I don’t sound snooty, but I have to admit I get a bit of spiritual indigestion when I hear a public prayer that sounds, well, a bit too chatty.  I call them “We Just Wanna” prayers – as in “Jesus, we just wanna thank you” or “Father God, we just wanna worship you and praise you.”  On it goes with the “We Just Wanna”!  You get the idea.  The “We Just Wanna” prayers are, no doubt, conversational.  But I think one can be forgiven for thinking that they lack a bit in reverence.  Again, I don’t know; that’s just me.  Some churches have prayer chains and prayer warriors that are called upon in those 911 moments of life.  That’s okay – as long as they don’t become gossipy.  But again, I don’t know; I’ve got so much more to learn about prayer, about how you pray, about how I pray.

What I do know, what I have learned up to this point is that people pray “out of the depths” – just like the psalmist of Psalm 130.   They may be 911 prayers, but they are prayers.   We’ve all been there – in a jam.  It’s the human predicament, from time to time, in this fallen world.  Perhaps we’re in the depths this morning. Juliette McClendon is; she’s been there before.  John Langford is; he’s been there before.  “God, are you there?  Are you listening?  Do you know I’m around?  Do you have a handle on what’s happening here?  Lord, I need some tailor-made mercy.”

Here’s another thing that I know because I have learned it:  people don’t get the hang of prayer instantly or by osmosis.  We are not born with a prayer on our lips.  Prayer must be taught.  The first prayers I consciously remember being taught (by my father at bedtime) was “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray, the Lord, my soul to keep.”

The great commission of Jesus Christ tells us that a disciple is made when two things happen:  there is baptism and there is teaching.  “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations –baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.”

Most definitely, part of what Jesus taught involved prayer.  He lived prayer; He taught prayer. And He lived and taught it both publicly and privately.  One of the greatest moments in the lives of His disciples, all those years ago, was when they came to Him with a request:  “Lord, teach us to pray.”  He then proceeded to give them the prayer we’ve come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father”. 

In addition, I’ve learned that prayer has certain times attached to it. For instance, the canonical prayer hours had their origin in the psalms. The entire biblical record and the life of Jesus teach that prayer in the morning, upon rising, is appropriate.  Prayer in the evening, upon lying down to sleep is also appropriate.  Then there is the matter of “Asking the Blessing” and “Returning Thanks” over your meals, your daily bread. 

There are times, I’ve learned, when I don’t know what to say in prayer.  That’s when written prayers come in handy.  One favorite of mine is Niebuhr’s “Serenity Prayer” (Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.)  Then there’s the famous Prayer of St. Francis which our choir anthem is based on today:  “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

Finally, another lesson I learned about prayer came from the pen of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  He wrote a short book entitled Psalms:  The Prayer Book of the Bible.  In it, he wrote: 

If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ. We must ask how we can understand the Psalms as God’s Word, and then we shall be able to pray them. It does not depend, therefore, on whether the Psalms express adequately that which we feel at a given moment in our heart. If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. Not what we want to pray is important, but what God wants us to pray. If we were dependent entirely on ourselves, we would probably pray only the fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer. But God wants it otherwise. The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart.

The last line is worth repeating:  “The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart.”  There is a difference between a prayer which begins with “Father God, WE just wanna…” and one that begins with “Dear Lord, You have said… .”  Prayer that is indestructible, prayer that gets it right because it gets it Jesus right, is that prayer which says back to God what God has said to us.  God says:  “I am the Lord your God.”  The church says, in reply:  “You are the Lord our God.”

I conclude by returning to Psalm 130, our text.  The psalmist prays:  “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?”  Allow me a paraphrase:  “God, if you’re still reading the little back book of my sins, I’ll never get out of the depths I’m in.” 

But with you there is forgiveness,

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

There certainly is forgiveness with the Lord.  Lord Jesus took your little black book of sins and made it His own.  “He who knew no sin was made sin for us.”  It is the great exchange:  our sin He takes, and He gives back in its place His forgiveness.  It was won at Calvary and at Easter’s empty tomb. 

This is the Lord, in the language of the psalm, whom we cry to, pray to, wait for, put our hope in, receive our forgiveness from, and serve.  Amen.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.