Wow! Prayers of Adoration

We continue this morning in a series of messages on one-word prayers. During this Lenten season, we have been intentionally focusing on a time of prayer. We have looked at prayers of confession, supplication, petition, and intercession with our Oops! Help! Why? Please! This week, we lift our hands and voices in WOW!

Luke’s parable of the Extravagant Father is a WOW! Researchers have found that even in an atmosphere in which most homes have a Bible, only one in five American open their Bibles weekly. Interestingly, 9 in 10 Americans know this story – the story of the lost son! We even imagine it to be a part of our American story. There are many more sermons in this single chapter of Luke that are burgeoning to be shared, and they will be across time. That is to say that the one of the few things that people in America know about God is the WOW!

Can you imagine when Jesus first began to tell the story that we know as the prodigal son? Can you imagine the clucking of the tongues as the gathered group listened to the wayward tales of the younger son? They knew this story. The story of a child who sassed back, wanted to do his own thing, leave home, and not think about the larger family. Everyone knew this story. In fact, can’t you imagine that the gathered crowd was ready to add their own stories of big living and details of excess in the style of “You would not believe what my child did!” The crowd knew the story as Jesus described the younger son demanding his inheritance, taking off for greener pastures, coming to his senses, and deciding to return home, even rehearsing his story. But here is where the story comes off the rails. When the son came home, the father did not remain dignified and put on even a hint of the ‘disappointed in you’ face.
NO! In fact, Dad and maybe we can imagine Mom, too, begin running towards the wayward son from the moment that they catch sight of him. They run to embrace and to love, to care and to celebrate! Now, in our 21st century wisdom, we could raise all kinds of questions. Are they enabling his bad habits? What happened to tough love? Does the son really deserve all of this celebration? Wouldn’t the money be better spent on the new needs of the house, instead of lavishly on this wasteful son? And there are vital places to discuss those learnings. But here, we learn about God! As Frederick Buechner says, this is the “outlandishness of God who does impossible things with impossible people.” 1

God, embodied in the parents of this younger son, seeks us out and loves us with extravagance, almost wasteful love. In the Methodist tradition, we call this prevenient grace. On this strengthen of this parable that Jesus tells us about God, his parent and other scriptures and experiences, Methodists understand that God’s grace comes before us. Before we turn to God, before we know about God, before we know who we are, God whispers in our hearts, moves in our lives, seeks us. This image is called “The Return of the Prodigal”, terra cotta by Charles McCollough, 2006.2 The vibrant embrace of the father to the son is the WOW! of this story. Wow! God is Faithful! Wow! God loves us and wants the most for us! WOW! It is GOD! And God is GOOD!

In adoration, we remind ourselves that God is the ground and the origin of all. God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. In adoration, we praise God and remember that we are not the ones who carry the world. We look around and we say WOW! Adoration requires our full attention. Our brothers and sisters in the Catholic tradition have long emphasized a value to adoration, time spent rejoicing, adoring and wondering! Anne Lamott, patron saint of the one word prayers, upon whom the inspiration for this series rests, says this:
“”Wow” means we are not dulled to wonder. We click into being fully present when we’re stunned into that gasp, by the sight of a birth, or images of the World Trade Center towers falling, or the experience of being in a fjord, at dawn, for the first time. “Wow” is about having one’s mind blown by the mesmerizing or the miraculous: the leaf, birdsong, volcanoes.”3 WOW! Is God in nature and God in people, God’s very character. Wow is the adoration and wonderment with God. Wow! Is the incredible twists and turns in the parable to find the hero of the story is used with flaws and loved dearly by God.

This story is our story. Whether you have always been the good older brother or sister who has done things as they should or you have run a long way afoul of how you could have, should have, would have, lived. This story is our story. In this story and throughout our lives, we say WOW! We find all kinds of reasons to cry out WOW! Listen to these holy words: “I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does; so in appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.”4 It comes from Mister Rogers, Presbyterian minister turned folk theologian, who impacted generations of children. He modeled appreciation of awe!

Our tree of prayers is growing in the Narthex. I love that yesterday, as we hosted Tools for Ministry, many stopped by the tree to join in prayer with the prayers that were offered. Many paused to offer their own prayers. Today, I want to invite you to find your post-it note in the bulletin, as well as a pen or pencil. What is your prayer of WOW!? Where do you see God moving and cannot help but shout WOW!? in the midst of God’s people? Will you take a moment to write it down?

After the service, I invite you to add your prayer to the tree. Feel free to pause and offer up prayers with the prayer of others. Indeed, this place where we offer our prayers together is holy ground. As we join each other in prayer, we tenderly walk together having shared some of our deepest fears, wildest hopes, and incredible faith that God’s way is WOW! More incredible than we could have dreamed up ourselves. So, I invite you today as you come to the table to come as one who has seen God run towards them, embrace us when we deserved it the least and celebrated us when we thought we were doomed. God runs towards us each time we return. God embraces us each time we seek God’s way. God celebrates us each time we adore God and seek to be more like God.

Come to the Table, older siblings and wasteful young ones, for God invites us, loves and seeks that we live as God’s people.

This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanks be to God, Amen.

1http://frederickbuechner.com/content/weekly-sermon-illustration-parables-comedy

2“The Return of the Prodigal”, terra cotta by Charles McCollough, 2006; “The Salt of the Earth: A Christian Seasons Calendar 2009/2010, – See more at: http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/blog/2010/03/celebrate/#sthash.TpnzzBP8.dpuf

3Lamott, Anne, Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. 2012, 71.
4http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/10-mr-rogers-quotes-you-need-read

New Testament Lesson: Psalm 32: 1-2, 11
Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Gospel Lesson: Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.
And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable:

Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.
But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’
Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

Meditations For Your Week
Sunday, March 6 ~ Saturday, March 12

Sunday: “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Psalm 32: 1-2. God welcomes us back, no matter what. Have you returned to God?

Monday: “Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.” Psalm 32: 6. Prayerfully consider, even in the midst of challenges, you will not be overwhelmed.

Tuesday: “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah” Psalm 32:7. God is faithful in times of trouble, close in celebration. Let your prayers of WOW! and adoration rise to God.

Wednesday: “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” Psalm 32:11. How can you share your joys and testimony of how God has cared for you?

Thursday: “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15: 1-2. God welcomes all. Where do you need to ask God to open your heart to welcome all of God’s people?

Friday:  “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe–the best one–and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:22-24. God does not shame or embarrass us. Actually, God embrace us anytime we turn to God!

Saturday: “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'” Luke 15:32. Take time today to give thanks for God for receiving you and others when we have been dead and find new life in Christ, lost and are found again!