(Preached on Sunday, September 19, 2010)
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. -1 Timothy 2:1-2
When you check into a Sheraton hotel room these days you have a new message you can hang on your doorknob to keep the housekeeper way. Instead of “Do Not Disturb” the message now reads “Peace and Quiet.” The sing at Sheraton’s more upscale sister, The Westin, simply reads “Peace.” People are not just looking to keep disruptions and disturbances at bay. They are looking to find something positive. They are searching in life for some “peace and quiet.” Or if “quiet” is too much to ask, just some “Peace.”
That is not such a surprising desire given the reality today. The United States, in truth the entire world, is in tough straits these days. Our economy is struggling, our health-care system needs repairing, and we’re embroiled in war that seems unending. Something needs to be done and there is no shortage of opinions about which direction we need to go. From the left and the right, prophets appear and warn of the doom that awaits us if we fail to heed their words. They have plenty of wit and vitriol; what far too many of them lack is humility and compassion. These prophets, including preachers and politicians and political pundits, easily slip into “you” language when speaking of all that is wrong, all the mistakes and errors being made, all the shortcomings. Whether intentional or not, the message is clear: people have gone astray and the prophet (whoever is pointing out the problems) is just a holy messenger. All of these people only seem to compound the problems and intensify our need and desire for “peace and quiet.”
Jeremiah, though, never lost sight of the people – his people. He never lost sight of the fact that what was happening to them was happening to him and that he was one with them. Jeremiah took no pleasure in being right. It broke his heart. Perhaps that is why people knew he was speaking the word of God. He loved the people dearly and found it nearly unbearable to witness their suffering, as deserved as it may have been. When he writes, “My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick” we know what he is talking about. Red state or blue state or any shade in between, we seem to be in a state as we lament over either why things cannot be the way they once were or of the way we wish they could be.
Jeremiah’s starting point is the ache in his heart, the pain in his gut that will not let loose of him. “For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.” As horrible as this feels and felt for Jeremiah, there is a truth here that he seemed to understand and that is important for us to grasp as well. What pushes us into action is warmed hearts and gut feelings. We do not find healing and wholeness by ignoring reality, putting a happy face on things, and going blithely on our way as though all is well. Nor do we find healing by creating scapegoats, enemies, and others to blame for the situation as though we played no part in what is happening in the world around us. This is where much of the punditry and condemnation by the so-called “prophets” of today misses the mark.
But Jeremiah knows himself to be bound up in the bundle of life with his people. He fully identifies with them and shares in the misery. This is an important first step in finding healing and wholeness. True involvement always puts a person at risk. By involvement there will be much joy but also considerable pain. In training counselors, the advice is often given: “Don’t get emotionally involved.” That advice has extensive wisdom in it. To be an adept counselor one needs to keep a clear head, remain as objective as possible, and not get one’s own feelings mixed up with the client’s. However as a pastor to a congregation, I have found that the advice is not always possible, or desirable, to implement. We are involved, deeply so. A critical road accident to a young mother, the abuse of a precious child, or the drawn out illness and death of a dear members, these do deeply affect us. A pastor often feels grief and anguish, frustration and anger, compassion and joy. A pastor is always involved.
But how could it be otherwise when we follow a Christ who gave his entire life? Who says: “This is my body, broken for you?” A Christ who more truly reflects the likeness of God than any of the rest of us? A God who could destroy us, wipe us out and start over, (as we discussed last week) yet who chooses not to do that, but rather chooses to come and search for us by doing everything conceivably and inconceivable possible, even to the point of taking on our form, our flesh and blood, becoming one of us. If we are going to follow Jesus and serve this God, then of course we are going to be involved.
One way we can be involved is to follow the guidance of the Letter to Timothy which calls us to be in prayer. This passage is perhaps the most neglected in the entire Bible. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions…” Sure we pray. But how often do we pray for our government leaders? When was the last time that you prayed for a politician that was not of your party? Most people are in favor of praying for those in power – as long as the leaders are members of the same political party to which they belong. In fact, in recent years just the opposite attitude has developed among the masses, which is to demonize their opponents, so that when the other party is in power, the faith of these leaders – even their humanity – is called into question. This happened to President Bush and now it is happening to President Obama.
Still, the author of this letter reminds us that while we may doubt our leaders’ sincerity, acumen, and judgment, and while we may disagree with their political positions, still, we need to pray for them and be thankful for them. Otherwise, we don’t honor God, who is our ultimate ruler. That is an important truth this author is reminding us about: that while those who wield power, armies, and money may appear to be in charge of earthly affairs, we need to remember who is really in charge of everything! There is only one God, not a bunch of competing ones. That one God desires good for everyone, desires salvation for all, that everyone might know the power and grace of God’s love in their lives.
Notice he says that not just the rulers deserve our prayers, but everyone does. That is built on that understanding that God desires that everyone will be saved. No one is worthless or beyond God’s thoughts. It isn’t my God against yours, but our one God who loves everyone. This is not an easy task. There is an apocryphal story about a CBS news team taping at Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall which illustrates this truth. Every day they saw the same elderly man praying – morning, noon, and night. On their last day they gave in to their curiosity and asked him, “What is it you pray for so fervently?” The old man thought for a moment and said, “I pray for health, for happiness, and for peace in my land.” “I see,” said the reporter. “You don’t look that healthy. Are you happy?” “Not really,” said the man. “And your homeland is in turmoil. Do you really believe your prayers are heard?” The man paused and then said, “Sometimes it’s like talking to a wall.”
Still, there is power in prayer. Not so much magical power for changing the circumstances in the world, but faithful prayer reminds us who we are and who God is. It also works transformation in us, changing us, our outlook on life and our outlook on those for whom we pray. It is true that it is very difficult to maintain a negative attitude toward someone for whom we pray. (Which I believe is a big reason why we often refuse to pray for certain people.)
Let me close with a story which I believe illustrates the positive impact prayer can have in our world. Thank goodness Pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Center in Gainesville, decided not to burn any Quran’s on 9/11. While his proposed actions were denounced widely by world leaders, even our military leaders, it seems a most unusual man played an important role in changing his mind. That man was Muhammad Musri, director of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, who went to meet with Terry Jones the Wednesday before 9/11. Few details of their conversation were offered to the media, but those details were telling.
When Musri waded into a difficult and tense situation, he used exceptional skills at interfaith dialogue:
1. He took a risk. Musri had little to gain from wading into the controversy. It would have been safe to sit on the sidelines and wait for the drama to play out. He risked failing, looking like a fool and making everyone angrier. (In fact he has been accused of “religious blackmail” and his reputation attacked on-line, since his conversation with Terry Jones.)
2. He entered the conversation with a premise that few of us would have offered. “I believe that Terry Jones is a good person at heart,” he told CNN. He spoke, as a Quaker might say, to “that of God” in Jones. Jones cited the imam’s expression of respect as crucial to their conversation.
3. He sought common ground, agreeing with Jones about the need to stand against terrorism and suggesting room for dialogue on the issue of the mosque in New York. While this was tricky, it provided space for more dialogue.
4. He used an empathetic understanding of Jones’ religion to move the conversation forward. “He [Jones] will pray about it,” Musri told reporters. “I told him that Christ in the Bible has offered a different solution, a different way.”
Evidently Jones did pray about it, and he evidently heard God telling him to stop. Musri succeeded in having a conversation and made a careful, but dramatic, step toward peacemaking.
Prayer is the power that leads to living a quiet and peaceable life.