Sincere Prayer, a sermon

Sincere Prayer, a sermon delivered October 28, 2007

Luke 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying. The moral of the story is clearly stated at the end. He tells us the humbled will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled. So, what else is there to talk about? If it were that easy, however, I’m not sure Jesus would have to tell us a parable to get the message across. So, maybe looking from a different angle might help us struggle for deeper meanings into this story Jesus told. To help us with that, let me tell you a different story.
Two men went inside a church to pray, one a minister and the other a drug dealer. The minister, standing right before the cross, prayed for the blessings he and his church received, for the financial and charitable giving of the church’s members, the new addition to their building and the great work being done there. The drug dealer, at the back of the sanctuary, with bowed head, clutched his chest and whispered “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
How does that change the parable for you? I know that for me, putting it into a modern day context drastically changes the way I feel about the text. In Jesus’ story, the Pharisees were not priests, but they were teachers and leaders in following the traditions of the Hebrew faith. They desired to bring the Tanakh, the Hebrew scriptures to the people, so they could listen and interpret together. They wished to take the word of God seriously and follow it with eager hearts. In those ways, they emulate many of the same traits the contemporary Christian ministers do. There are several modern examples of how a tax collector would be treated today. I chose one that I know challenges my own biases: a drug dealer. The tax-collector was not your friendly IRS agent, he was a henchman for the Roman Empire. He was not just a non-holy person, but an unclean person, a despised sinner of their world who disobeys God. I imagine that while not identical, the drug dealer of today’s world and tax collector of their world, might have some things in common. Because in my mind, whether it’s fair or not, a drug dealer is not a victim, but someone who takes advantage of other people. So, it’s hard for me to imagine a drug dealer desiring forgiveness and mercy from God, let alone God granting it so readily. If it weren’t for the words of Jesus here and in other stories, I’m not sure I would think it’s possible. But Jesus not only tells us it is possible, but that God prefers the type of prayer the tax collector made.
Jesus says that just because I am a “good” person, just because I am NOT like “them”, the thieves, rogues, adulterers, tax-collectors… or drug dealers… does not mean I am favored in the eyes of God. Attending church every week does not a good prayer make.
Not only that, through this parable, he tells us that saying a prayer is not the same as meaning the prayer. He’s not saying that all prayers of blessing and thanksgiving are unheard by God. God does hear our praises and thanks. He’s saying that the Pharisee was not truly open to the voice and presence of God. Notice, Jesus describes the tax collector’s prayer in detail, saying he “would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast” while all he says of the Pharisee is that he “was standing by himself”. Perhaps there was nothing of note to the Pharisee’s emotional expression, though by his smug words, I can imagine all kinds of arrogant postures. But Jesus demonstrated the tax collector’s vulnerability and openness to God, even though he probably wasn’t even sure if God would listen. I’m not sure I can I imagine what a tax collector’s life would have been like back then… I’m not even sure I really can imagine a drug dealer’s life today, for that matter. But I would imagine that in their lives there may be types of pain and suffering I’ve never experienced. To lay oneself before a God I wasn’t even sure existed, let alone could see me, if I was that drug dealer, I’m not sure I could take such a risk and be so vulnerable as to pray for mercy.
At every worship here in the chapel, we say a prayer of confession, admitting to God that we have faults. We also say prayers of petition for others, prayers of healing, prayers of thanksgiving. How do we keep ourselves from being like that Pharisee and praying an empty prayer? How do we “keep it real” with God? The gospel text says that we should remain humble and not “exalt ourselves” over others or think we are so righteous. But how do we do that?
Different Christian traditions respond differently on how to “keep it real” with God. Some practices, such as centering prayer or labyrinths encourage “emptying our minds” and opening ourselves to God that way. Others feel that too much ritual impedes true communion with God and rely heavily upon spontaneous extemporaneous prayer. Both of these styles, while on the outside appearing very different, are attempting to do the same thing, evoke emotion, or perhaps evoke the Holy Spirit or even bring us to that mountaintop experience. These styles of prayer tell us to not be passive in our prayers, but to actively expose our true selves to God.
There are dozens more styles of prayer out there. In fact, for every person alive, there are that many approaches or more. How do you connect to God? When do you find yourself opening to God’s presence? Some people set up disciplines for themselves, but others don’t. It can happen during church services. I know that for me, often I feel that openness right after receiving communion. The story of Jesus moves me to feel humble and grateful and desiring God’s loving forgiveness. Other times, I just cry out for God. Although the accident was almost 10 years ago, I remember with vivid detail the milliseconds I felt my car spinning and hitting one guard rail and spinning and hitting the opposite guardrail. All I cried out was “Oh God! Oh God!” with such desperation and fear. But when I did, I felt God’s presence. At the time, I still didn’t know if I would live or die, but I knew God was with me and my fear diminished for those few moments. We don’t always feel such clear responses from God, but sometimes just risking the question, the petition is the first step towards our own journey of healing and keeping it real with God.
We in today’s society are just as guilty of thinking the prayers of a minister hold more weight than the average joe, and most especially that of a drug dealer. We trust that just by the position a minister holds, the prayers have more power. But what Jesus tells us in this parable is that in a prayer to God, it does not matter what position you hold in society, what matters is the depth of sincerity and honesty in your prayer. As we sit here in chapel today, or watching in your rooms, we participate in rituals and forms of prayer that encourage us to connect to God. I invite you to see this worship as an opportunity to open yourself to God. I also invite you to find what best suits you to be sincere and honest in your attempt to connect with God. May we continue to learn and grow through the reading and contemplation of this and other gospel readings. Amen.