A Sunday Prayer to Reclaim the Reality of God

Acts 1

⁶Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
 ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
 ⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
 ¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
 ¹² Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk^[a] from the city. ¹³ When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Dear God,

Weekends like this remind us that sometimes when things come to an end it isn’t the end at all, but a new beginning.  We thank you for being the God of fresh starts and new beginnings.  We thank you for being the God who will even work goodness through death.  When we forget that you have that kind of power, remind us God and help us to keep the faith.

Lord we just read today a story about your son, who walked among us, died because of us, and through your power ascended into heaven from where he came.  Don’t let us sit here today and just pretend we believe this, because if we really believe something like that really happened how can we be comfortable with just being comfortable.  Help us to ponder the reality of what we have heard and let our hardened hearts break under the weight of the mystery that God almighty cares about us and desires relationship with his creation.

We don’t get lost when we follow the leader; may you be the leader of our lives.  Help us to pursue you with an unfailing faith in your goodness, with a hope that we can become what you intend for us to become, with a love that overflows bringing blessing to all of your creation.  Forgive us for our boredom when we stop considering the power of your story and think it is familiar.  Forgive us for our apathy when we confuse a comfort that keeps us in our seat with blessing.  Forgive us for our selfishness when we strive to make ourselves first not remembering we’re headed for last place in that direction.

Most of us are here today for something.  Whatever the reason we came, I pray that we all would seek first your kingdom and your righteousness, that we would be willing to follow you into death so that we may learn what it means to live.  May we draw strength and encouragement from this community of faith as we journey in the path of God together.  For this we pray together the prayer that Jesus taught his followers to pray.  Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.   For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Opportunity Cost

So that's what has been on my mind for several weeks now-- Opportunity.  Several years ago I read the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.  One of his points is that success is a combination of excellence and opportunity.  We easily point the finger of luck toward the successes of others, but often choose to attribute our own to hard work and effort.  But without the opportunity, all of the effort in the world is lost; and without effort, opportunity is wasted.

My third-grade daughter began to prepare for a social studies test before the winter break and the concept of "opportunity cost" was a difficult one for her to get.  It is the idea that some choices have more than a monetary cost, but you give up something else when you make them.  Sometimes we foolishly prepare for opportunities that we don't want to miss (e.g. playing the lottery) but other times, we consider foolish, those who do not prepare for the opportunities that are certain (e.g. health insurance).

The news this week fits well the idea of opportunity.  We discussed the story of Ted Williams, the Man With the Golden Voice earlier in the week in my high school leadership class.  Mr. Williams was given an opportunity when someone with a camera chose to give him help, but if his "God-given talent" was simply "ordinary" he would have been just another panhandler getting a couple of dollars from another stranger.  But Mr. Williams was able and prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.  Now, once again, he is faced with numerous opportunities that are his to take advantage of, or to lose.

In the other major news of the week, opportunity knocked on both sides of the door.  In the tragic shooting that took place in Arizona this weekend, a disturbed young man prepared for an opportunity to add to the depravity of our world.  But even in the midst of this depravity, redemption comes through heroism.  Patricia Maisch and others who followed the lead of this average 61 year old woman made quick work of an opportunity and brought a tragic event to an end.  This tragedy also presents an opportunity for our nation.  An opportunity to honestly discuss the eventual outcome of consistently dehumanizing and objectifying one another in the name of politics.

Tonight in Bible study, we looked at the story of Peter and John healing a lame man from Acts chapter three.  The two men were on their way to the temple for prayer at 3:00.  Probably their normal routine, something they'd done daily for most of their lives.  They crossed a beggar.  Probably one of many, maybe they'd even seen him before.  But today, they stopped.  The Spirit of God was with them.  This lame man just wanted a few bucks.  It would've been easy to avoid him, or toss a few shekels in the cup to make your conscience feel better.  Not today.  Because these two men were prepared for the opportunity by being open and obedient, this lame man stood and walked for the first time in forty years.

I think that would be the best way for us to approach the opportunities of our life, keeping an humble attitude, submissive to God and responsive to our surroundings.  Compare this to the attitude of self-promotion, submissive to no one and responsive only to our own needs.  This is the difference in an opportunity fulfilled and an opportunity defiled.