Walking with Prayerful Humility - John 12

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Walking with Prayerful Humility

Tony E Dillon-Hansen

14 March 2018

A Vespers reflection based upon Psalm 51; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

Will you pray with me?  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our Rock, Our Redeemer. Amen!

So we have been walking in the wilderness of Lent for over four weeks now, pondering, thinking, suffering, hopefully learning while praying.

Over the past few weeks in this Lenten Wilderness,

we have been considering perspectives.  

We have considered how suffering impacts our lives

and how to look above the mud-pit of suffering.

We have looked at how to improve our kindness and generosity.

We have wondered how we can be better stewards of

God’s love and grace here on Earth.

In all of this, you might have noticed that we have prayed.

We have read and heard Psalms.

We have offered invocations and confessions.

We have prayed and reflected.

I would add some meditation, Tai Chi and more.

These are ways to lift joys, to express concerns,

to quiet our minds, to make space,

and to be in the presence of God.

Why do you pray?

Better, how do you pray?

At the core, there are general categories of prayer used to deepen expressions of humility, grace and love through us.

Is your prayer one of praise?  

A little “praise Jesus” here and there can be nice.

Some like to poke fun at more guttural praising – diaphragm praises.

There is something more here.

Moses brought down a set of commandments with this at the top.

At worship and many hymns,

we celebrate and praise the glory of God.  

We are happy to praise God in good times,

celebration or new lives welcomed into our family.

(Isn’t it great to have this Church that is welcoming and loving all of God’s Children? )

Of praising prayers, how about sadness and suffering like funerals?

That might feel awkward while singing or praying powerful praise

during times of immense sorrow.

Perhaps, that is when we should be praising God for the lives we have

and the souls that touch us.

I enjoy the service as a “celebration of life” where people celebrate this relationship. 

The question is raised of what are we doing to honor that relationship now and going forward?  What are we doing to give praise to the lives around us?

Then, we have prayers of supplication.

We ask for protection, for intervention,

or for guidance for paths through suffering.

As an athlete,

I have often asked for help in matches and sparring with varied results.  

I would even bargain with God:

for a win, I would give up say chocolate …for an hour?

A biblical example is Jesus in the garden before the infamous arrest

and on the cross.

(Hebrew 5:5-10 reminds us of this.)

That Jesus knows suffering, pain and fear

might help us realize, again,

that we are not alone in our suffering and brokenness.  

Jesus has been there and has walked a few miles with us.

 

Then, there are prayers for forgiveness. (I have done this many times.)

This is not the “sorry-you-were-offended” prayer.

That might need a two-fer prayer.  

Still, what good is asking for forgiveness

when you are not willing to atone?

Instead, when we have strayed, when we forget, or when we degrade someone, we did that to God.  Jesus reminds us of this. (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 9:46-48)

In order to receive, we must first be willing to give ourselves.

Are you willing to forgive others? Are you willing to forgive yourself?

We don’t need to stay on strayed paths,

and I know that we can be our own worst critic.

Thus, we might need to forgive ourselves.

We can be humble because God is ready to mother us any time.

Finally, there are prayers of thanks.

We are want to ask and ask and ask,

but how many times do we stop and give thanks?  

How often do we give credit where credit is due?

Be thankful you woke up, for your breath, for your family and friends

— the many gifts you have.

Be thankful that you were able to play a good game.

Be thankful with humble heart and your head up .

Despite our brokenness and suffering,

When you pray, remember

You are worthy of celebration;

You are worthy of guidance;

You are worthy of compassion;

because You are a child of God.

Whether you pray quietly or with hands in the air,

I submit to you pray with your heart and go ahead

— let the spirit move you. 

Can I get an amen?

While you are praising, thanking, or asking God,

if you listen carefully, you may realize the presence all around you.

You can tap into that spirit anytime and anywhere.

 (No matter where you are on life’s journey.)

Praise, supplication, contrition, and thanksgiving are ways

that we can call to God

and ways that we can respond to God.

Are you willing to hear what God has to offer?

How will you respond?

Are you doing anything that prevents you from responding to God?

Are you ready to work with the gifts that you have?

God is all around you nudging you and listening.

Yet, are you listening?

As Children of God,

With prayer and humility, we can witness God’s love, patience, kindness and generosity to us.

In these many ways, we pray to God because we know that

God is good all the time

and all the time, God is Good

Let us share those prayers with God.

Thanks Be to God.

Walking with Love and Patience - John 3

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Walking with Love and Patience

Tony E Dillon-Hansen

7 March 2018

A Vespers reflection based upon Ephesians 2:1-10; Psalm 107; John 3:14-21

Will you pray with me?  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our Rock, Our Redeemer. Amen!

So we have been walking in the wilderness of Lent for over three weeks now, pondering, thinking, suffering, and hopefully learning.

During the recent lock-in, the youth looked at this scripture from Ephesians. 

I asked what verse stood out.

There were two raised by the youth. 

(4) “out of great love with which God loved us”

and (5) that “by grace you have been saved.”

Our youth thought some important words stood out:

faith, love and grace.

Apostle Paul reminds also that “love is patient and love is kind.”

This speaks to our theme today of walking in the wilderness with God with love and with patience.

So what Is grace? What is love? 

The youth raised some ideas. 

Of grace, they offered the image of beautiful dancers and talented actors.

They thought grace was spending time with loved ones. 

Of love, the youth told us stories about a family inviting someone into their homes.

They gave examples of how donations and helping people showed both grace and love.

They also shared how patience, appreciation and courtesy are expressions of love.

(Perhaps someone told them about Paul’s letter to Corinth.)

Yet, another suggested that love and grace happen

when someone helps another after a big fall.

These are great ideas about how one expresses love and grace.

Even more, we also read “for by grace you have been saved through faith…; it is the gift of God…” This extends these ideas.

We can understand love and grace as gifts of God. These are simple gifts.

Through faith, we may find those gifts, right here and right now.

So if we think about what the youth were saying about love and patience

is that grace is not only a gift from God but ultimately an expression of God. 

Further, if we are love and patience, are we not an expression of God’s grace?

But wait Tony,

What about doing hard work and following rules to get grace or to Heaven?

I heard this a lot growing up.

Hard work and discipline have benefits.

While there may be benefit to observing “lawful traditions,”

Does that prevent you from doing what is right?

Does that prevent you from welcoming others to receive this gift?

So, what are you doing that prevents you from receiving this gift?

Jesus consistently challenges the rules and traditions,

especially when those rules distort or even prevent God’s Truth.

Let us consider this challenge in the context of John’s Gospel from this week.

This Gospel likes to invoke our senses (e.g. tasting great wine, smelling large odors, touching Jesus, hearing God speaking, or gaining sight). 

Specifically, the lesson from John 3:14-21 appeals to our sight;

we will “see” the true light of deeds through God’s truth.

How do you think your deeds (or your love) will look in the light?

How do you let love be in everything you are?

What are you doing to prevent love from being you?

Jesus says Transform and have faith. 

God’s grace is here, waiting for us now.

If you look beyond your suffering and wilderness,

you may “see” the light of God peering out

-- shining upon all of our deeds. 

Consider how you make your deeds a shining example of God’s love for all.

Is that really difficult?

Yet, this letter to Ephesus reminds us that that is fundamental God – simplicity.

It is us, like me, who makes that simplicity complex.

Still, the gift has been here all the time and waiting. 

That gift is right here and now

-- waiting for us to accept.

While we are walking with God in the wilderness,

We are reminded that

We are not alone in our brokenness and suffering.

We don’t let the suffering stop us from welcoming with open hearts.

For that, we can share our gifts given to us.

Be generous and Be kind with love and patience.

Remind others of how God expresses love through your hearts and minds.

With your love and patience in all seasons – not just a couple times of the year,

Embrace and welcome our community with warm hugs and helping hands.

As the youth suggest,

show your love and grace when you reach for others that have fallen.

That grace is right there when we need it the most and it is a simple gift

– no strings attached and no exceptions.

That is one way we walk with God in this wilderness.

Again, we start by letting go of the suffering -- like a Chinese lantern to the sea.

We share our compassion and generosity with a hello and hug.

We share our genuine love with patience.

Thus, we become the expression of God’s grace here and now.

Then, we may find rest in the wilderness.

As Children of God,

we are given that great and wonderful gift of love and grace.

because we know that

God is good all the time

and all the time, God is Good

Let us share and be thankful for God’s gifts of grace and love.