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Century Christian
Church 1301 Tamarack Road, Owensboro, KY 42301, (270) 684-0286, Pastor: Rev. Jim Westmoreland |
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Wussy or Bodacious? How do we see ourselves? A person's mental attitude has an almost unbelievable effect on his powers, both physical and psychological. The British psychiatrist, J.A. Hadfield, gives a striking illustration of this fact in his booklet, The Psychology of Power. "I asked three people," he wrote, "to submit themselves to test the effect of mental suggestion on their strength, which was measured by gripping a dynamometer." They were to grip the dynamometer with all their strength under three different sets of conditions. First he tested them under normal conditions. The average grip was 101 pounds. Then he tested them after he had hypnotized them and told them that they were very weak. Their average grip this time was only 29 pounds! In the third test Dr. Hadfield told them under hypnosis that they were very strong. The average grip jumped to 142 pounds. (1) How we relate with others is a quite clear picture of not only what we think of other people, but even more what we think of ourselves. Big people can make us feel small. Being noticed by others can make us feel pretty important. Isn't it amazing how much of what we are able to do and what we fail to accomplish has little to do with our abilities, but, instead, has everything to do with our attitudes? Today's reading from Luke points us in the direction we need to go, and it leaves us with a question that we need to remember whenever we start to back-peddle. John Claypool, professor of preaching a the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University suggests that whenever we see a person doing something exceptionally well, our first impulse is to inquire as to their secret. We might find ourselves saying, "Teach me how you do that." That's exactly what we see happening in the Gospel story in Luke 11. Jesus had been praying one day, and his disciples saw the powerful impact that this kind of experience had on Jesus. They said to Him, "Would you teach us how to do what you're doing? We want that same power and presence in our lives." And in response to their request, Jesus did two things. First of all, he gave them an actual model that they could begin to emulate directly. He said, "When you pray, here is how to do it," and what follows is a shortened form of what is usually called The Lord's Prayer. (2) However, Jesus realized that there was a deeper issue involved than just having an actual model to follow. How do you really understand that Mystery to whom your prayerful words are addressed? And to get his disciples to think more deeply and creatively, Jesus invited them to use their imagination. He says, "Think of yourself asleep one night and there's a knock on your door and you go and find a friend, or perhaps even a relative, who is on a journey who is asking that they could spend the rest of the night in your house." This is the kind of experience that could have happened to anyone of the disciples, because in that day and in that part of the world, the heat was so great that people would not begin a walking journey until late in the afternoon and many times would continue on into the first part of the night. You also need to realize that in those days there were so few public accommodations that the only way peasants could have a place to sleep was to go to some relative or friend and ask for hospitality. And so Jesus says, you suddenly find yourself with an unexpected guest and rather than sending this person to bed without any kind of food, you go to your cupboard; and, you discover that you've used up all the food that you have. Remember, peasants in that day lived pretty much hour-to-hour and hand-to-mouth. However, instead of denying the custom of hospitality, Jesus says you excuse yourself and go next door and knock on your neighbor's and say in hushed tones, "Could you lend me three loaves? I have an unexpected guest, and I have nothing to set before him." And the response that you're likely to get is probably going to be negative. The sleepy voice inside the neighbor's house said, "I can't get up and give you anything. Didn't you see the door was already closed? Don't you realize my children are here around me asleep? If I get up to get you some food, I'll wake up everybody. I simply cannot, will not, answer your request." Back then, a peasant's cottage was little more than a one-room enclosure. Jesus says even though your neighbor is very negative in his initial response, if you continue to knock and continue to plead your case, not because your friend wants to help you but because of your sheer persistence, finally, he will get up and find you some bread and hand it out the door, and say, "Please take it, anything, to restore some peace in my house." (3) How do you feel about this story? Is Jesus telling us that God is like the neighbor? Is He saying that God doesn't want to be bothered by us, but, if we are persistent and keep raising a ruckus that he will give in to us just to shut us up? Is this the prayer version of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease?" God will eventually respond if we just keep making noise!? I don't think that Jesus is saying that the sleepy neighbor represents God at all! In fact, the reluctant neighbor stands in contrast with a willing and loving Father who is ready to give good gifts to His children. The key to resolving the tension between the neighbor who had battened down the hatches for the night and a loving God whose heart is always open for us is found in the translation of the tiny Greek conjunction, kai, which is found in the compound word, kago, in vs. 9. It can be translated as and, so, also, even, indeed, or but. To simplify the issue, let's just say that it can be translated as either and or but depending on the context. For example, if it links together two things that are similar, then it can be translated "and," as it is in the sentence "I went to the game, and I stayed until the last play." However, if this conjunction is connecting things that are in contrast to each other, it is appropriate to translate it as "but," as it is in the sentence, "I apologize for what I said this morning, but you never listen to what I say." The word, "but", announces that what comes after it is in opposition or contrast to what you just said. (So, never try to apologize using the word "but" in the sentence.) After this story Jesus begins His application in vs. 9 by saying, "But I say to you, ask . . . seek . . . knock . . ." And our heavenly Father far surpasses our ability to give good gifts to our children as He gives Himself through the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Here is a clear contrast to the reluctant neighbor. God does not hold back until we pester Him. Rather, He willingly responds to our seeking, asking and knocking. In these verses Luke teaches us how to pray and how to respond to the needs of others. Luke gives us an abbreviated version of the Lord's prayer from the commonly used version found in Matthew, and he teaches us to ask, seek and knock concerning our requests to God, knowing that God can be trusted and He is like a Father who longs to give good gifts to his children. But there is another lesson to be learned from the middle section in verses 5-8, and that has to do with how we respond to the needs of others. Remember the image of this man not having food to share with his late night company and going to his neighbor to ask for bread for his company. Even in the face of resistance he persisted until the man gave him bread just to get him away and restore peace to his household. It is here that the question in the sermon title came to me. When faced with the choice to respond to someone's need, I asked myself the question, am I "Wussy or Bodacious?" "Wussy" is one of those words that almost define themselves just by saying it. It means timid, weak, self-doubting, afraid to try or risk. "Bodacious," on the other hand, is a combination of the words, "bold" and "audacious," which is like being bold to the third power. A "bodacious" person has what the Jews call "chutzpah," or others call "moxie." It is a person with inner strength who is willing to step out of the shadows of safety and do something, take risks and make a difference. At the pivot point in this passage that deals with how to pray on the one hand and a loving God who wants to answer our prayers is a person who wants to meet the needs of others. He is faced with a choice, will I be wussy or bodacious? Will I find a way to make excuses or will I find a way to meet a need? I think that most of us have some of both qualities in us. Most of the time, when we see a need, it is at a safe distance, and no one else hears the rationalizations going on inside of us. The "wussy" voice is almost like a "whiny" voice as it whines inside of us . . . "I don't think I want to do that . . .I just don't know what to do . . . That would take too much time and effort . . . I just like to don't do things that make me uncomfortable . . ." But, there is another voice that speaks not to our fears and self-centeredness, but speaks to the faith part of us that moves mountains and that speaks and sacrifices heroically to make a difference for others out of our commitment to Christ. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which tells the story of the bold, audacious impact of living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter, Stephen, Paul and the other disciples became bodacious proclaimers of the Good News of God's love and forgiveness. They crossed the boundaries of race, gender, culture, class, prejudice and political power to both preach and live the Good News. Jesus has taught us how to pray. He has assured us of God's love and desire to provide us what we need. And everyday that we live, we see needs waiting to be met all around us. I believe that God intends for some of those needs to be met through us personally, through our church and through our joint efforts with others. Like the people who took the test of grip strength on the dynamometer, they discovered that what they actually did had far more to do with their attitudes than their abilities. And, everyday, we are faced with the choice of how to pray and how to get involved meeting the needs of others, and, everyday, we must choose-Will I be Wussy or Bodacious? _________________ 1. Bits & Pieces, May, 1991, p. 15. 2. "To Whom Do we Pray?" a sermon by Rev. John Claypool, retired Episcopal priest, now professor of preaching for the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta, GA, 3. Ibid |
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