Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/holytrinitysyracuse/sermons/101820/what-prayer-is-and-what-it-isnt-week-5/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] It's a good thing to announce. Yes. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Assist us mercifully with your grace, Lord God of our salvation, Amen.

[0:33] Amen. Before we begin tonight, I'm going to ask Raymond to give an announcement. Would you please do that, please? Sure. Start. This is the last Wednesday night when we are preempting our men's and women's Wednesday night prayer groups.

[0:51] So next week we will go back to that schedule. But a bunch of us have gotten together and suggested that maybe we might go to the movies for everybody to see the movie unplanned.

[1:04] Now, we've got a plan for unplanned. Pat and I went to see it. It was worth seeing a second time. It's really good.

[1:15] And so it is, the movie is only scheduled through Tuesday night. And I'm a little concerned that they're going to cancel out. So we'll do it Tuesday night instead of Wednesday night.

[1:29] And it's not a carousel. It's out at Shopping Town the West. And it's at 7.20 in the evening. So if you're interested in doing that, 7.20 in the evening we'll meet sometime, like out there shortly before then.

[1:47] And then we'll go to the movie. More details for filming? Pardon me? More details for filming? No, we've just heard all the details. No, it's at 7.20. It's at 7.20 at Shopping Town the West.

[1:58] And we'll meet, you know, I don't know, the movie before then, right out there. It's Tuesday night, Tuesday the 23rd. And I can't think of another detail except you've got to buy a real popcorn.

[2:12] Okay. Yeah, whatever the movie, whatever movie's hot these days. It's fine. It was hacks. We went to see it and it is absolutely fabulous.

[2:23] It's a fabulous pro-life film. It's a true story. And it's absolutely terrific. So we'll be doing the men's and the women's Bible study on Tuesday night next week instead of Wednesday night.

[2:39] We'll be going to the movie. And this is a parish event, parish-wide event rather than men's and women's. Anybody, anybody can see it. So we strongly encourage our deacon to take this hour and 20-minute long journey in order to go to the movies.

[2:55] Thank you very much, Ray Deacon. We're not getting back from the dead yet. Okay. Okay. Testimony time. Did anybody see Jesus at work this week?

[3:14] Since the fall, I've been thinking about moving. And God came to me to move to Nod Hill because there's a lot of Chinese who live there.

[3:24] It would be a lot easier to. I see them have access and so on. And over the course of months, I've become increasingly dissatisfied with living in the slums of outer Comstock.

[3:41] For a variety of reasons. So the time has come. Well, I have friends who live up there, a couple.

[3:53] They are members in Chapa. And they are expecting a child in the fall. They have a one-bedroom apartment. And they are moving out of that the end of June.

[4:13] My lease ends the end of July. I wanted a south-facing apartment because I like sunshine in the wintertime if we ever get it.

[4:26] It's just winter. It's when we get it. And they have a south-facing apartment. So I looked at the apartment with some finagling.

[4:41] I can fit most things in there. So I went to the lease office today without an appointment to see about seeing them at some point regarding it and the woman who's in charge.

[5:04] Well, I actually got in to see her this morning. And she spent quite a bit. At first, she was just going to make an appointment.

[5:15] I come back. I must have been there for 20, 30 minutes talking about the whole thing. And then she looked up the price of the apartment on the computer.

[5:30] What would be the current price? Now, I pay $6.45 a month at Vincent's plus electricity.

[5:42] And my friends currently pay, I think, something like $7.45 or so for the apartment. And she looked at the computer and said, this is a really good price.

[5:56] And then, finally, she told me what it was. And I had a choice of 6 months, 12 months, or 18 months. And the longer you're there, the lower the price.

[6:09] Oh, wow. So I chose the 18 month, and the price is $6.85 a month. Wow.

[6:20] Wow. So it's locked in for two days, although she did offer to, she said she offered to somebody else, but she doesn't remember who.

[6:32] She does have my name. So I have until Friday to get everything in that I need to get in to lock it in at that rate. Because it could go up in the meantime.

[6:46] It could go up from day to day. I just walked away because I figured it would cost me at least $100 more than I'm paying now for rent.

[6:58] At least, if not more. And, well, I'll tell you the rest of the story after Friday. Thank you.

[7:09] Thank you. Is the Lord interested in where we live? Do you think he really cares? Yes. Yes. Yes. It's strategic. Ellie.

[7:22] What did the doctor tell you two days ago? There is no cancer. Yay. Thank you.

[7:35] Does the Lord care about our cancer or not? Yes. He wants to kick it out. Kick it out. You know, our dear sister Marion went into surgery for her broken hip this past week.

[7:55] And I was really just struck by the witness, you know, the degree of faith and peace she went into that with. It's clearly, you know, God's work in her.

[8:10] Praise God. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right.

[8:21] So we're going to go through Holy Week tonight. And we're going to see each day Jesus in Jerusalem and environs with the idea of learning about prayer from him.

[8:36] You know, the four Gospels, all four inspired by the Holy Spirit, each one gives a little slant on Holy Week.

[8:50] For instance, the only Gospel of the four that counts every day in Holy Week is Mark. Mark doesn't spend a lot of time sort of copying what Jesus said.

[9:04] But he spends every day showing what Jesus did. And Chris, we're talking about how we've seen the Lord in action this week.

[9:15] Tell us. Well, we've been in an over two-month battle getting thrown out of the public space in the legislative office building.

[9:27] And last night, right before an investigative article was come out by the New York Post, the Senate Democrat majority had a change of mind.

[9:38] And suddenly, the group that had been put in our space instead no longer needed it. And we were welcome to come back. Praise God. And that's next Wednesday.

[9:51] Two Wednesdays. Oh, right. Two Wednesdays. And Bishop Love is going to be the speaker for one of the speakers. That's great. Thank you. Okay, so Mark lists carefully every day of Holy Week.

[10:09] Matthew is not an everyday kind of a guy. And so he lists important days, particularly teachings of Jesus.

[10:21] So he skips a couple of days. He just, it's not a problem. He just lumps it all together. That's fine. He can do that. He's writing under the power of the Holy Spirit.

[10:33] Luke spends even less time delineating days. His slant is to show us Jesus doing in the religious leaders.

[10:45] Remember the woe to you, whitewashed tombs? Okay. Luke is very careful to get all that in. So that we know that Jesus, in a sense, was inciting the religious leaders to come after him.

[11:03] Okay. And then John, John goes from triumphal entry on Sunday to Last Supper. There's no interest at all in what happened during the week.

[11:16] He wants us to know how Jesus got there and what happened to Jesus. And how it affected his folks.

[11:28] So, we're going to use a little bit of each one of those Gospels this week. And we're going to start out with Sunday. Palm Sunday. I believe you had Palm Sunday here, didn't you?

[11:40] Yeah. Who was preaching? Did you say anything about the donkey? I didn't. You didn't. All right. Well, I'm going to talk about the donkey. Okay. All right. I didn't want to steal your material.

[11:51] Thank you. Have you ever read or wondered about how this donkey got into the action? Jesus said, go downtown, get a donkey, and bring it back.

[12:07] And one of the apostles says, well, what if they see me? And Jesus said, tell them the Lord needs it, we'll bring it back.

[12:20] And that's what happened. They went and they got the donkey. In one of the gospel that says, the donkey and the, how do you say that? The foal. The baby.

[12:30] The foal. Yeah. Anyway, they say to the apostles, why are you taking my donkey? And he said, the Lord needs it and he'll bring it back.

[12:47] Jesus was not a thief. He either had that worked out financially beforehand or he just chose to do it.

[13:00] And unbelievable. I mean, if somebody you didn't know came and got in your car and you say, why are you taking my car? The Lord needs it and he'll bring it back.

[13:11] What do you think? What are you going to do? Right. So God had to work on their hearts, didn't he? Yeah. Okay. So some things happen in the triumphal entry that have to do with prayer.

[13:25] And I'm going to look up Luke chapter 19. And I'm going to read 41 through 44.

[13:42] And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. Saying, would that you, even you had known on this day, the things that make for peace.

[13:56] But now they are hidden from your eyes. Is that a prayer?

[14:11] Is that a prayer? Is that a prayer?

[14:24] Is that a prayer? No. What is it? Prophecy. It's a prophecy. Now, Marty has a gift of prophecy.

[14:34] Where is Marty? Yes. Yeah. And she's very good as a servant too. The Lord has never said through her a prophecy to us like that.

[14:48] Aren't we happy? Yeah. But what happens, the teaching here, is that we sometimes get carried away in who to whom we pray.

[15:01] Okay. Okay. And those of us that were brought up with being really good friends with Mary. It almost sounds like we're praying to Mary, doesn't it?

[15:15] But we're really not. We don't pray to saints. We don't pray to Mary. We don't pray to Uncle Fred. We pray to God only. Prophecy is a whole different deal.

[15:27] But Jesus could have been praying to Jerusalem. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets. No, that was not a prayer.

[15:38] That was a prophecy. Prayer, prophecy. Prayer also is hearing God through my lips tell the truth.

[15:51] And so when we pray, we're always listening for what God might have for us. In the midst of our prayer. Okay.

[16:03] And then, turning over to John chapter 12. I'm going to read verses 27 through 30.

[16:15] Now, Jesus speaking. Now, is my soul troubled? And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour.

[16:28] But for this purpose I have come into this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven. I have glorified it.

[16:39] And I will glorify it again. Did you know that God spoke from the cloud on Holy Week? A lot of us never thought about that.

[16:52] Okay. Dialogue. Now, there's a classic example of dialogue in prayer. Jesus speaks to his father. His father speaks back. He spoke out loud.

[17:05] Everybody heard it. And they went, what is that? Okay. Now, how many of you have ever sensed God speaking back to you? If you have, raise your hand.

[17:16] I'd like to hear about that. Okay. This young man here. Tell us about that. I'm trying to think of a particular example.

[17:28] Okay. I should have said that. If you've ever felt God speaking back to you, and give us a particular example. And we'll come back to you, Rector. All right. All right.

[17:38] Anybody have a hand up that they'd like to give a specific example? Boom. Yes. Well, this is not a light one.

[17:48] This is a heavy one. But I'm going to say it anyway because it was very, God speaking to me, it was super clear. So, my second child was involved in an abusive relationship with a man who also owned guns.

[18:05] And I knew things weren't right. And I asked God on my knees crying to speak to me. And I begged him to save her.

[18:18] And he said as clear as day, I will save Lucy from this man. I will save Lucy from this man. It took three and a half years.

[18:31] But I clung to that statement. Easy. And he did. Praise God. Thank you. Well, I think some of you have heard this story before, but I'm going to repeat it.

[18:45] It's how we got here to Syracuse in the first place. I was on a, we were in Virginia. I was on a retreat with a bunch of, it was a women's retreat.

[18:59] And a lot of my friends were on it with me. And one of the questions on the retreat, of course, which is on most retreats, is what do you want to, what do you want to receive from this, from this retreat?

[19:19] Or what do you want to receive from God on this retreat? Right. And my answer was, I'd like to know what we do next.

[19:32] Because Dave had been in Virginia as an interim rector for two years. And we had stayed beyond our two years. And we were just kind of floundering.

[19:45] We weren't sure what we were supposed to be doing anymore. And so... I was still making parish visitations. But as far as day-to-day ministry was, was not there.

[19:59] Right. And so, I was praying about it during the retreat. And I heard very, very loud and very, very clear, you need to move.

[20:16] So, I said, okay. And I knew that was from God. So, I went home.

[20:27] And I told Dave, we need, God says we need to move. And he said, okay, where? And he said, and I said, well, he didn't tell me that.

[20:38] So, we were going through the different places. We were thinking about would we want to move back into our house in Mechanicville.

[20:53] And we decided we didn't want to crowd out Laurel and Allison. And we did not, we couldn't stay in Virginia.

[21:04] Neither of us wanted to live in Florida permanently. We didn't want to be that far away from our children and grandchildren. And so, Dave said, well, what about Syracuse?

[21:18] And I said, Syracuse? Nobody moves to Syracuse. And I said, are you serious? That's the snowiest city in the U.S.

[21:31] And he said, wouldn't it be fun to watch Natalie grow up and to help Sarah and Matt with Natalie?

[21:42] And I said, well, you know, yeah. And we had done that without Laurel and Allison. We had done a whole lot of babysitting for Allison.

[21:52] And by the time we left New York, Allison was 13. So, she really didn't need us 24-7 there anymore. So, we felt comfortable about leaving when we did.

[22:09] So, I said, okay. But he said, but we will go to Florida for three months in the winter. I said that, not God.

[22:19] Right. So, that's actually how we got to Syracuse. And little did we know that after we got here, Sarah got pregnant with Amelia.

[22:35] And then Amelia has turned out to be a special needs child. So, they need a lot of extra help. So, that's how we got here.

[22:45] God brought us here. Yep. God's speaking to you. Thank you. Anybody else? Yes. Yes. Yes. When I was studying for the Deacadent, in my second year, the studies were overwhelming.

[23:03] But at the end of your second year, you take a discernment retreat. Is this what I'm supposed to do? Do I continue? Well, I had been praying to God to tell me to get out.

[23:16] Because it was overwhelming. It was a lot of work. I'm done a full-time job. I had little kids. And the guy I was working with at the time, we went out to lunch.

[23:27] We went to Columbus Circle downtown. We were eating lunch. And all of a sudden, it started pouring. So, we ran back. And we were outside still, but over a ledge.

[23:38] And he knew I was studying, but he didn't know anything about it. And he said to me, he said, why are you doing this? Why are you doing this?

[23:49] And this was the day, Friday, you were supposed to go away. And it caused me to examine. It had nothing to do with the study. That there was a real purpose involved.

[24:02] And I think God proposed through that person to help me to re-examine my direction. Because I had been caught up in his studies. Yep.

[24:12] Rather than to find out. Sometimes God imprints words on our mind. Sometimes he speaks through circumstances. Sometimes he speaks through other people.

[24:25] Jim. For me, it was imprinting on my mind. I had wanted to move into the city for three years. And each year, Todd said no. Well, the final year, 2015, I was determined to move into the city.

[24:40] And so I worked on it month after month, in spite of the fact that he kept saying no. And I even went to the point of putting a security deposit in at Vincent Apartments.

[24:56] When I was going to do that, the manager said to me, are you sure you want to rent this apartment? I was so surprised. That was like God there, you know. But I said yes.

[25:08] And so I went home. And I could hardly sleep that night. I was so restless. And the next morning, I got up. And I just felt like this pressure.

[25:19] And I just thought, this is God. So I knelt down. And I was in the basement apartment of my home out in Baldwinville. And I said, God, if there's any reason I should stay here, show me.

[25:35] Because up until then, I could think of nothing. Any reason I should stay, show me. And within 30 seconds, my tenant came to my mind.

[25:47] My tenant on the second floor. And her father had passed away. She's Chinese, Japanese. And her father, she's very close to her father.

[25:58] He passed away that winter. Back in December, I think. And when I, she came to my mind. And as soon as her name came to my mind, I said, that's it.

[26:12] God wants me to stay here for Chiaki. I said, okay, Lord. And then I had peace. And as the time went on over the course of the winter, there were several times she would come down to my apartment just to talk.

[26:27] Just to talk. There it is. There were other reasons I found out I should be there as well. Thank you. Marty. When our second child was just under a year old, he got a severe case of pneumonia.

[26:44] He had three different antibiotics over a period of a week at home. And we finally said, God, show us what to do. And a friend who was a nurse said, take him to the hospital now.

[26:58] So we did. And the doctor met us there. On the way to the hospital, I kept saying to God, did I do something wrong?

[27:10] Did I not keep him warm enough that it was winter? Did I do something that caused him to catch pneumonia? And God said, don't you think I can do something about this?

[27:23] I mean, it was just so clear. Don't you think I can do something about this? And I said, yes. And then we waited. And it was a severe, very strange case.

[27:36] The Centers for Disease Control grilled us as to where he had been. And we said, he hasn't been anywhere. So after he got in the hospital and was treated to a fourth kind of antibiotic, he was healed.

[27:53] But it was a very traumatic time. And he answered, well, I'm in control here. So it was a good blessing.

[28:04] These are good examples. God talks back to us. Sometimes I've already put the phone down and I've gone on about my life. And God's still trying to talk on the phone.

[28:15] I didn't mean to hang up on him, but I hung up on him. And sometimes we don't hear God speaking because we've just gone on with our life. Last section on this. God talks back to you or you think it's God.

[28:28] How do you know it's not God? Yes. If it's against Scripture. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. If it's against Scripture, if it violates one of the commandments, guess what?

[28:44] That is not God talking to you. And if it's to be unfaithful, you're sick of your spouse. I'm not sick of you at all. Thank you.

[28:55] And Harriet Jones suddenly looks good. And you say, God's telling me, I don't know who Harriet Jones is. I've never heard of her. You know, God's, and you're saying, well, God told me that I need to leave Grace and go to Harriet.

[29:14] Okay. Not true. What that means is you. Who's Grace? There are things about me you don't know. So anyway, if it's obviously in the wrong direction or even against the Scriptures or the commandments, that is not God.

[29:38] He would never lead you in that direction. Okay. So that's Sunday. Okay. Monday, day of teaching in the temple. Jesus taught in the temple quite a bit.

[29:50] So I'm going to read a couple of passages. One is from Matthew 21, chapter 21, verses 21 and 22.

[30:03] And you'll know the background of this Scripture when I read it. And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen.

[30:25] And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith. Now, it doesn't say whatever you ask, you will receive.

[30:35] It says whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive. So you may ask to win the lottery, but that may not necessarily be what's going to happen.

[30:51] And a lot of it has to do with our mindset when we are asking for things. Are we in the will of God or are we outside the will of God when we ask for things?

[31:08] And we always have to remember that. And the next... But if you pray to win the lottery and you win, remember we are tithers.

[31:23] Tithers. And the next passage is from Mark 11, verses 22 to 25.

[31:36] Mark 12. 11. He made a mistake. When I looked up Mark 12, it has absolutely nothing to do with prayer.

[31:49] So... So... And Jesus answered them, Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

[32:11] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive.

[32:24] If you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you, your trespasses. So, Mark, Matthew doesn't mention forgiveness, but Mark brings in forgiveness, as you're praying.

[32:42] And forgiveness is something that's extremely important for all of us. Because unforgiveness is toxic. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, and resentment, and anger.

[32:57] And, forgiveness is for our benefit, not the person we're forgiving. And we always have to remember that. That, we don't forgive others, because it makes them feel good.

[33:14] We forgive others, because God has commanded us to do that, and that we, and we will have peace, in our own hearts. So, we move to Tuesday.

[33:31] More teaching in the temple. And we look at, continuing with Mark, chapter 14, verses 3 through 8.

[33:44] Now this is, you're going to have, we're going to stretch you a little bit here, when we talk about prayer in this passage. And while he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of oil, pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask, and poured it over his head.

[34:11] There were some, who said to themselves, indignantly, indignantly, why was the ointment, wasted like that? For this ointment, could have been sold, for more than 300 denarii, and given to the poor, and they scold her.

[34:30] Who was the, who do you think, which apostle was that, that was complaining? Judas. Judas, and why was he complaining? He complained to the treasurer. Treasurer, and he's not like, he's not like our, he's not like our treasurer.

[34:47] Except Judas was stealing from the pot. That's right. He was stealing from the pot. But Jesus said, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She's done a beautiful thing to me.

[35:00] For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good to them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial.

[35:14] And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. Okay, so I was just fulfilling that scripture.

[35:28] This, we don't know exactly who this is. It could have been Mary Magdalene. We don't know who it is. But isn't it interesting, 2,000 years later, we still remember that person and what she did as a gift to God.

[35:45] It was prayer in action rather than prayer in words. Did you catch the emotion? Crying.

[35:57] She places this expensive oil on his feet and wipes it with her hair. That is a deep act of devotion. Should we have that same devotion when we talk to the Lord?

[36:15] Remembering who He is and who we are and what He's done to make our life eternal. Remember John 14, 6, the controversial verse nobody ever wants to hear?

[36:35] I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but me. I can tell you for a fact that is not a popular verse in America. But the fact is, that is so true, I just fall down on my knees before Him.

[37:02] What is Jesus to me? He's my truth. He's my way. He's my life. I give Him the best. With the cathedral in Paris, what's the name of that place?

[37:17] Notre Dame. Oh yeah, Notre Dame. Well, okay, so a bunch of these rich folks have come forward and they've gotten like, I don't know, how many hundred million dollars they've all ponied up to rebuild the cathedral.

[37:32] And of course, what did people complain about that? You could have given it to the poor. Where have we heard this before?

[37:44] But with God, we give Him our best. That woman gave Him this oil that was like a year's worth of money to buy that oil in scriptural terms.

[38:02] She gave it to Him because she gave Him her best. That's what God calls us to in prayer, to glorify Him. Okay, so that's Tuesday.

[38:12] There isn't much talk about what goes on on a Wednesday, but I'm going to talk a little bit about a service that some churches do on Wednesday called Tenebrae.

[38:28] I don't know if anybody has attended a Tenebrae service or done a Tenebrae service, but it's a really neat service. It starts out in bright light with lots of candles lit.

[38:41] And you start out with scripture passages and then you have a hymn. And then after each scripture passage and after each hymn, a candle is put out.

[38:54] And then you go through another scripture passage and another hymn and another candle is put out. And by the end of the service, you're sitting in darkness.

[39:05] And then in the dark, in the complete darkness, you hear this loud, and that's symbolizing the closing of the tomb.

[39:16] It is a beautiful service. We used to do that at Calvary Church in Burnt Hills. It's just a beautiful Holy Week service.

[39:27] And you get really immersed in scripture in that service. So I would encourage you to at least look it up and see if you can find it online or something, the service.

[39:43] I know it's in the Book of Occasional Services for the Episcopal Church, but I don't know. How do you spell tenebrate, Richter? I think it's E-B-R-A-E-F-E-L.

[39:58] Yeah. Darkness. Spells darkness. Thank you. All right, so we go to Thursday. What do we call Thursday? Maundy.

[40:10] Maundy Thursday. What is maundy from the Latin word mandatum? Commandment. Commandment. Okay. This do in remembrance of me.

[40:22] That's why it's called Maundy. It's mandatum Thursday. And what was it that he called us to do? The Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper.

[40:32] In fact, we actually call that the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. Okay, so a key thing that this rector does at communion, you notice he takes the bread bread, he blesses the bread, he breaks the bread, and he gives the bread.

[40:55] That's what Jesus did on that Last Supper. He took the annual Passover service of the Jewish faith, and he beefed it up.

[41:09] He put himself into it. But he did what happened in the Passover. He took, he blessed, he, wait, he blessed, he broke, and he gave it around the table.

[41:27] We can get into all kinds of arguments about what actually happens in communion. All right? Is it literally the body and blood of Jesus and the bread stops being bread and wine stops being wine?

[41:40] Is it spiritually the Lord being present? Is it in the reception of it that he arrives? Is it just a memorial where we give thanks, partner, for doing this for us?

[41:54] Well, I suspect there have been a couple of books written about this. I have had the privilege of ministering to people of many denominations.

[42:09] When I was an Air Force chaplain, it was not unusual to have people from all different Christian denominations in church. And I got to give them communion. And I can tell you, the faith of the Lutheran receiving communion is just like the faith of the Baptist receiving communion.

[42:30] We might argue about how it all happens, but we know somehow we're in the Lord at this Last Supper. So we tend to call every...

[42:43] We could call every Sunday the Last Supper. We change that to call it the Lord's Supper. But this is what we're talking about, where Jesus, in a special way, gives Himself to us.

[42:57] Now, when you have... When you eat your meals at home, or maybe even in the restaurant, do you still have the process of thanking God for the food?

[43:09] I hope everybody does. That's part of that whole faith that has come to us from our Jewish elders.

[43:20] And Jesus, once again, gave it a boost. And so, that's why it's important to remember the Lord who gives.

[43:30] And every meal, every meal is like the Lord's Supper. He's just as present. Well, He's not as present, but He's just... He's there just the way He is in communion when I have my liverwurst sandwich at lunch.

[43:49] I don't know why He's hanging around for a liverwurst, but He's there. He's with us. He's touching our lives. Now, another interesting thing happened.

[44:04] Luke 22, verses 31 through 34, Jesus is speaking.

[44:18] He says, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.

[44:30] But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Praying for the weak.

[44:44] Jesus prayed for a weak guy. He prayed for Peter. He knew in his heart that Simon Peter was going to let him down.

[45:01] He prayed for the weak. We're called to pray for the weak. Even in our weakness, we pray for the weak. Person may be weak physically.

[45:13] Person may be weak spiritually or emotionally or relationally. In fact, one of the most important things God has for us while we inhabit this part of his kingdom is to pray for the weak.

[45:28] It needs to be an everyday occurrence where we look at the world around us and we see who's in need and we bring that person to the Lord for prayer.

[45:41] Jesus was demonstrating that on that evening than the evening of the Last Supper. And then finally we get to Gethsemane.

[45:52] So every day now, if you follow Mark, every day he leaves either Bethany or Gethsemane, goes into town, preaches the gospel, evening he goes back out.

[46:07] this time he's got business to do. His work day is over, he punched out, now he's heading for, he's off work, right?

[46:20] And he's got his apostles with us, he's off work, but he's not really off work because now he's in the garden. Have any of you ever been in the garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem?

[46:35] Yeah, a bunch of us have. There's something special about that garden. Somehow God has done something to that little piece of turf.

[46:49] And it's not like the sepulcher, it's not like the tomb, it's not like Calvary. It's just something special in that garden. There's a sense of peace there.

[47:02] But when Jesus was there, on that last night, it was not very peaceful, was it? No. Have you ever heard that term from Churchill, blood, sweat, and tears? Yeah, where'd that come from?

[47:14] Jesus. Jesus at Gethsemane. He sweat so much in his anxiety, what came out? Blood, sweat, tears, his body was gushing with anxiety.

[47:31] And he prayed to his father, right? We talked about this a couple of weeks ago. Lord, can you take this off me? This is too much.

[47:44] Make it happen some other way. I love these people like you do, but I don't think I want to do it this way. But in the end, it's your deal, father.

[47:56] father. I'll do what you want me to do. I was talking with Jeff Altman. Some of you know Jeff. I was talking with him this way.

[48:09] Hardly ever do we ever talk this way. So I was talking with him this way. And he's got a couple of people interested in becoming Anglicans over there.

[48:19] and I said, Jeff, you're getting yourself a cadre of Anglicans over there in Rochester. And he said, you know what? I'm just praying. I've just said, God, whatever you want to do, do it.

[48:32] That's what Jesus said. That's what we're called to do. Sometimes it's blood, sweat, and tears as we go before the Lord.

[48:45] Pour out our hearts, blood, sweat, and tears. God's going to do something with that prayer. He did something with the prayer of Jesus.

[48:56] He'll do something with our prayer. The next day is Friday. And we call it Good Friday.

[49:09] And it's actually God Friday. And it's when God died for us on the cross. And God incarnate died for us on the cross.

[49:22] And the result was good, but the happening wasn't all that great, especially not for Jesus. It was wonderful for us, but not good for him.

[49:34] And he did a lot of praying while he was on that cross. verse, about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, Lema Sabatani.

[49:55] That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? that is the cry of a person in absolute agony, which he was when he did this for us.

[50:13] He was in absolute agony on that cross. And he did it for us. And we need to be constantly reminded of that, that he did this for us.

[50:30] The next one is from Luke 23, 34. Sorry, I don't have these marked.

[50:52] And Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. How can you forgive someone who has done something that horrible to you?

[51:06] How can you do that? But he did it. He did it for us. And I figure if he can do that for us, why can't we do that for others?

[51:24] He expects us to do that for others. He expects us to forgive everyone. Anyone who has hurt us, he expects us to forgive.

[51:38] And I figure if Jesus, while he's hanging on that cross in absolute agony, can forgive us for what is happening to him, we can certainly forgive somebody else for what they've done to us.

[51:58] And it's not, that's not a, just a suggestion. It's not anywhere near a suggestion. It is a mandate.

[52:10] It is a command from Jesus. We need to forgive as he forgave us. to his father.

[52:22] next one is from same chapter, verse 46. then Jesus calling out with a loud voice said, father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.

[52:40] Now that's total surrender. That is total and complete surrender to his father. He has given himself up.

[52:51] Everything he had, everything he was, everything he was going through, he has given it up, all of it, to his father. And he expects us to do the same for him.

[53:06] He expects us to give up everything we have, everything we think, everything we do for him.

[53:26] to him. So, all right, I'm going to bring up our beautiful little granddaughter, Amelia. Now she has a genetic disorder.

[53:39] She's two years old, over two years old. She's not able to sit up. She can barely see. She certainly can't talk. She's not going to be able to get up and walk.

[53:55] And so I pray to God, okay, you know what? God's going to heal her already has healed her. We don't know. He may not heal her physically, but I have surrendered her as her grandfather to God.

[54:13] Now the positive part, she is the best tempered little child you would ever imagine. And I predict she's not going to give her mother a lot of trouble.

[54:25] Okay? But she's a blessing and we give thanks for her. I surrender. to God this child.

[54:37] And even neater, her mother and father have surrendered that child to God. Sarah said, you know what?

[54:48] She may be six months old for the rest of her life, but she is a beautiful gift. Sometimes we just cannot handle what's happening in the world around us.

[55:03] And our big thing is it's just not fear. No, it's not fair. It's just not fair. And we can get caught into bitterness when instead the Lord just wants us to surrender our life totally.

[55:19] It's total surrender. And when we totally surrender to the Lord, He pours His strength into us.

[55:31] And we can handle anything. on the way down here, we're listening to Johnny Erickson Tata, you know, well, she's got cancer now and she's been taking radiation treatments.

[55:45] And some of you know she's a quadriplegic. When she was 16, she got hurt in the ocean. And she was saying the same thing.

[55:57] And you know what? I believe Philippians 4.13. Anybody know what that is? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[56:12] And she said, sometimes I think I'm a quadriplegic with cancer. I can't do anything. But you see, when I can't do anything, God can.

[56:24] Isn't that a wonderful thing? And that's just the truth. So what we've been doing the last five weeks is hitting over and over again what Indiana Jones had to discover so he didn't get his head lopped off going through the machine, right?

[56:44] The penitent man humbles himself and kneels before the Lord. That's what this five weeks has been about.

[56:55] We talked about the basics of prayer. We talked about Jesus and the scripture prayer. We talked about corporate versus personal.

[57:07] We talked about red prayers versus extemporaneous prayers. We talked about meditation and contemplation. And today we took a stroll through Holy Week with Jesus.

[57:21] And so Mary Ellen, you're looking up something frantically here. I want them to read Jesus' prayer. Okay. Is it John 17?

[57:31] Yeah, John 17. So we're going to end with this. Amen. Father, the hour has come.

[57:45] Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. Since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

[57:56] And this is eternal life that they know you, that only the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

[58:10] And now Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.

[58:25] Yours they were and you gave them to me and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

[58:37] For I have given them the words that you gave me and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you and they have believed that you sent me.

[58:51] I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me for they are yours. All mine are yours and yours are mine and I am glorified in them and I am no longer in the world but they are in the world and I am coming to you holy father.

[59:13] Keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one. While I was with them I kept them in your name which you have given me.

[59:28] I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

[59:47] I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but you keep them from the evil one.

[60:04] They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth your word is truth as you sent me into the world so I have sent them into the world and for their sake I consecrate myself that they also may be sanctified in truth.

[60:31] That is a beautiful prayer. It goes on but I would ask that you all read that at least one more time this week.

[60:43] Because it really really tells us who we are to Jesus and who we are to the Father. John chapter 17. Okay so we end with praise the Lord.

[61:02]  Amen. Amen. That's it we're done. Thank you.