"Pray" 12-5-21

Overview

Living the Advent Life: Pray

Advent is often the overlooked season of the church year—tucked between Pentecost and Christmas, decked briefly in blue, and quickly forgotten. Yet Advent should resonate deeply with us, because it is the season of the in-between times. Its texts gather around two great waitings: the people of God awaiting the first coming of Christ, and the church awaiting His return. Most of life, in fact, is lived in this in-between space—anticipating, hoping, and watching. Along the road map for the Advent life, the first marker is the call to repent. The second marker is prayer.

Prayer is too often treated as a last resort, something we turn to only when other options have failed. Scripture turns this on its head. Paul writes, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17—the word translated "without ceasing" means repeatedly, often, the same word Paul uses of his own prayers in Romans 1:9. The call echoes throughout the New Testament: bring everything to God in prayer Philippians 4:6, let the suffering pray James 5:13, devote yourselves to prayer Colossians 4:2. Jesus Himself modeled this, withdrawing to deserted places to pray (Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35) and even spending the night in prayer Luke 6:12. Prayer is not the last thing; it is of first importance.

Luther said three things make a theologian: prayer, meditation on the Word, and trials. Prayer is both joy and discipline—it is work. Some argue that prayer should be entirely spontaneous, and that set times of prayer slide into legalism. But spontaneous prayer is actually served by set times of prayer. Daniel, under threat of death, continued to kneel and pray three times a day as he had always done Daniel 6:10. Disciplined rhythms of prayer become the soil from which "bubble-up" prayers spring all through the day—a quick thank You at a beautiful sky, an intercession while listening to a friend's hurt, a simple help in a hard moment, a quiet I love You offered to the Father.

Our sinfulness shows itself in laziness; God too often gets the leftovers of our time. But God does not give us the silent treatment in return. Like the most loving Parent, He keeps coming through His Word, saying, Talk to Me. He keeps coming with forgiveness purchased at the cross, claiming us in the waters of baptism, freeing us as a forgiven people to speak honestly with our Father. So in this brief in-between season—and in the larger in-between of waiting for Christ's return—we pray. Not poor Advent, but glorious Advent: a season that sets us again on the road of repentance and prayer.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles, please, with me, too? 3s

First Thessalonians, the fifth chapter for our study today. 6s

If you're using a Pew Bible, you're going to find first Thessalonians, 10s

chapter 5, page 181, in your Pew edition of God's Word in the New Testament. 13s

Page 181. 20s

Poor Advent. 26s

Poor Advent. 29s

Just this tiny little season in the church year, isn't it? 32s

So often can be just well forgotten. 39s

Like a tone that you travel through. 46s

That is nice, but it's not where you're going. 48s

And poor little Advent. 51s

Once a year, it's all decked out in blue. 59s

But four weeks, and then it's just gone. 63s

Why look at a pastor's soul and the blue one? 67s

That always seems to look the newest of the lot, doesn't it? 73s

Poor Advent. 78s

Poor little Advent. 81s

It's nestled in between the bulk of pentacost. 86s

And where we really want to get to, which is the Christmas season. 91s

Why if Advent were a person, if that were a person, it would be the child that's against the wall 96s

as the teams are being picked. 105s

The last child to be chosen, you know, the forgotten one. 108s

If Advent were a person, it would be the person given the buzzer when they sit and wait in the restaurant in order to be seated. 113s

But the buzzer never reen. 122s

And the person wonders, why is it that those parties that have the same number of people in them that have come in after us are being 125s

seated first? 135s

If Advent were a person, it would be that person who attends the family gatherings year after year, 139s

wondering if they'll finally make it away from the children's table to the adult's table. 147s

And year after year, they wonder the same thing. 155s

And year after year, they say to themselves, how old and how many children do I have to have until I am finally at the adult table. 158s

Poor Advent. 174s

Poor little, forgettable. 176s

Advent. 182s

It's so often forgettable, but yet it should be actually quite memorable. 185s

Because Advent is a season that's really all about the in-between times. 192s

The themes of Advent, the text associated with Advent, you've got the in-between time where you're waiting for the first coming of Christ. 198s

And then you've got the text where it's the in-between times when you're waiting for the second coming of Christ. 208s

And when you really ponder that, most of our lives are spent in the in-between times, aren't they? 216s

You're waiting for something to happen. 223s

You're waiting for fulfillment and in the grander sense. 225s

It's the in-between time that all of us live as we anticipate, not just the celebration of the first coming of Christ, 230s

but we live in anticipation of his second coming. 237s

Advent is the in-between time. 242s

Advent should resonate with us because that's what life is, isn't it? 245s

So often it's the in-between time in which we live. 251s

We continue today in our series. 259s

This little series in this little season. 263s

The road map. 270s

Advent life. 273s

The road map for living the Advent life. 275s

The in-between times. 279s

We studied last week. 283s

One of the markers on the map that we see is we live in this tiny little season of life this time. 285s

It's all in the left side of Heaven as we live amidst all of the in-between times of this side of Heaven. 292s

On the map is that continual call to repent. 299s

And we turn today to the second mark on the map. 303s

This living the Advent life. 308s

This road map for the in-between times. 312s

And that is prayer. 316s

Prayer. 320s

Martin Luther said that there are three things that make a theologian. 323s

Three things that make a theologian. 328s

You said one prayer. 330s

Second, meditation on the word and third, trials. 332s

It's an interesting recipe, isn't it? 336s

Three things Luther said make a theologian. 339s

Prayer, meditation on the word and trials. 341s

Because so often, trials is associated with prayer. 345s

Have you found in your own lives that when you are going through difficult times 350s

or trials, you find yourself praying more? 354s

Trials can be the catalyst to prayer. 358s

And while that is a true reality, it's a true understanding for all of us, 362s

it can also lead to a wrong understanding of prayer. 366s

What do I mean by that? 371s

I think of the church that was robbed. 374s

Person comes into the pastor and says, pastor, I don't know if you know this. 377s

I don't know if you've been on the other end of the building here. 381s

But we were robbed last night. 384s

We were robbed. 386s

You're looking and you see things are thrown all over the place. 388s

You can see things drawers are open things are missing things are a mess. 391s

Pastor, it's a mess down there. 396s

We have been robbed to which the pastor responded and said, well first. 398s

Let's pray. 403s

Let's pray about this to which the person then turned to their pastor and said, 405s

oh, pastor, has it come to that? 411s

He's how often is prayer understood. 415s

But prayer is understood as the last resort, right? 418s

Prayer is that one turns to when, well, what else do you do? 421s

Prayer is that last resort so often. 430s

And yet scripture gives us the exact opposite understanding. 439s

Look, please, at our text. 445s

First, that's theologians chapter 5, verse 16. 447s

The apostle Paul writes, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, 451s

pray without ceasing. 459s

That same word there translated without ceasing. 461s

It's used also in Romans the first chapter, Paul wrote there, 466s

for God whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his son 470s

is my witness. 475s

That without ceasing, I remember you always in my prayers. 476s

The word means repeatedly. 483s

The word means often. 486s

We are to pray repeatedly. 488s

We are to pray often. 490s

My scripture is full of calls to prayer. 494s

I think, for example, of first Thessalonians, the fourth chapter. 498s

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, 504s

let your requests be made known to God. 514s

James 5, are any among you suffering they should pray? 517s

Colossians 2, devote yourselves to prayer, keeping a lurch in it with thanksgiving. 523s

While you look at one who modeled prayer, it was certainly the Lord Jesus Christ, 532s

looked the fifth chapter, but he, Jesus, would withdraw to deserted places and pray. 537s

Mark 1, in the morning while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place 544s

and there he prayed. 551s

Luke 6, now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray and he spent the night 553s

in prayer. 560s

Prayer is not the last resort. 563s

It's that which is of first importance. 567s

Prayer is joy and prayer is discipline. 573s

Prayer is work. 583s

I'm a little bit of a conference I attended years ago. 587s

I mean, speaker was really quite a well-known theologian. 592s

It was a Q&A session. 595s

One of the questions that was asked of this person was, can you give a glimpse into your devotion 598s

life? 604s

Can you give a glimpse in here, a devotional life? 605s

And the person gave such an interesting answer. 608s

Where's it said to be honest with you, I really don't have a set time for devotions. 612s

You could feel it in the room. 624s

There was a surprise to that answer, a shock almost. 628s

You could feel it in the room. 635s

There are some that advocate perhaps this person did. 640s

Some that advocate that prayer should always be spontaneous. 646s

That set times of prayer fall into people in this camp would maintain full into a legalism. 652s

So having set times of devotions, set times of prayer, well that's legalistic prayer, 660s

it should be spontaneous those that advocate for this say. 665s

Just simply kind of come when it comes. 670s

But spontaneous prayer is rooted in set prayer. 678s

So spontaneous prayer is served by set times of prayer. 688s

What do I mean? 702s

I think of the great prophet Daniel in Holy Scripture, six chapter of Daniel. 704s

So the Presidents and Satrips conspired and came to the King and said to him, 713s

oh, King, Darius, live forever. 717s

All the Presidents of the Kingdom, the Prefects and the Satrips, the counselors and the 721s

governors all agreed that the King should establish an ordinance and enforce an 725s

interdict, that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, that's a little interesting phrase 730s

there, isn't it? 736s

For 30 days, except to you, O King shall be thrown into a den of lions. 738s

Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, 747s

which had windows in its upper room, open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees 755s

three times a day to pray to his God and praise him just as he had done previously. 761s

What characterized Daniel's life? 773s

It was set times for prayer. 776s

Daniel's case, it was three times, set times for prayer. 783s

Spontaneous prayer is served by set times. 790s

In fact, you know what they've studied here on this and they've asked folks in the 798s

room to about their prayer life and you know what they've discovered on this, that the 805s

more one has set times to pray, the more likely they are to have spontaneous prayer. 812s

And the converse is also true. 822s

That without set times of prayer, spontaneous prayer will be less. 825s

Prayer is joy and prayer is discipline. 834s

It's work. 846s

And there's a struggle, right? 851s

There's a struggle. 854s

God created us to be in communion with Him and in fellowship with Him, and our sinfulness 858s

shows in our laziness, in our laziness. 865s

Where the time for God gets the leftovers, depending on how the day or the week is going. 874s

We can struggle with this whole understanding of the discipline of prayer. 887s

But what does God do? 894s

God does not turn away from us. 895s

God does not give us the silent treatment when we are all too quiet with regard to our 898s

prayers to Him. 905s

Rather, like the most loving of parent concerned for the child, we hear through his word, 906s

the father turning to us and saying, talk to me. 914s

And he keeps coming with his word of forgiveness for that quiet side of us that just doesn't 924s

have the time for prayer. 937s

He keeps coming with his word of forgiveness, born of the cross. 941s

We're all of our sin and all of our rebellion was carried. 946s

And through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, He turns to us and says, you are forgiven 953s

and you are loved. 960s

He keeps coming with the gospel, not giving us the silent treatment, but keeps coming with 963s

his words. 971s

And He empowers in us the words. 974s

He empowers in us the prayers. 981s

And we can turn to Him in prayer as a people that have been washed in the blood of Jesus 987s

Christ have been claimed in the waters of baptism. 996s

We have been freed as a forgiven people to turn to the Father who keeps saying, talk to 1001s

me. 1010s

Talk to me. 1012s

The text says, first, Tessalonians 5, verse 16, rejoice always. 1017s

Pray without C.C. 1026s

It's those prayers then that bubble up, that bubble up during the day that are rooted 1032s

and grounded in the set times of prayer. 1040s

Those prayers that keep bubbling up, you know those prayers in which you see some beautiful 1044s

last-pective God's creation. 1050s

And the response is, thank you, Lord, for your creative and your beautiful touch. 1054s

It's the bubble up prayers that are rooted in the set times of prayers that is your 1062s

listening to the hurts of the other person. 1067s

You are praying for that person as you listen to them. 1070s

It's the bubble up prayers rooted in the set times of prayer. 1074s

Those bubble up prayers where you just say, help. 1081s

It's those bubble up prayers. 1091s

We're like the parent with a grandparents turning to the child or the grandchild and for 1093s

no reason, then just the moment and love simply says, I want to tell you something to 1100s

which the child or the grandchild says, what and the response says, I love you. 1108s

I love you. 1115s

It's those prayers that bubble up during the day. 1117s

Born out of the set times of prayer, born out of the gracious action of God Almighty through 1123s

the cross and the empty tomb, it's those bubble up prayers where one simply says, I love 1130s

you. 1141s

I love you. 1144s

Poor Advent? 1149s

No. 1152s

Glorious Advent. 1156s

Glorious Advent. 1159s

This little season tucked away that reminds us of the road map for the in-between time. 1162s

Glorious Advent. 1178s

And as we travel in this brief in-between time, we pray. 1182s