Desert Watch

The Great Co-Mission 2 – Teach us to pray

In Luke 11 Jesus’ disciples said – “Lord, teach us to pray” and he taught them a prayer displayed in its full length in Matthew 6. My recently deceased mother taught me this prayer as a young child and I am indebted to her for it. I’ve been meditating a lot on the prayer this year and I want to share with you some thoughts that I hope will be encouraging.

This prayer has to do with how we live as followers of Christ in this life – on his great co-mission: “As the Father sent me so I am sending you” (John 20). Jesus introduces it as follows:

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

There are rewards for prayer – not from people but from God. One reward is that we will be changed so that God can also influence those around us. They will be able to better respond to God as we know him better.  God won’t change them or change our circumstances without first changing us.  He is more interested in our character than our comfort. Someone told me recently that she was struggling in her marriage and felt God say to her: “Don’t complain – pray and there will be change.” Things began to improve. She didn’t realise until years later that God was talking about changing her – not her husband! God’s reward is also greater responsibility in this life and the next. Jesus told a parable about how those who are faithful in this age are given responsibility over cities in the age to come. Our character is formed in this age. I don’t believe that our character suddenly changes upon our death – it’s just that we don’t have our marred “flesh” tripping us up any more. I like to think of prayer as if I am standing on a boat pulling into a wharf. I have thrown the rope over a mooring and I'm pulling the boat toward it. It appears from my perspective that I am moving the wharf!

⁷ When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words.  ⁸ Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.  

God is not an idol – he is a Father. It’s not words that matter so much as sharing his heart. The apostle Paul in the book of Romans describes prayer “in the Spirit” as the Spirit helping us pray with “groanings too deep for words”. If we have words use them – but prayer is more about getting close to the heart of the Father and having a deep connection with his ways. The greatest joy of a parent is not that their children just obey them, but when the children begin to share the parents' deeply held values as their own. So in this prayer Jesus gives us not so much words but themes. Prayer is not about magic words or a secret success formula, but themes that we centre ourselves upon. So he starts: 

 ⁹ "Therefore, you should pray like this:  

Our Father in heaven,

    Your name be honored as holy.  

Notice how God comes first in the prayer – not us. God is the centre – not our needs. We revolve around him – not him around us. Paul says in the book of Ephesians that God’s ultimate purpose is the “summing up of all things in Christ in the heaven and on earth”. Then after that Jesus hands it all back to the Father.  Important as it is that our sin and pain is dealt with this is not where Jesus starts the prayer, but on the honour of the Father. He is Father of creation, the originator of all that exists. Why is he in heaven and separated from us? At creation he walked with humankind but his name was not honoured as holy. His honour and integrity were called into question by the serpent and we know the result – separation not just of humankind from God but heaven and earth became clearly separated – dimensioned off - with the connection points now only through God’s initiation (the temple, angelic vsitations, visions, God's Law and finally the Word of God made flesh - Jesus).  There is coming a day when heaven and earth will again be joined as one when all that has destroyed the world is itself destroyed at Jesus’ return. Until that time we are called to be those who honour God’s name and to make his character and will known through our actions and lifestyle so that others will honour him also.

    ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.

    Your will be done

    on earth as it is in heaven. 

God is firstly Father, but he is also described as a King with a kingdom. He is a kind king - not like the ancient kings who dominated and enslaved - but as one who encourages and gives us many chances and opportunities to be reconciled with him. He is the King who sent his own Son so that we may be reconciled to the Father. He didn’t leave us to go down with this sinking ship but made a way of escape. His will is that none should perish but all should come to the knowledge of that truth. He provides a way of escape from destruction through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. His will is unchallenged in the unseen dimension called heaven, but here it is challenged because we are created as free agents. There is no opportunity for a relationship with a robot or a computer but only with a truly free person.  As we acknowledge him as King and pray his Kingdom come we are submitting to him and making him Lord – the very thing that was lost at the fall and caused all the trouble we see. As Jesus went about healing and doing good works he previewed the Kingdom that will be introduced in it’s fullness when he returns – no sickness, no dying, no poverty, no injustice, no broken relationships, no bitterness, no starving, no abused and no oppressed. We are called also to be previews of that Kingdom. As the Father sent Jesus so he sends us – how?

    ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. 

If we are to do his will and be his co-workers we need help! We are made from the dust - fallen and marred. Even as God’s children and forgiven we still live in a body that is subject to sickness, sin and death. When we receive our redeemed bodies then death the final enemy will be defeated. In the meantime God gives us the down-payment of our full inheritance - the Holy Spirit – God not just with us but his presence living inside us. The theme of ‘daily bread’ hints back to the Exodus. The ‘children of Israel’ were in the wilderness and every day God gave them enough manna – bread from heaven - for the day. The lesson was that they would learn that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. God will provide our daily food, but much more so he will provide us with his Word and his Spirit.  Again in Luke 11:13 Jesus says “if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” There are many passages that tell us we are also to be filled with – “the knowledge of His will.” We are to grow “in the knowledge of God so we you be filled with all the fullness of God.” By the Spirit God writes his laws on our hearts. We are to pray that we will not just have our material needs met but that we will be filled with the knowledge of his will and have the strength and love to live it. 

    ¹² And forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

Followers of Christ are not sinless! While we still live in this body we will stumble and fall – but when we do sin the apostle John tells us that we have “an advocate with the Father”. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews says that we aren’t to ever forget that we come to the “throne of grace” through the blood of Christ – through his righteousness not our own – where we may “find grace to help in time of need”. We are to never cast away that confidence to come. This is not using his mercy as an excuse to continue in sin but doing our best by his grace while at the same time being realistic. We are a work in progress -damaged goods - earthen vessels - jars of clay. But we are called to carry his glory in the earth as his co-workers. Then he gets the glory not us! It’s okay for people see our humanity - but they see the glory shining through our cracks as we submit to him and walk by his Spirit. Psalm 103 13-14 says “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”  Forgiveness is also the key force that we have in our power to liberate others from slavery to Satan and sin. The spiritual forces - “principalities and powers” - that are defacto rulers of this world hold their power through a web of bitterness, anger, resentment, unforgiveness and desire for vengeance. When we practice these things we feed the power system which holds the world in such disarray.  On the cross when Jesus prayed: “Father forgive them they know not what they are doing…” he sent a shockwave through the kingdom of darkness that will ultimately see it completely destroyed. Stephen did the same at the hands of his murderers. Forgiveness undoes people’s worldviews. Most worldviews are based on “you owe me” – you owe me love, you owe me money, you owe me loyalty, you owe me respect – and taking vengeance on those who don’t. When we forgive we deeply challenge that. The people that changed the world most significantly for good in the in the 20^th century all understood this, and all got it from Jesus' teaching here in Matthew.

For example Mother Teresa said:

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. 
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. 
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. 
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." 

Martin Luther King Jr said: 

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." 

Ghandi said :

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

Desmond Tutu said:

"Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don’t want to repeat what happened."

    ¹³ And do not bring us into temptation, 

    but deliver us from the evil one.

If we as God’s people are honouring his name; being filled with his Spirit; coming before him with confidence and shaking the powers of darkness through forgiveness we will be formidable forces for good in the world and for bringing people into healing and reconciliation with the Father. This will not go unchallenged by the forces trying to maintain their power-base against the invasion of God’s Kingdom. Our own “flesh" is still unredeemed and can let us down badly too. So we have the world systems, our own flesh and the evil forces of the age arrayed against us. So we humbly ask the Father for help and deliverance from their power. We live in hostile territory taking our life into – not our own hands – but Gods hands. In this world we shall have tribulation but Jesus says "...be of good cheer, I have overcome the world". We are promised suffering as followers of Christ – suffering from within and without. But he has promised never to leave us or forsake us. Not even death can separate us from the love of God so we are not to fear even those who can kill the body. Our lives are already hidden with Christ in God.

    For Yours is the kingdom and the power

    and the glory forever. Amen.

It all comes back to God. He gets all the glory, he is acknowledged as King, every knee bows and acknowledges him. Eternity belongs to him. The rebellion will only be a distant memory as we spend eternity in unbroken fellowship with him and with each other free from sickness, oppression and death on the new heavens and earth – no longer separated but joined as God always intended. He had to allow the rebellion so that he would have a people who he calls metaphorically “the bride of Christ”. Our eternal relationship with him is not a forced marriage but that of a bride who has been completely won over through unending patience, forgiveness, love and ultimate sacrifice.

So take this prayer with you as a power pack from Jesus. Meditate on it, pray it and let God speak back to you as you do. Pray it for yourself but remember it often uses the plural “us”. We are in this together as God’s people. Remember that it was our unwillingness to honour him as God that let the darkness in to the world and into our hearts in the first place. So daily make him Lord. Daily pray this prayer. The starting point to this new life is making a public confession of faith through Baptism – identifying with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and signifying you are in on that great gift of life. If you’ve never done that ask someone you know is a real Christian about it. There is a movement of faith being stirred up right now that is going to prepare the way for Jesus to return. It’s something worth living and dying for.

The Great Co-Mission

John chapter 20 could be described as the turning point of the whole biblical narrative – the day Jesus is raised from the dead. Tears of grief become tears of joy. Despair turns to faith - darkness to light – death to life – emptiness to fullness – hopelessness to purpose.

John is a poet – an artist with word-images. He deliberately parallels his book to the creation account in Genesis. Both Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 start with “In the beginning.” John 20 is the start of new creation – the day Jesus is raised from the dead - the “first day” of the week. Darkness is over the face of the deep but the Spirit has been at work bringing life out of chaos. This is Day One of a new creation.

Imagine witnessing the creation of the universe? Mary Magdalene is about to witness something equally as significant. Mary was one of the women who travelled with Jesus – a female disciple. It is recorded that she contributed to the support of his ministry so she must have had financial means. She was also recorded in Luke as having had seven demons cast out of her. So she had quite a history. Some commentators think Mary Magdalene is the same person who anointed Jesus' feet with her perfume and tears as recorded by Luke chapter 7. Jesus says of that women: “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”

Today she was on a mission – to anoint Jesus’ body again with spices along with Mary the mother of James and Salome (as per Mark).  But the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty! She runs to get the men – what does this mean? Peter and John come to check it out – “yep it’s empty all right – lets go home”. But something of Mary’s female intuition tells her there’s more going on here.

She can’t leave. I like the old word “tarrying” – sometimes we need to listen to those divine prompts to wait instead of rushing on to the next thing. She hesitated – it just didn’t seem right to go yet. She stays – processing the grief, taking in the moment. We only weep over those we love. There’s a line out of a Switchfoot song that comes to mind: “If it doesn’t break your heart it isn’t love.” Then through her tears she sees something (everything looks like angels through tears!)

“Why are you weeping?” The angels ask. Well it seems obvious to her but out of respect she explains to them why. Then another voice – same question – plus “whom are you seeking?” Who are you seeking? What are you seeking? Where are your efforts being placed? Where is your heart passion directed? Mary’s was directed to Jesus.

She thought he was the gardener! John is referencing the creation account again. Adam was the original creation man put in the Garden of Eden to “tend and keep” it. Now here is the new creation Gardener – the second Adam. Paul – explaining the nature of resurrection and the new creation in 1 Corinthians 15 says “Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.” Jesus has a physical resurrection body – but she doesn’t recognize him. In the resurrection there is continuity with our current physicality and discontinuity as well – more than mortal. Paul uses the analogy of comparing a seed to the plant it produces to explain this difference between first creation life and resurrection life.

He says her name: “Mary”. She recognizes him.  Someone saying your name brings back all your history with that person in an instant – not facts but emotions. Mary becomes a “sent one” – the first witness of the resurrection! The first messenger/missionary/apostle of the crucified and risen Son of God. He tells her “go to my brethren”. This is the first time he refers to his followers as “my brethren” – they had become his family – born anew of the same Father - my whanau, my family, my people, my brothers and sisters.

So it’s now evening – the doors are locked. Jesus appears in their midst – physical but different. What does he say? “Peace to you.” This is more than just saying “chill out guys its just me”. This is announcing that something has shifted. The Second Gardener who is also the Sovereign of the World has reclaimed the peace or “shalom” that was lost in the original garden. This was announced hundreds of years before by another poet in Isaiah 9:

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.…

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

The kingdom of God is a Kingdom of peace – peace with God, reconciliation of races, restoration of the groaning of creation in terms of the new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells. The people of the world are gripped by anxiety but we as the sent people of God are called to both possess his peace and to take the peace of God into our broken world.

Sometimes things have to be broken before they can be fixed. At one point Jesus says: “I didn’t come to bring peace but a sword.” God will challenge and judge our abusive structures, relationships and belief systems - but the end-goal is peace. Our message is peace and our method is peace. “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” (John 14:27) “Seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet 3:11). When Jesus sent out his people two by two he instructed them to bring a blessing of peace on a house. This wasn’t just words but something I believe God wants us to draw from his presence – something tangible we can pass on.

Jesus’ pattern was to send out his disciples two by two to places where he was going to come. (Luke 10:1). Like John the Baptist they (and we as “sent ones”) have this task of preparing the way of the Lord. He will come where we take his peace. If we take arguments, anger, criticism and judgment we aren’t preparing the way for him to come. Why? He wants human witnesses to model what it’s like to live in relationship with God. We are broken, imperfect, stumbling people with the life of God within – a treasure in earthen vessels that the glory might be his not ours.

So he says again “Peace to you – as the Father sent me so I send you”. This is the great mission. God is a sending God. God sent his prophets, God sent his Son Jesus, now God sends us in the same way. Author Alan Hirsh says:“Although we frequently say "the church has a mission," according to missional theology a more correct statement would be "the mission has a church."” God has a mission and we are instruments of that mission. We talk about the Great Commission but this is the great “Co-Mission”. He co-missions them and he co-missions us to go as he went – with compassion, with service, with tears, with suffering, with joy – the attitude that was in Christ also be in us (Philippians 2).

Then he says in the next breath (literally) “receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus was “anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went about doing good and healing” (Acts 10:38) and so must his followers be. Not putting on shows and selling tickets but doing good and healing – moved with love and compassion as he was with this new-creation-Spirit-life in us now that Jesus is risen from the dead. Here again is a parallel to Genesis where God breathes on Adam and he becomes a living soul. We come alive with the life of God in us – new birth – regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Jesus quickly adds that our attitude and message is to be one of forgiveness in line with his nature of restoration not condemnation. Take a breath of God, receive his peace – and forgive.

So where does this leave us? Our method is our message. In our busy anxious world we are called to be like Mary – a seeker of his face. If it doesn’t break your heart it isn’t love. We are called to be people of the heart more than people of the head. Jesus calls us to be his brethren, his whanau, his people - to live in this world as ambassadors of the age to come. Where we go in his name taking his peace he will follow. As the Father sent me so I send you. Peace to you.