Pentecost 10 (4)

Luke 11:1-13 ( NIV ) 1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father,£ hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.£ 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.£ And lead us not into temptation.£’” 5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness£ he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for£ a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

On Sunday hundreds of our fellow WELS members will be headed from all over the country for Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. Normally such a pilgrimage is made the third weekend in August for the start of another college school year. But this journey to the same place is for another reason. It is 62ndBiennial Convention of the WELS. Six years ago I went to synod convention there and have attended many District conventions so I know firsthand what happens at those meetings. You may also be aware somewhat of how the time is spent receiving firsthand reports of the work that is being done by our synod to spread the Gospel and how at times decisions are made which impact that work.

When I went six years ago, the main topic of discussion was over financials. We didn’t seem to have enough money to keep doing things the way we had and our ability to expand Gospel outreach was being curtailed. Of even greater concern was that the shortage in funds seemed to threaten the viability of our current synodical school system and at least one of our prep schools was in danger of being closed or turned into a district school. Well, that storm has been weathered.

The main topic of this year’s convention will be a decision regarding which translation of the Bible will be used in publications of NPH due to the recent release of NIV11. Attached to this decision is whether or not our synod should pursue producing its own English translation of the Bible. The arguments for and against are sometimes complicated and sometimes so emotionally charged that those involved fail to see the big picture.

Case in point. Pastor John Braun, the editor in chief of NPH shared with us at our District Convention in June a letter he has received years ago which he still carries around which expressed how sensitive some people are when it comes to the sacredness of just how something has been translated. You may recall that when the “new” hymnal came out 20 years ago (so it isn’t so new anymore) that it offered in its liturgies two versions of the Lord’s Prayer. The one we had all memorized and used exclusively and the one without the “Thys” and the “Thines”. One lady was so upset that her congregation has gone over to the new version that she quit her church and joined one that still used the old version even though it wasn’t a WELS church. She wrote of her anguish and anger in a letter to NPH.

What is the problem? Some people have a very strong attachment to what we may define as the “sacredness” of the “thing”. They are deep rooted traditionalists. They live by the creed, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In this case we have a lady who prayed the Lord’s Prayer the same way all of her life and now she was (in her mind) being forced to pray that same prayer which was so dear to her heart with different words. She was not being forced to pray a different pray but to pray the same prayer differently. Those who forced this upon her most likely knew that this would be a problem for some but they decided for their own reasons which they can defend that they were going to do it anyway.

This is not an isolated incident. Any time you work together with a group of people and changes are made, you can expect some degree of resistance from those who live by the creed “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

I recall when I vicared how sensitive my bishop was to the potential for strife or at least hurt feelings when such decisions were made. It was decided that to speed up the distributions of the Lord’s supper in that large congregation that called laymen would assist. This was only done after a time of instruction and conversation so that all were given time to consider it before it was done.

At some point in time our own congregation will again be put into a position to make some changes in regard to the “sacredness” of the “thing” in regard to the wording that we use in our worship services. One of the reports that will be given at convention is the goal of producing a new hymnal by 2017. The other one (already mentioned) is which English translation of the Bible will be used in Meditations, Forward in Christ, Sunday school materials, Catechism books, etc. Already there is not a 100% consistency as to which English version of the Bible is being used for worship services among our congregations.

Since this calls for instruction, let us begin today by a few thoughts on the Lord’s Prayer as we also listen to Jesus’ instructions regarding prayer.

Perhaps the most endearing thing that Jesus taught his disciples is The Lord’s Prayer. It is a prayer that we learn as children, pray in church, and use in our personal prayer lives more frequently than any other. It is a prayer that Jesus taught on more than one occasion. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry (sermon on the mount) he had taught this prayer.

Matthew 6:5-15 ( NIV ) 5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.£’ 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Luke tells us that Jesus also taught it on this occasion. You do notice the difference, don’t you? The meaning is the same but the wording is different. I recall my first notice of this when we went to a worship service at the Christian Reformed Church in Randolph. I probably thought, “They are saying the Lord’s Prayer wrong.” Not really, they just used the other biblical reference than the Lutherans.

Point: You can say the same thing using different words. The words are not sacred but the meaning is. In fact, this was a form of Hebrew poetry. (Cited several examples from the Psalms).

Psalm 19:7-8

7The law of the LORDis perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

We also use this in our language with our use of idioms. Whether we say it is raining cats and dogs or it is pouring out we all know it means the same thing.

The problem is that we become so accustomed to something being the same way all the time that we can become uncomfortable when it is changed. Most of us here today can relate to the discomfort we may have felt when the NIV was first introduced and later when the Sampler came and Christian Worship. But in time we realize that as long as the meaning is still there, we have not violated the truth of the matter.

That being said, we will still respect those who hold to the “sacredness” of the “thing” and appreciate their conservatism even though for other reasons we may find it necessary to move forward even in the area of language.

Jesus didn’t have a problem with saying the same thing in slightly different ways. What he did have a problem with was people just mouthing the words but not giving thought to what they were saying. The prayers of the Jews had become that for some (see how Jesus addressed that). Jesus wants our prayers to be thoughtful and thought filled and not just something we ramble while we are multi tasking with something else. He shows his concern for the proper attitude in prayer in this section.

Persistence

” 5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness£ he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Trust

11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for£a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Prayer has always been a main stay in the practice of God’s faithful people whether it was the use of the Psalms in the Old Testament, the Lord’s Prayer in our example today, or the many heartfelt conversations Christians have with their dear Father in heaven. Regardless of the actual words that are used, be persistent in your prayer life and trust that God will answer according to his goodness. Amen.