The Lord's Prayer. 'ask seek & knock' and chapel anniversary

 Luke 11: 1-13

 

Earlier in the service we enjoyed the Lord’s prayer as a reflective story.

You can find the script here at BIble Reading Fellowship

 

It might have left you wondering

What does it mean to pray?

 

Jesus is asked by his disciples to teach them to pray – and he gives them the words which even 2000 year later we call “the Lord’s Prayer”.

 

Maybe sometimes praying is using someone else’s wise words to express what we need to say to God – as the story we heard earlier showed us.

 

But Jesus wants his followers to know not only some really good words to use when we pray, but to understand what prayer is.

 

Many people think that prayer is asking God for the things we need: and in part it is. But Jesus wants his followers to know that when we pray we are in a relationship with God, who loves us beyond our imagining.

 

So how does God respond to our prayers?

 

Jesus tells this funny little parable of the man coming to his neighbour at midnight for bread, because he has an unexpected visitor. The first reaction of the neighbour is understandable – go away, we’re all in bed. But the man keeps knocking, and so the neighbour gives in, gets up, find him the bread and gives it to him.

 

Just in case we might be tempted to think – oh, so prayer is nagging God for the things we want – Jesus gives another example

 

Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

 

We are limited in our loving – but we know how to do the right thing in the end.

God is infinitely loving, and gives us what we need – the Holy Spirit to guide us to ask for the right thing, to seek what’s best for God’s world, and to knock on the metaphorical doors which we need to see opened.

 

Jesus summary of what it means to love God and seek God’s will in prayer is to

Ask, seek, and knock.

Here’s an example of asking, seeking and knocking from the history of this chapel.

 

I found this account, from the history of Trefgarn Owen Chapel. It’s a Welsh-speaking independent chapel to whom we owe a debt of gratitude.

 

Mr Griffiths had been minister many years, when in 1855 a call was given to Mr John Morgan Evans, of Carmarthen College. He was ordained on August 21st and 22nd, when there were approximately thirty ministers present.

Mr Griffiths was ageing and becoming less able to carry out his ministry when Mr Evans began his work so that most of the work fell to him.

 

In 1856 Mr Evans set up a regular religious service at Nolton, a seaside place about six miles from Trefgarn Owen, in a totally anglicised area: where people spoke English not Welsh.

 

In 1857 a chapel was built at Nolton Haven, and  Trefgarn Chapel donated about sixty pounds to the cost of the building. After the opening, a church was established of fifteen members, eight from Trefgarn and the remainder from other areas. Mr Evans continued to minister to them free of charge until there were seventy members, and all the debt was paid.

 

The people of God in Pembrokeshire in 1855 had to

Ask – for a student minister to come and help them at Trefgarn Owen

Seek – John Morgan Evans came and looked for opportunities to spread the gospel

Knock – he knocked on the doors of hearts of people in Nolton Haven & people responded – building this chapel & building up a fellowship here.

 

What does it mean for us, today to ask, seek, knock?

 

We shouldn’t be afraid to ask God for the things we need, or for the guidance we need in life, or for the help we need for ourselves and for people we love.

Jesus tells us to ask.

But he also tells us to seek – to seek the right things we need, to seek the right way to go, to seek the best for people we love.

And Jesus says that this is like knocking on a door – the door will be opened – God will be with us to love and help us, whenever we pray.

 

Just two weeks ago we celebrated Sea Sunday on the beach here in Nolton. As we were planning the service we prayed and asked for guidance about which Bible reading to use. We decided to tell the story of Jesus appearing to his friends after the resurrection and cooking them breakfast on the beach.

We decided that to help people seek understanding of the way that God’s love touches us as it touched the first disciples it would be good to offer people food after the service.

So we knocked on the door of the Mariners and wondered whether they would provide us some bacon rolls and cheese and onion pasties at a reasonable cost. They were happy to help – and we were really delighted when they said they would do it for nothing.

For people on the beach that afternoon I hope they heard something of the service, the singing and praying. And lots of them enjoyed some free food as we explained it was part of us giving thanks to God for God’s love and for the wonders of the Sea.

 

As this 186th year of chapel life here begins, Jesus would tell us to keep asking for the help we need, keep seeking God’s way, and knock, expecting doors to be opened.

 

So may God’s love continue to bless us here – and bless all those we love. Amen.

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