C3/CCC Sermon Transcript for December 16, 2007 During the week I had a thought that struck me with new clarity. The Christmas story is the mirror image of the passion story. The birth story speaks of the excitement of new birth and possibility while shadowed with the danger of death and anxiety. The passion story suggests that in the midst of death and anxiety, there is the shadow of new birth and possibility. And so, the Christmas story moves us full circle. That is the nature of life. In the midst of life we are shadowed by death, and in our deaths we are shadowed by the possibility of new starts, and a fresh possibility of rebirth. Those of you who are parents and grandparents will understand this pattern and conflict. Who amongst you hasn’t at some point, when surrounded by birth, even the birth of your own child, been almost paralyzed with fear at what will come for that child? Who amongst you as parents and grandparents hasn’t wanted to wrap your child in a bubble of protection and control, to ensure that nothing happens to them that will harm them? Whether you are a parent or not, at some point haven’t you wanted to wrap your inner child in bubble wrap, and protect that inner child from any harm? When you come to those moments, the journey into the conflict between life and death, control and freedom is a form of prayer. Even if it is the wordless groans of an unknown sense offered to an unnamed source. It’s a prayer. It’s surrender to the unknown. You seek something greater than yourself, a sense of joy greater than the grief, a sense of purpose greater than the confusion. Prayer as Life Insurance Policy There is a long history in Christianity of prayer that expects the patterns of life to be overturned, expects to defy nature’s laws. It’s no wonder there are so many faith crises as a result of unanswered prayer. Prayer should rather be considered the struggle to find harmony with the patterns of life, death and rebirth that move in unfamiliar and strange, unpredictable patterns. You never know when death will strike, and similarly, you never know when new possibility will emerge. Prayer in the Christian tradition has become something superficial and far too specific, as if we might persuade an external force, an interventionist God to change the circumstances of life, alter the patterns of nature, and defy all laws of physics in order for us to get what we want out of life. That’s just not the way life works. It’s never what prayer was intended to be. Prayer as it has evolved in the Christian tradition has been much like Homer Simpson, running for his life away from a charging rhinoceros who wants to tear him apart, cries out at the very last gasp of hope, “Jesus, Allah, Buddha, I love you all!” Prayer isn’t a life insurance policy, nor is it a way of seeking selfish gain. Consider this parable from Kahlil Gibran, who you may recall is a Sufi author who wrote The Prophet. The Wise Dog One day there passed by a company of cats, a wise dog. And as he came near and saw that they were very intent and heeded Then there arose in the midst of the company a large, grave cat and And when the dog heard this he laughed in his heart and turned from I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it kind of resonates with me. The cats are praying for what they want, and what they see is mice, and what the dog sees is bones. Maybe the dog sees bones in the cats, who knows? Prayer loses much meaning when it is all about praying to an interventionist, external God. Having said that, I am not ready to give up on prayer. The Origins of Prayer So let’s take a journey back to the origins of prayer. The Christian notion of prayer was inherited from Hebrew culture. It’s important to understand that in Hebrew culture prayer was very precious and was offered only by a very few in the most special of places; in the holy of holies- an elaborate, cubic temple, ornate and designed specifically for the purpose. The room contained the wisdom and secrets of the tradition. As he moved from holy into the holy of holies, separated only by a thin curtain, there, once a year, the highest of priests would come to say prayers on behalf of all the people surrounded by the Ark of the Covenant. When John’s Gospel declares that the word of God has become flesh and tabernacled amongst people, something very revolutionary is taking place. Now John tells us, and we learn it again in the birth story of Jesus, this holy of holies now resides within. There is a space within every one of you that is the holy of holies, and life is a process of searching and going deeper into this place, this realm, this quiet centre. The revolution is that you have access to the holy of holies any time you want. You don’t need someone else to go there for you because you can go there yourself. The wonderful revolution of the Christian story, borrowing from the Hebrew notion of prayer, is that you can pray any time in any way about anything, simply by taking an inner journey. I want to offer you a comprehensive perspective on prayer that is prayer within, between, and beyond. I hope that in offering this to you that it might deepen and make more profound your prayer experience. Prayer Within There is a beautiful story that comes out of the Hindu tradition; it’s a parable of two birds. Sitting on one tree, a tree full of fruit, are two birds. One bird is sitting high up in the tree just watching, in a state of bliss. The other bird is lower down in the tree, eating the fruits; sometimes eating sweet fruit, sometimes eating tart fruit, but eating nevertheless. This is the bird that eats, loves, fears, flies and fights. The first bird’s job is simply to watch the bird of appetite. This one just watches without judgment everything that comes and goes around it. It’s a parable about two natures. One nature is the watcher, who sees everything and is undisturbed by any of it. This one is unmoved by the patterns of life, at peace with self and the world. The other nature feels grief and joy intermittently, experiences pain and pleasure, gets lost and seeks answers. One way to understand prayer within is that within each of us it is as if there are two birds. The two birds resonate with the two birds in the parable. One is the watcher, just taking it all in, and the other is the one who moves with the ebb and flow of life. I’ve never been one to hold my hands together when I pray, but the thought struck me during the week that, in a sense, the hands together are like the two birds. The two birds come together, the watcher and the one who experiences life in all of its raw earthiness. Two hands coming together. Prayer within is the dialog that takes place between the one who experiences and the one who simply watches, who is unaffected by life, who is not tossed and turned by the circumstances and the changes of life, but simply watches. Consider the hands together as a symbol of the harmony that you can experience within in the midst of the turmoil and confusion. Prayer Between Prayer takes place in our relationships and our relationship with the world as well. There is a Jewish story about a group of students who come to their Rabbi and ask, “When will we know that it is morning time, so we will know to begin our morning prayers? Is it when we see a shape in the distance, and know that the shape is a dog or a sheep?” The Rabbi says, “No, that’s not when you will know.” They ask, “Will it be when we see a shape and know it is a fig tree and not a pear tree?” The Rabbi says, “No, that’s not when you will know.” They ask, “Well, tell us Rebbi. When will we know that it is morning time?” The Rabbi says, “When you see into the face of your fellow human beings and know that they are brothers and sisters, then it is morning time. Then you can begin your prayers. Until then it is still night time.” Prayer between; the ability to see into the other’s face, divine wisdom. Prayer is the ability for one soul to touch another, and connect. Someone sent me a story during the week. It is a wonderful illustration of prayer between. It’s also an interesting take on answered prayer: A four-year old girl named Meredith had a dog named Abbey who was 14 years old, and died. As you can imagine, Meredith was distraught. She missed Abbey so much that she asked her mom if she could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven God would recognize the dog. Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith They put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven, and put their return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the mailbox at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. Her mother told her that she thought God had. A few days later there was a package wrapped in gold paper on the front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter she had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am wherever there is love. Love, God Some very kind-hearted postal worker intercepted the letter and decided to create a miracle for this young girl. What a beautiful story about answered prayer. Prayer between, where you have the ability to be divine miracles for each other. You are the answered prayers of those around you. Prayer Beyond Prayer is mystery. Prayer is surrender to the unknown. There has been a lot of work done by scientists who have tried to draw a connection between science and the effectiveness of prayer. Most of this science has fallen into two general categories.
The first type of science has yielded little fruit. Results sway back and forth amidst a host of problematic methodology. The results of one of the most recent major studies on intercessory prayer, funded by a $2.4 million grant from the Templeton Foundation, were published in March 2006. The study monitored the recovery of 1,800 patients after heart bypass surgery in the US, and failed to establish any scientific connection between prayer and healing power. However the second type of science has been fruitful. It seems to have highlighted a lessening of activity in the human brain when someone is in prayer or meditation; the brain slows down. A person who is experienced in meditation is able to dwell longer in their right brain, where they get the larger picture of life, where they can get a sense of the mystery of life. Where they can get a sense of that something “greater than” that we all long for. The person in prayer is able to gain a sense of perspective and clarity. That’s profound. That, in itself, is reason to spend longer in intentional prayer or meditation. Prayer beyond is wordless utterances to an unnamed source, speaking of mysterious connectedness and peace. Prayer beyond is resting in the silence and clarity of life. My prayer for you is that you might have a deeper prayer life, one that exists within, because what resides within you is nothing less than the tabernacle of God; mansion within miraculous mansion, of secrets, divine mysteries. I want to encourage you to have a stronger prayer life between where you can be the answer to prayer for other people. I want to invite you to take a step into the unknown and to move into the silence of life, dwell in mystery, dwell in not knowing. My Prayer for You If prayer was magic, I know what I would pray: Let life be kind to all people, especially those who are most desperate. If prayer was magic, that’s what I’d pray. But prayer isn’t magic, and life is hard. So instead, this is my prayer: May you be kind to all people, especially those who are most desperate. Prayer isn’t magic, but your life creates magic that can fill the world with wonder and gratitude
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