Nature of Prayer

Cheddington Sunday 9 October 2011

Trinity 16

First Reading Exodus 32.1-14

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered round Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold ear-rings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their ear-rings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterwards they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

“I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

But Moses sought the favour of the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Gospel Matthew 22.1-14

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to N.

All Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus spoke in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

“But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

A common worry – almost universal amongst Christians – nature of prayer. How to pray. What to say. Listening/speaking. What to expect by way of answer?

Promises in Scripture – whatever in my name I will give you. Mountains moved. Everyone who asks, receives. One who seeks, finds. Knock, door opened to you. You know the references. You’ve heard them often, and probably pondered them.

Did Jesus lie? One web site called Evil Bible is headed by that question. What should be a comfort and reassurance can become a major challenge to our faith. Often we face this question when we are most in need.

Children have a simpler faith – they believe the promises. This makes it harder when they pray for success in exams and feel badly let down if they fail. What to say to them? Your faith was deficient? You have to ask in my name. Two or three must gather together. God does not micro manage. etc

Is it a coincidence? – both readings about revelry and unworthiness with an implacable God as chief protagonist? Maybe – but we can learn a lot from both accounts.

There are several illustrations in NT of Kingdom of Heaven depicted as great feast. It’s clear from the start what the parables are about, and that God is represented by the King. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. Probably Jesus is referring to himself – like God’s servants the prophets, mistreated, abused and killed just for doing their duty and asking invited guests to the banquet.

Matthew’s account only one with this parable within a parable. Man who turns up not properly dressed. Point is not that he is poor, or cannot afford the proper attire. No – everyone else has the right clothes, even though they are rounded up from the streets. No – this man is unworthy. He has disqualified himself by his unpreparedness. God is implacable faced with abject sin and deliberate unrepentence. It’s too late now for the man to turn around. This is one picture of the final judgement.

Different picture of God altogether in Exodus. In OT you would expect to find a steadfast and wrathful deity, and a loving, forgiving one in Gospels. Seems to be wrong way round.

Moses has been absent 40 days and 40 nights. Moses went up Mt. Sinai to receive “the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandments.” Before leaving, he told the elders to wait for him and said they should consult Aaron and Hur if there is a dispute.

There certainly was a dispute. The people gave up Moses for lost. Moses a determined and forthright leader. Aaron an appeaser. Moses would not compromise. Aaron went along with the people’s wishes. For a quiet life.

Prepared to misunderstand what the people wanted. Come, make us gods who will go before us. It’s clear the people were abandoning God of Israel as well as Moses. They declared the golden calf to be the gods who brought them up out of Egypt.

Aaron goes along with what they want, but declares tomorrow will be a feast day to the Lord. It’s the same word for God that Aaron and the people use. But for the people, gods is plural. For Aaron, God is singular.

Although the rebellion could not be much worse, how does God react to Moses’ pleas? At first, He threatens wipe out civilisation and start again, as he did in the Flood. Noah was the only trustworthy man and was saved. Likewise, only Moses will survive.

But Moses argues with God. He reasons. He debates. He uses the relationship with God that he has built up. A relationship of trust. Moses is not sycophantic. He challenges.

God relents – returns to his desire for salvation. Determines to engage more with the children of Israel, not just through Moses. Provides intermediaries. The Law. Books of Scripture – the Covenant, that the people can hear read to them. The tabernacle. The priesthood. No longer are they to be terrified by direct, powerful presence of God as they were by Mt Sinai. A better way is found for them to encounter God.

All this has been achieved through prayer. Moses interceded direct. God changed his mind. It’s an encouraging picture as we make our own intercessions to the Father. Whatever we ask of God in the name of Jesus, He will grant.

It was too late for the man who refused to wear his wedding garment. Or maybe had he repented even at that very last moment, he might have been saved. The King was not implacable. He tried again and again. Everyone was invited to the feast. They had many chances, but refused. They were undeserving. Even at the very last, they could have been rounded up from the streets. God invited both good and bad, it says. Only at the very last was anyone truly lost. Many called, but few chosen. Not exactly the portrayal of a hard hearted, implacable, unforgiving God. No – a Father who scans the horizon for his lost creation, then runs to greet him, kisses him and forgives his grave offences without even asking for any remorse or apology.

So this encourages us to try again and again in our prayer. Like the parables of the Unjust Steward and the Persistent Widow.

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.. Amen