Knocking on Heaven's Door

"If you, then, who are evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the heavenly Father

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

(from Luke 11:1-13)

At a healing group I led, someone asked for prayers for a friend whose child a severe cold.

We all prayed for recovery of the child.

The next morning about 10 a.m. the person called me asking if the child’s cold was healed.

I replied that I didn’t know because I hadn’t called the mother yet.

In today’s culture of instant response, the question was understandable.

In Jesus culture, someone knocking at your door in the middle of the night broke all rules of basic hospitality, and personal dignity.

The disciples were asking Jesus to be taught how to pray.

Jesus tells a parable about persistently knocking until the door is open.

Is persistence the lesson?

Persistence may imply God is reluctant, unaware, and needing harassing by our prayers before God will do what we want.

Must we bang on heaven’s doors to get God’s attention?

Is shamelessness the lesson?

Shamelessness in Jesus culture was caused by lack of concern about what is proper in situations.

If shamelessness then whom, the sleeper acting shamelessly with disregard of his neighbor, or the neighbor acting to avoid shame?

Either way, we are not the key that makes prayer “work”.

Is God’s kingdom the lesson?

God is good and eager to give, but not just the things we ask for in our idolized prosperity culture.

Praying “Your kingdom come,” leads to disciples receiving the Spirit which enlivens, feeds, and defends them.

Having received the Spirit, their mission becomes proclaiming the coming kingdom life only possible in God’s household: love.

The Hope of Forgiven Sins

"Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

according to your steadfast love remember me,

for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!"

(from Psalm 25:1-10)

Israel’s King David, a skilled warrior known for defeating Goliath, also led numerous other victories, expanding and securing the kingdom’s borders.

Politically, he united Israel’s tribes, established Jerusalem as capital, and created a strong central government.

Despite his successes, he made serious moral mistakes, like the Bathsheba affair and killing Uriah.

David's trials included Tamar’s betrayal, Absalom’s revolt, and his death in battle.

Nathan, David’s prophet, confronted him about the sin, and David repented.

God’s punishments consisted of a series of family tragedies, including the death of his infant son and conflicts with his children.

Our life journey isn’t King David’s, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t committed sins and transgressions in our youth.

We are clearly conscious of the feelings of shame and guilt menacing us as we remember them.

Like the composer of Psalm 25 we pray to God for mercy and love in our life journey because we know that the “sins and transgressions of our youth” are carried into adult forms.

Psalm 25 is also a statement of trust in God’s guidance leading to redemption as we walk our journey in relationship to God.

Just because we are in need of redemption, doesn’t mean we can’t learn from God’s teachings.

We can be taught God’s ways and paths, what is right, and the meaning of humility.

However, the psalm tells us, we must wait for God’s help with hope, not like waiting for a meeting, but like waiting in a hospital room as your loved one is in surgery.

An Ancient Legend of Mary & Martha

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 

but few things are needed—indeed only one.

 Mary has chosen the better part, 

which will not be taken away from her.”

( from Luke 10:38-42)

There’s a famous legend about Martha told after Jesus’s resurrection.

Martha becomes a traveling preacher ending up in a small French that, unfortunately, has a chronic dragon problem. Martha slays the dragon which wins the whole town over to Christianity.

In the same legend, Mary, on that same trip, starts a monastery in the wilderness.

In this legend, they both complete their assigned roles in Christian history:

Martha acts and Mary studies. Martha represents an active faith, while Mary represents a contemplative faith.

Martha shows Jesus hospitality while Mary sits at his feet listening. They represent different parts of Christian discipleship and both are seen as positive characters.

They are both doing good things. There is no villain in this story.

The confusion begins when Jesus says Mary has the better part and we don’t search the scriptures for an obvious meaning.

Jesus rebuke is about Martha's distraction, because she’s focusing on the actions of others instead of her relationship with Jesus.

Mary, on the other hand is focused on Jesus which can never be taken away.

It’s a challenging idea that we can do right and good things but still be distracted by the wrong things and focus more on perceived shortcomings of others than on our relationship with Jesus.

The Gospel is clear that disciples serve and listen to the word.

As we navigate our way in today’s complicated, distracting world, serving and listening are critical.

Maybe we’ll slay dragons or start monasteries, but the main thing is our focus on Jesus.

Jesus’ Rules of Hospitality

“Whenever you enter a town

and its people welcome you,

eat what is set before you.”

(from Luke 10:1-11)

There’s a true story of a seminary professor who asked a class to imagine the most challenging part of accompanying the 70 on their mission journey.

Most of the responses were predictable: no money, no change of clothes, no food, depending on strangers.

One student said, “Eat what is set before you.”

The student explained that his father was a pastor in a very rural, poor part of South Dakota and often invited to dinner mostly by farmers.

On remote farms people often relied on whatever they could kill or catch, such as squirrels, rabbits, and other wild creatures, even for guests so the father instructed the family to eat what was set before them.

He added, “We just never knew what we would have to eat.”

If you search Luke, you’ll find that Jesus often attends a meal, but never gives a dinner party.

In Jesus’ rules of hospitality, being a respectful recipient by graciously eating what is set before you is of primary importance.

Jesus’ rules of hospitality are far from the traditions I know.

For example, if I Invite you to dinner, I’ll notice if you don’t return an invitation to dine at your place.

Other hospitality customs in our society are dining with people of the same class, or those with abundant resources are more are hospitable to those with less, or warmly welcoming new comers to worship.

It seems to me that reflecting on hospitality as we walk with Jesus, means examining those things that keep us safe and comfortable and moving beyond them.

As Christian disciples there’s an urgency to bring God’s kingdom near.