Means of Grace – Prayer

Acts 1:1-14, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 4

A Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Broken Human Being.
The Grace of Jesus
Love of God
Power of the Holy Spirit.

And a Method:

Mix them all together like this:

Do no harm.
Do good.
Do worship
    Prayer
    Scripture
    Communion

Result:

A whole, and holy human being.

The Baker:

God

Revision

Over the past few weeks at Paarl Methodist we've been running a course of sermons entitled "Confirmation for Everybody". 

I thought we could use a little refresher course.

*  *  *

In the first week we looked at the question:  How are we saved?  We realised that Jesus saves us by grace, through faith.

In the second we asked what are we saved from and for.  We are saved to live the full life that Jesus has promised us.  Re-united with God, with ourselves, with others and the whole environment of which we are a part.

We are saved to bring the Kingdom of God, to literally change the world.

*  *  *

In the third week we looked at this community of God's grace in which we are included as Christians – the Church.  I used the metaphor of dancing to music – as we learn together to dance / to live according to God's music.  It's no fun on your own.

Then we spoke about the Holy Spirit – the one who gives us the power to be what we are called to be, enabling us to experience God – and empowering us to do the work of God in the world.

*  *  *

We've covered some of the basics of the faith.  Who God is, and how we respond to that God.

At this point we get to the part that really should make us recognisable as Methodists.

The 'Means of Grace'

Methodists aren't 'most famous' for the specifics of their belief or doctrine, in fact, John Wesley – the founder of Methodism said of our denomination – or group of Christians:

'There is no other religious society under heaven which requires nothing of men [sic] in order to their admission into it but a desire to save their souls...  The Methodists alone do not insist on your holding this or that opinion, but they think and let think.'

– John Wesley, 1788

*  *  *

We are Christians. 

Our Method is called Methodism.

Method

In any good recipe you have a planned outcome – a loaf of bread or maybe a chocolate cake.

You have ingredients.  Stuff that has enormous potential – but often tastes awful on its own – like flour.

And a Method, which is the way we combine the ingredients in order to produce the end result.

*  *  *

Our planned outcome – is that we should be what we were originally created to be.

Created Good.  In the image of God.

The best example of what that looks like - that we have – is Jesus (Heb 1:3).

"…the exact imprint of God's very being…"

– Hebrews 1:3

In contrast to this Jesus – who is the 'exact imprint of God's very being' we are not quite what we should be.

Paul reminds us that:

"…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;"

– Romans 3:23

We've fallen short, we've chosen not to live as we were created to live.  And we need to be restored.

*  *  *

As much as people sometimes struggle with Christianity – as much as there is opposition to the faith – I am sure that few would complain if there were more 'Jesus shaped' people around.

*  *  *

Like dough that needs to be kneaded and punched and rolled and mixed in order to make a good loaf of bread (Dale will tell you more about that one day) – we people – raw ingredients that we are, need to allow the baker (in this case God) to work on us.  And sometimes, that involves us working alongside him – the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Cor 9:24, the image of an athlete who works at their craft – just as we have to work at being Christian.

*  *  *

And so we have an outcome:  A Whole person, restored to what God originally intended.

Our ingredients:  Broken people like us.

And a Method.

1 – Prayer
2 – Searching the Scriptures
3 – Partaking in Holy Communion

Now – we can not limit God to working just in these few ways.  God – we believe – can use anything to work in us for our transformation.  Some times it might be a trained therapist.  Maybe a movie, maybe a moment on top of a mountain alone.

God – being God – is not limited.

But these 'means' these methods, prayer, scripture, and communion, are a special gift to us – a divinely ordained opportunity for us to take, and use in order that we can become more like Jesus.

*  *  *

For the next 3 weeks we look at these three mean's of grace, these three different ways in which God works out his way in us:

Prayer, Reading the Bible and Holy Communion.

And today – we begin with a few words about Prayer as a means of God's grace, and how we can use it the way God intends us to.

Prayer

None of us like to hear the phone ring late at night or early in the morning.  It normally means that something has gone wrong.

When we get bad news, when we are shocked and frightened – I think we say our most sincere prayer:

"Oh God!"

Sometimes – the words we say – shouldn't be repeated in church.

Sometimes our prayer doesn't even make it as far as words. 

Its just tears, a groan, a thought – anguish, just that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach.

I am sure that these honest, desperate prayers are the prayers most well heard by the God whose love responds to our needs; who loves us like a parent.

Paul tells us that:

"…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

– Romans 8:26 (NIV)

*  *  *

On Thursday morning we got a call like that, Heather's dad was sick in hospital.  As soon as it was decent to contact other people I did – to say we needed prayers.

Not that all would get better.  Not that the crisis would go away.  But that in that crisis we would have the strength, certainty, knowledge – of people whose most loving God, sovereign of the universe was with them and keeping them in that moment.

The knowledge that even though things might not go our way – we would still be OK.  Knowing that everything is in God's hands.

I believe God answered our prayers – Heather's dad is doing much better, and we had all the emotional resources we needed for the crisis.

*  *  *

Most of us only pray in times of Crisis.

I know that God loves us 'Crisis Christians' just as much as any other, but as powerful and as gracious as God is to answer those prayers.  If they are the only prayers we pray – we will miss out on the greater miracle.

*  *  *

The miracle of our being transformed daily into the people that God created us to be. 

The miracle of a world transformed by that grace.  Filled with people who reflect Jesus in the way they love and behave.

Imagine that world:  No one would go hungry or die of starvation, because every one would have compassion and live generously.

In that world there would be no corruption in government or among those in power.

In that world our families wouldn't suffer the brokenness that they so often do because of our own stubborn selfishness.

In that world humanity would no longer be the victims of the selfish greed that we have nurtured. 

Instead – we would see the Kingdom of God.

The real point…

And that is the real point of Christian prayer.  Not that God would do stuff for us (although God often does bless us in ways we don't deserve).  But that God would transform us, discipline us, strengthen us, enable us to be more like Jesus.

We should allow prayer to be a 'means of grace' in which God transforms us into the people that we are created to be.

*  *  *

One example Jesus offers us of this prayer is in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector; the Tax Collector prays, beating his breast saying a simple and humble prayer:

"God be merciful to me a sinner!"

- Luke 18:14

Jesus tells us that the tax collector 'went down to his home justified.'  He was made right, and made right with God.

The word 'justified' is a legal term – it means that the tax collectors offenses are forgiven and his relationship with the complainent – the one who had a case against him, in this case – God – is restored.

But the word can also speak about being repaired – or fixed.

The tax collector goes home a whole human being, restored to what God created him to be.

*  *  *

Jesus shows us that that is the point of our prayer.  Our own transformation.  Our own restoration.  Not the meeting of our needs in a moment of crisis.

And that inwardly transformed person – is empowered to change the world.

Ascension Day

Today is Ascension Sunday – on this day we pay attention to Jesus ascension into heaven – knowing that not only did Jesus die and Rise again, but he also ascended into heaven to take up his seat on the throne at the right hand of God.

But before he ascended he reminded his disciples: 

"…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

- Acts 1:8

After that the disiciples and others constantly devoted themselves to prayer, in preparation for the work that they were about to do.

A small group of people who in prayer allowed themselves to be transformed into the world changing community that they became.

It is my prayer that our prayer, worship, service of Christ would no longer be about ourselves, but would become our service to the world in Jesus name.

Then I believe we will begin to see the Kingdom of God in this place.

Amen.