Just did a guest post on the Lord’s Prayer (also called “the Our Father”) over a Faithful Friends of God . It’s short and sweet, but I hope it will help you unlock this familiar prayer in new, deeper way. Hebrews rhymed ideas, not words. That’s why it sounds to our ears like they’re always repeating themselves. But it’s not just for show. Find out more here.
God Must Laugh
everything could've been tofu
Tagged with prayer …
Free Sermon: Bashing Politicians
Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-8, Jeremiah 8:18-22
First Preached: First Congregational Church of Saugatuck
This sermon is dedicated to our new national pastime. No, I don’t mean baseball. I don’t even mean football. I mean bashing politicians. It’s taking the nation by storm. During my research, I spent some time with the source of all truth and knowledge, the internet.
According to sites I read this week, President Obama is a Muslim socialist, fascist, communist Kenyan double agent. According to them, his ultimate goal is nothing less than the complete destruction of America and the imposition of Sharia law on the shattered remnants of the population. And lest the Democrats get too proud of themselves, I also read articles during the election that President Bush had teamed up with Osama Bin Laden to stage 9/11 in order to have a pretext for war and martial law in America. According to them, George W. Bush was planning to be the head of a new American military dictatorship. The election would never be allowed to stand.
It seems to me that this political back-biting is reaching a new low. The Illinois State Register, from our president’s home state, labeled this politician “the craftiest and most dishonest that ever disgraced an office in America.” They accused him of changing the rationale for ’his’ war, then hounded him for mismanaging it. They charged his administration with incompetence and accused him of trampling on the Constitution. They even compared him to an ape. Of course, the president in question is Abraham Lincoln.
This is not a new game. As long as we have had politicians, we have slammed them, especially the ones who aren’t from our team. Paul was writing to Christians who lived under the boot of the Roman Empire. Every good Roman prayed to the Emperor, with only one exception. The Jews had bought the privilege, bought it with blood, the exclusive privilege of praying for the Emperor instead of to him. Now these Christians come along and say they’re not Jews. Shouldn’t they have to pray to the emperor too?
Paul is trying to head off a political firestorm when he tells Timothy, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions,” No one wants to live in occupied territory, but Paul says, “Don’t start a revolution. Start praying.” Why? “So that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” According to Paul, government is not the instrument of the world’s salvation, that’s God’s job. Government exists to keep chaos at bay.
If that’s true, then a lot of what we call government is really politicians overstepping their bounds because the church has not yet become the kingdom of God. If we were caring for the widows, the fatherless, and the strangers in our midst… If there really were no needy among us, then who would need social security? If we really were peacemakers, who would need an army?
But we’re not there yet, so our leaders do their best to hold the chaos at bay. If that’s true, then government can fail through two fundamental errors: a weak defense and internal corruption. This is where our political leaders most need our prayers. It is soooo much easier to attack than to defend. It’s tactically simpler and psychologically easier to attack. It is sooo much easier to accept corruption than to fight against it. It’s so hard to stay clean when so many people are trying to turn you into a very rich pawn. Our leaders need our prayers, even when our hearts are breaking, even when we’re terrified and it looks like the end of our country.
Remember Jeremiah? “O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!” Jeremiah’s country is being dismantled around him. His people are walking into exile. He can see it coming and he tries to warn them but no one will listen, so he prays. He prays to God and he prays for his leaders.
He’s not the only one who’s afraid. You know what Al Qaeda and the KKK have in common? Fear. They feel like their world is under attack an they feel powerless to stop it. And they’re right. The way of life they long for is gone, and it will never return. So they lash out with the only tool they have, fear.
Perfect love drives out fear. It’s surprisingly hard to pray for someone and then in the next breath demonize them. It is surpisingly hard to pray for someone and then give up all hope. Praying for people in positions of power protects our hearts from the poisons of cynicism and despair. If that’s all it did, it would be worth it, but there’s more.
Praying for people in positions of power pushes you to action. People like to tease the church, that we don’t actually do anything. We just sit in our buildings and pray. “Let’s fight. You pray, I’ll punch, and we’ll see who wins.” But every great awakening, every great reform movement has begun in prayer. It’s surprisingly hard to pray for someone day after day after day and then do nothing. It’s surprisingly hard to pray for someone day after day and imagine they are somehow better than you.
Athens, Alabama KKK (Ku Klux Klan) Rally and Counter-Protests September 2007. Original work by Gregory Skibinski on a Creative Commons License
Look at the picture on front of your bulletin. This is what prayerful action looks like. These people are standing across the street from a KKK rally. Imagine standing on that street, and one one side there are angry people, someone yelling into a microphone. On the other side of the street, you see no fear, no rage, no violence, and no hoping it will all just go away. You’re standing there in the middle of the street, and you already know who has won.
Right now, the big fear in Saugatuck seems to be Aubry McLendon. Some people are afraid he’s going to destroy the dunes forever, or lock them away so no one can enjoy them any more. Some fear that he’ll bully his way though and his fancy new development will suck life away from our little downtown.
A casual reading of our text today might lead you to believe we should pray for him. Not true. The only reason we think that is because our culture confuses money with power. Of course we should pray for him, but for other reasons. Remember, the purpose of government? “So that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” Their job is to protect the boundaries and enforce the laws, to hold off chaos. In our town, who is doing that? Is it McLendon? No way! He’s pushing the boundaries.
Our job is to pray for our council and our city officers. Imagine you’re an elected official in the middle of a series of lawsuits with Aubry Mclendon. On the one hand you have threatening lawyers, on the other you have screaming environmentalists, and in the middle you have hundreds of people yelling at you that you’re wasting their money. It feels like you’re walking through a minefield. Then out of the blue, someone walks up to you and says, “I prayed for you today, that you would keep us safe and be free of corruption.” Wow, that was weird.
Then someone else comes up and says, “I prayed for you today, that you would help our people to live quiet lives of godliness and dignity.” Now you’re feeling strange. Later on, a third person walks up and says, “I’ve been praying for you and praying for you because you’re in a position of authority. In fact, I read the council minutes whenever I can so I’ll know better how to pray, and last week you said you needed help with something that I know how to do. Would you let me help? I don’t want any compensation or recognition. I just want to help.
How would that make you feel? Would a day like that make you re-evaluate your opinion of the church? Would a day like that make you a better politician? Let’s find out.
If You Could Address a Senate, What Would You Say?
See that big aisle down the middle? You get in trouble if you walk there. They cut off your thumbs or something. Original Work "Michigan Capitol" by CedarBendDrive
Last week, Senator Patty Birkholz invited me to offer the invocation for the State Senate of Michigan. Here’s what I said. Think you could do better?
Creator God,
We stand united at the start of a new day to give you thanks and ask your guidance. In this moment there is no distinction between Democrat, Republican, or Independent. There is only us, and you. So together we ask for sharp ears, to hear the voices of those we serve, not just the ones who got us elected. Open our lips to speak for those who have no voice. Give us clear eyes to see the solutions hiding behind our current problems. Guide our feet toward common ground and strengthen our hands for the work of reaching it. Embolden our hearts to choose what is right over what is popular, what is good over what is easy, and what is true over what is expedient. We place our whole selves in your care, heart and mind, body and spirit, that as we start our work we might remember who we serve. We ask this in your mighty name, and I ask it in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen
Highlights:
- When the Lieutenant Governor scolded the senate for making too much noise. The first time, it didn’t stick. So he waits a few minutes, until they’re talking so loud I literally cannot hear the guy trying to introduce the next piece of legislation. Then he slams his gavel on the desk, scolds them like a bunch of rowdy kids, and threatens to have all their staffers removed so that they won’t have anyone to talk to. That one stuck. Suddenly, the entire senate is bending over and whispering, passing notes. It felt like 7th grade!
- When a Senator spoke in support of a bill that would require that stimulus jobs be awarded to local companies. “If you’re going to spend money like a drunken sailor, at least spend it on Michigan workers.”
Surprises
- They actually have a lobby full of lobbyists! There’s a checkpoint beyond which they cannot pass, so they just kind of mill around in the lobby sending in notes and grabbing people by the arm as they walk by. I think we should move the checkpoint to the front door, then we could call them front-porchists, or maybe yardistas.
- The Senators seem to live in perpetual fear of the press. Maybe that’s too strong. Perpetual awareness. The press get a box in the chamber itself, so any gaffe is fodder for the front page. It’s 2am, budget crunch time, and you’re in severe sleep dep mode? Don’t you dare nod off, or tomorrow’s coverage will all be about the Senator who sleeps while Michigan burns. I suppose that’s better than kicking them out in the lobby too, but it must be wearing on the psyche after awhile. I sure wouldn’t want to live that way.
Thanks to Senator Birkholz for inviting me, and for being such a gracious host. It was obvious that she was very busy, but she never let that show in relation to me. She explained the arcane mysteries of Senate protocol, introduced me to everyone as “my pastor, Rob Brink, from the Congregational Church in Saugatuck”, and kept me in the loop on the progress of the work on the floor. She even let me tag along on a lunch meeting with the Michigan State University Agricultural Extension program. (Free food, new contacts, and I learned stuff. Win win win!)
Favorite moment? When she showed me the “big board” that listed every Senator’s name. I watched as it updated in real time, changing the color of each name and showing the totals at the top. “Green is for. Red is against. Everyone votes,” she said. Then she punched a button with her thumb, and as she watched “BIRKHOLZ”turn green, a little smile touched the corner of her lips. “I like the discipline of it. You have to take a stand.”
Best moment of the inauguration
Transcript courtesy Federal News Service
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand — true to thee, O God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we’ve shared this day. We pray now, O Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national and, indeed, the global fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hand, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you’re able and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor or the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little, angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love.
Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around — (laughter) — when yellow will be mellow — (laughter) — when the red man can get ahead, man — (laughter) — and when white will embrace what is right.
Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.
AUDIENCE: Amen!
REV. LOWERY: Say amen –
AUDIENCE: Amen!
REV. LOWERY: — and amen.
AUDIENCE: Amen! (Cheers, applause.)
END.
