The Sixth Sunday of Easter - Rogate - May 29, 2011

The Church Season of Easter,
Easter 6, Rogate, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (May 29, 2011)

Readings: 
        Psalm 107
        Numbers 21:4-9
        1 Timothy 2:1-6
        John 16:23-33

+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today’s message will be from the Epistle lesson as recorded in the 16th chapter of John, especially the following verses:

John 16:23-33 (NIV)

23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

The words from our text are spoken by Jesus on Maundy Thursday, before He went out to the Garden to pray and to be betrayed.  After the Supper, and after Judas had fled to do His dirty work, Jesus had a sort of farewell speech, then He prayed all of John chapter seventeen (called Jesus' High Priestly Prayer), and then they went out to the Garden of Gethsemane.  And so what we hear today is just before Jesus went to pray and He tells His disciples to start praying in His Name, and promises that God the Father will hear and answer their prayers.

The hard part of this text is to remember that Jesus was speaking to His disciples.  While we now also hear these promises, we are not the original audience.  Those disciples were accustomed to Jesus being there with them in the flesh.  This text comes in the middle of Jesus warning them that He was going away, and they would not see Him, and their hearts would know sorrow on account of that.  These disciples were accustomed to asking things of their Lord Jesus Christ and receiving something in response.  They were not accustomed to asking for video games, toys, new cars, or candy bars, but when they asked Jesus a question, He answered.  When they wanted to eat, they ate, sometimes that happened in a miraculous way by the Words of Christ and at His command.

Jesus was telling them that when He left them, they were going to have the same relationship with the Father that they had with Jesus.  They would not be praying to Jesus, but to God, and He would deal with them just as they might expect Jesus would.  He would answer.  Whatever it was that they needed, God the Father would provide.  Jesus even made the point that He wasn't going to have to intercede with the Father for them, in order to get what they needed, but the Father Himself would listen and answer their prayers because He loved them!

But now Jesus was about to go away from them. They weren't understanding that too well, but Jesus knew that they would need to know what He was telling them, and very soon.  So, Jesus tells them to start praying, and He promises them that God will listen and answer, “ask, and you will receive.”

That promise is for you, too.  And, you can pray about anything.  There are times in our lives when things go so well we forget to pray.  Or maybe we remember to pray, but we pray about really "spiritual̓ things because life is going okay.  You can pray.  You need to pray - and not just pious little phrases, but heartfelt cries to God about life and about sin and about all of the things that matter to you, even if they are going just great for the moment.  But let's face it, things almost never go that well, and certainly not for all that long, in this world we have sin and tears.  For those times when things aren't going well, God has given you the divine right of prayer.

But most of you may not have thought of it but you’ve been free to pray all of your life, so perhaps you don't understand how big a deal this is.  You’ve lived in a country where you’re allowed to pray, allowed to worship.  On this day we honor those people who fought for your right to pray.  For those who served our country and gave their life so that we could pray.  Jesus said, “13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”(John 16:13)  The men and women who are honored this day, did not know you as a friend, yet they still gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country and we thank God that He gave us those people.  And though too us nothing could seem to be greater than our fellow men and women giving their life, even greater still is that Jesus laid down His life for you, so that you may live.

And so the door for prayer has been opened for you because Jesus died for you, taking your sin from between you and God and opening up the channels of love and blessings and communication.  The cross is the sign that God loves you, and the empty tomb of Easter is your assurance that God will hear you and answer every prayer, and bless you.  That is what praying in Jesus' name means.  It is a result of the Gospel.  By raising Jesus from the dead, God declared that what Jesus had done was sufficient, and even more, and now nothing stands between you the believer and God, so you pray.

We have been given the right of prayer because Jesus died for us.  God will hear us because our sins no longer stand in the way.  God will answer for the sake of the suffering and death of His own Son.  That is at least part of what we mean when we say that we pray in the name of Jesus.  It isn't just saying the words, "and this I pray in Jesus' name", as though they were some sort of magic words.  No, prayer in the name of Jesus is acting on faith, specifically acting on our faith, and the doctrine of our faith — which is to say on the truth of our faith.

But then, Jesus tells us that God doesn't respond just because of what Jesus did, but because of His great love for us.  Jesus doesn't have to intercept our prayers and bring them to His Father, acting as the mediator for the petitioner.  The Father listens to our prayers, and He answers them because He loves us — and He loves us in particular because we have believed in Jesus.

And for those of us who believe, we have God's promise to hear and answer!  We have His invitation to bring all of our troubles to Him.  The words of Psalm 50 remind us to, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you!” And St. Peter reminds us, “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7.  These words are God's invitation to you, along with the words of Jesus in our text, to come to Him in prayer in times of trouble; to call upon Him for strength and endurance in times of fear; to give your worries to God and let them go; to pray for help when you are feeling helpless, and to ask God to help you unwind and relax in times of stress. 

In every need, you have the gift of prayer, and you can be utterly certain that God the Father listens to you with compassion and concern because He loves you!  And we know that love is genuine, because of Jesus, because of the cross, where He died for sins we committed, to take the death that we deserve off of our shoulders; and because of the empty tomb which proclaims that God has accepted the sacrifice of His Son in our place.

So, in times of worry, pray.  When it doesn't seem that there is any way out of your troubles or even the greatest predicament of the moment, you can pray.  When sorrow seems as though it will swallow you alive, you can pray.  In every time and in every situation, remember the love of God for you, and the words of Jesus in our Gospel, and, Pray!

Therefore, pray.  Pray often.  Pray with confidence.  Never give up on prayer.  Take advantage of the love of God for you - because that is precisely what He wants you to do. And know that God hears your every prayer, and He has answered your prayer in giving His Son Jesus Christ who delivers you to eternal life.  Amen.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
+SDG+