Proper 12 C 2010
If
your child asks for a fish, would you give a snake instead of a fish?
Poem inspired by today’s Gospel
- Poet Pattiann Rogers responds to Jesus’ question
with:
- Rich imagery of many fish
- Ocean-full of generosity
- If a Son Asks…
I would bring him hatchetfish, goatfish
And albacore. I would bring shad with the finest
Sliver-sloughing scales, the gristled stems
Of broad-nosed cat, fat orange salmon filled
With eggs and slick sturgeon round with oily roe,
The rich milt of mackerel, tarpon still turning,
Their grey gills revealing the inner movements
Of the prairie rose, and the intent of the sea caught
In the clear salty syrup of the yellow-fin’s eye,
And each transparent scale of the carp showing
Its circling rings as a still lake shows time
By a single drop of rain. [1]
- Poem gets Jesus’ point, in spades:
- At worst, parents when asked
- At best, human parents want to what poet names:
- Gracious goodness
- Overflowing bounty
- Riches of love beyond count
- And if we
human beings, do that …
- How much more will a loving heavenly parent give
to those who ask!
- This is foundation of Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
- God as trustworthy, loving, giving Father
Jesus Teaching Prayer
- Disciples Ask – teach us…
- Jesus’ response:
- Starts w/Luke’s version of Lord’s Prayer
- Shorter, simpler than Matthew’ss more familiar
version
- Fundamentally same – MT has expanded original
- Your will
be done on earth as in heaven = Your Kingdom come.
- Both begin w/Father – relationship that makes it
all possible
- As we’ve begun to see in fish story
- Father =Abba
- Aramaic ~ Daddy
- Rabbi and son story
- Son calls rabbi, “Abba”
- Son can ask!
- Gets response
- Jesus’ point -- trust in Abba is the key
- Hallowed be
your Name
- Hebrew thought
- Name = Person
- God name hallowed = God’s being honored in world
- So.. Your
Kingdom come
- An extension of first petition
- God’s name will be hallowed when the kingdom comes
in fullness
- Peace, justice, healing, wholeness for all
creation
- By God’s action
and our response/partnership.
- Lord’s Prayer starts with these two related
petitions
- Hallowing of God’s name, coming of Kingdom are 1st
- Last Sunday’s hymn
- Seek ye
first the Kingdom
- Kingdom is priority
- Then our turn to ask for our needs:
- Daily Bread
- What we need for life
- Not same as what we want!
- Especially in consumer society
- If we don’t “get” what we ask in way we imagine
- Maybe not in line with coming of Kingdom
- Or like parents – who don’t always give kids
what they want!
- Forgive our
sins:
- Something we all need
- Something we all need to give, too.
- As we
forgive…
- Receiving & giving forgiveness inherently
interrelated.
- Not a quid pro quo,
- God: “I’ll forgive if you do first” – NOT!
- Rather an openness, capacity:
- “Mercy
flows through the same channel, whether given or received.” [2]
- Deliverance
from time of trial
- Challenges we face in life
- Testing when Kingdom comes
- Lord’s Prayer is model prayer for Jesus’ followers
- How to approach loving Abba
- Praying for Kingdom
- Naming our needs
- Trusting
- Point remade at end of passage, as noted:
- Child/fish – not snake!
- Loving parent
- Gives what is needed
- Abundantly, generously
- In between Lord’s Prayer and end,
·
Urgent invitations to prayer; each with promise:
o Ask
– it will be given
o Seek
– you will find
o Knock
–it will be opened
- Can be offerd because of One to whom we
pray
- Heavenly Father
- Who gives when asked
- Abundantly, generously, graciously
Learning Jesus’ way of praying
- Disciples watching Jesus at prayer:
- See trusting, loving generous intimacy w/Abba
- See focus on God’s will – kingdom
- See freedom to ask
- Want it, for themselves, too.
- Ask Jesus to teach them this way of prayer, and he
does:
- Lord’s Prayer a model, not a formula
- An attitude, an approach
- Of a child w/loving parent
- Naming needs honestly
- Asking, seeking, knocking
- Trusting
- We can ask, too.
- Jesus invites us to pray to loving Abba
- Who gives what we need abundantly, generously,
overflowingly
- Invites us to pray for coming of Kingdom
- Justice, peace, healing, wholeness for all.
- Invites us to ask for:
- Daily bread
- Forgiveness
- Deliverance
- Always..
- Our Abba wants
- To be asked
- To give
- Generously, abundantly, overflowingly
- Not one fish, but an ocean full of generous love.
The Rev. Jack Zamboni
July 25, 2010