The scriptures include Luke 11:1-13. It was preached on July 28, 2019 at Presbyterian Communities Vespers service in Florence that afternoon..
Ask,
Search, and Knock
Do
you have a certain time of day set aside for praying?
Are
you spontaneous or do you use a devotional?
Do
you pray out loud or speak to God in silence?
Throughout
the Gospels we witness Jesus at prayer.
It
is an important image for the disciples and for you
and me.
One
of Jesus’ disciples requests:
“Lord,
teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
Luke’s
version of the Lord’s prayer is similar
to
the scripture in Matthew’s Gospel.
The
instruction on prayer in Matthew is part of
the
Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew
may go into a little more detail:
“do
not
be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand
and
pray in the synagogues and at the street corners
so
they may be seen by others…
go
into your room and shut the door and
pray
to your Father who is in secret.”
“do
not
heap up empty phrases…
for
you Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Both
Matthew and Luke tell us:
“Ask,
and it will be given to you;
search
and you will find;
knock
and the door will be opened for you.”
The
message is the same in both:
pray
ask
search
knock.
How
do these 3 terms,
ask,
search, and knock relate to prayer?
Ask:
say
something in order to obtain an answer, information or
a
request of someone to do or give something.
Sometimes
in prayer we ask for guidance;
sometimes it is
something more tangible.
“Give
us each day our daily bread.”
An
alternate translation is “our
bread for tomorrow”;
That
is assurance and hope
for tomorrow
and
the next day and the next…
You
and I know what God
has done for us in the past,
what
God is doing for you
and me in the present,
and
we have trust it will continue for the future.
Search:
try
to find something by looking or
otherwise
seeking carefully and thoughtfully.
Carefully
and thoughtfully,
a time of meditation
and reflection.
Searching
is you and me
acting to discover
perhaps
something that was lost or
something
we have never had before.
Sometimes
things get lost as in the parable of
the
Lost Coin;
sometimes
we get lost as in the parable of
the Lost Sheep;
prayer
can center us.
What
are you and I
searching for?
~peace~ ~understanding~ ~comfort~
~direction~ ~confidence~ ~harmony~ ~faith~
Knock:
strike
a surface nosily to attract attention,
especially
when waiting to be let in through a door.
I
like that definition: doing something to attract attention.
There
are times we desire God’s attention;
when
you and
I have questions about
our lives,
our purpose, and
our place in the
world.
Ask,
search, and knock all do tie into prayer.
We
pray; we address God with a sincere request
or
an expression of thanks.
So,
the question comes up again…
What
is your prayer life like?
In
Matthew’s Gospel Jesus instructs us “do
in secret”.
Prayer
is personal,
an
individual’s personal relationship with God.
In
the gospels, Jesus often goes off to a quiet place to pray:
“…he
went up the mountain by himself to pray.”
(Matthew 14:23b)
“In
the morning, while it was still dark,
he
got up and went out to a deserted place,
and
there he prayed.”
(Mark 1:35)
“Then
he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw,
knelt
down, and prayed.”
(Luke 22:41)
There
is another element to prayer -silence;
prayer
involves times for listening in the silence,
listening
for God’s answers,
God’s
guidance,
God’s
purpose for you and me.
God
does answer when we ask, search, knock, pray.
Jesus
tells the parable of the friend at midnight.
“Friend,
lend me three loaves of bread.”
A
simple request at an inconvenient hour.
The
one knocking is depending on their friend’s
kindness
and generosity.
Hospitality
is a theme throughout Luke’s Gospel.
It
is the way we treat each other,
the
way God wants us to act with each other.
If
your friend,
your
neighbor,
or
your relative does for you;
answers
your request,
gives
to you what you seek,
opens
the door to you,
think
how much more
God does for
and will do
for you.
This
friend at midnight also lets us know
that
prayer can happen anytime,
anywhere
and
in any way,
we chose to pray.
God
is always available;
God
is not
reluctant nor
hesitant to answer
when
you and I
ask, search, knock, and pray.
In
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he advises:
“Rejoice
always,
pray
without ceasing,
give
thanks in all circumstances;”
Pray
without ceasing:
prayer
is to be continual.
I
remember reading somewhere that
the
idea of ‘continual prayer’ is like
a
tune of a familiar song;
we
hum along,
it
is on our mind as we go through our day.
What
is your prayer life like? ~visual
part of sermon~
They
are so many books on prayer,
that
discusses prayer as praise,
penitence, and
petition
~Common
Prayer~1
different
ways to pray,
finding
new paths to God ~Praying
in Color~2
books
filled with prayers,
that
guides us in reflection on God’s word
~Praying
w/Hildegard~3
devotionals
to direct us,
that
guides us through themes ~One
Minute Prayers~4
prayers
we find in the psalms,
that
are part of our daily prayer life ~Psalter~5
poems
and hymns as prayer,
that
speak to everyday events ~Prayers
that Sing~6
even
a prayer cube,
an aid to give
simple thanks
to
give different options for grace before a meal.
You
and I have so
many options for
prayer,
no
matter the time of day or night,
whether
it is spontaneous or guided,
or
if we shout our thanks and praise
or silently speak
and listen.
God
is there with answers,
with
what we are seeking,
and
ready to answer the door.
“Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
Ask
and it shall be given unto you,
seek
and ye shall find,
knock
and the door shall be opened unto you. Alleluia.”7
Alleluia,
Amen.
1
Common prayer: a Muslim-Christian spiritual anthology, edited by
Kenneth Cragg, Oxford : Oneworld, c1999.
2
Praying in color: drawing a new path to God by Sybil MacBeth,
Brewster, Mass. : Paraclete Press, 2007.
3
Praying with Hildegard of Bingen by Gloria Durka, Winona, Minn. :
Saint Mary's Press, c1991
4
One Minute Prayers for Women, 2004
5
The Paraclete Psalter -a book of daily prayer, 2010
6
Prayers that sing & stir the heart by Sibley Towner, Richmond,
Virginia : Union Presbyterian Seminary, [2018].
7
hymn Seek Ye First by Karen Laferty
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