Simply. Honestly. A lot.

(A sermon based on Luke 11:1-13, Psalm 138 and Colossians 2:6-19)

How are we to pray?

One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

This maybe wasn't the wisest of questions. There's an element of impatience to it. 'John taught his disciples how to pray. Why haven't you taught us how to pray yet?'

As I've said previously, the disciples might have been better paying attention to Jesus' example. Most of the time, he prayed simply, honestly and a lot. That would have been a good place to start.

But no. The disciples wanted the wood hidden behind trees. They wanted details and specifics, so Jesus gave them some pointers. 'When you pray, honour God. Pray that his will will be done everywhere. Ask for what you really need to live your lives. Admit the error of your ways and forgive those who've done you wrong. Pray to be sheltered from any temptation that would be too hard to resist.'

He didn't give rules on times and places. He didn't insist on closed eyes and clasped hands. He gave the disciples somewhere to start from.

There's no magic to the words Jesus used. There's no one right way to pray. Nonetheless, the words have become almost set in stone - a ritual we repeat as the Lord's Prayer.

We shouldn't get caught up in the exact wording, though. Jesus spoke in Aramaic. His words were written down in Greek. They've been translated into English for us. Well, sort of. Don't tell anyone but I think it's possible the version most of us are used to is a little out of date – it's the 'art's and 'thy's which give it away. There are many equally valid ways of expressing Jesus' meaning in modern English.

If you're unsure about that, think of it in terms of the word dreich, which is one of my favourite words. Being able to use it in everyday conversation is one of the many, many advantages of living in Scotland… even if, some years, I do have to use it rather often.

I looked up a definition and it said this: a combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather. At least 4 of the above adjectives must apply before the weather is truly dreich.

So what's that got to do with anything? Bear with me…

A dreich day could be overcast, drizzly, cold and misty or it might be dull, cold, misty and miserable, or some other combination. There are lots of words in English that come close to meaning the same as the Scots but none that really nail it. If I said, 'It's dreich out there,' and someone looked at me strangely, I might explain that it's dull, cold, misty and whatever else. More likely, I'd say, 'The weather's a bit horrible.' It's not quite the same but the meaning is there.

In the same way, the short version of the Lord's Prayer we read earlier from Luke can be restated as follows:

Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil."

This gives a different angle on what we're saying. Still, there is something to be said for the comfort and support of things we're used to. We just need to remember to look beyond the ritual as well. There's an awful lot in those words.

Our Father,
Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven,
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation.

Jesus prayed simply, honestly and a lot. If we want to do the same, then these words are an incredible place to begin, in whatever form.

Father:
May your holy name be honoured;
may your Kingdom come.
Give us day by day the food we need.
Forgive us our sins,
for we forgive everyone who does us wrong.
And do not bring us to hard testing.

We can all say 'Amen' to that.

Jesus didn't finish there. He went on to explain to the disciples why we should pray. He told them a parable, similar to this one:

In the middle of the night, a dad woke up to a plaintive cry from the next room. "I need a hanky!" came the shout from his young daughter.

He sighed, rolled over and went back to sleep.

Sometime later, he was woken again. "I need a HANKY!"

He looked at his clock. It was four in the morning. "There's one under your pillow," he hissed back, trying not to wake anyone else.

There was a pause and then a small girl stood at the bedroom door. "Can't find it."

"It's there. I put it under your pillow at bedtime."

"But it's my pillow I can't find."

"Wha-? Why not? Oh never mind, just wipe your nose on a sleeve." The dad rolled over again and dozed off.

A couple of minutes after that, he woke with a start to find a snotty child looming over him and a disconcerting wetness on his arm. "Not my sleeve," he muttered.

The response wasn't quiet. "I NEED A HANKY."

"OK, OK," he said, getting out of bed. "I'll get you hanky."

The point is that being polite and reasonable doesn't always get the job done. Being persistent and passionate is sometimes the way to go. If it works with people, how much better is it going to work with the God of love and justice who is eager to listen and act?

Why should we pray? Because if we don't, we're missing out.

Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For all those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks.

So, we're to pray. And we're to pray passionately and persistently. What are we to pray for? What are we to talk to God about?

As I've said, we have a place to start:

Father:
May your holy name be honoured;
may your Kingdom come.
Give us day by day the food we need.
Forgive us our sins,
for we forgive everyone who does us wrong.
And do not bring us to hard testing.

Prayer is asking God for help, sharing how we feel about things, and thanking him for all he's given us. Prayer is also a chance to say sorry to God for things we shouldn't have done and to try and put into words how wonderful God is.

But what about the details? How can we ask for what we need when we don't always know what's good for us?

Jesus said, "Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for a fish to eat?" Clearly not. Then again, would you give him a couple of oatcakes and a few raisins to tide him over until teatime? I know I might.

Thankfully, God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we expect. Then again, sometimes he does and the result isn't what we expected. Often he gives a flat out 'No' simply because the whole thing is a bad idea. He knows what he's doing, even if we don't.

That's no reason to stop praying and leave it to him, however. By getting to know God better and growing closer to him, we will get better at praying. We will understand what he wants. We will be better able to be open, honest, persistent and passionate.

As Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, "Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith." Colossians 2:6-7 (GNB)

How do we do that?

Well, ironically, I guess starting with some prayer wouldn't do any harm.

To sum up:

We are to pray. To speak to God whenever and wherever we can, in whatever way works.

If we don't know what to say, the Lord's Prayer gives us a place to start. All that matters is that we keep going and speak from the heart as we build our lives on Christ.

God is waiting to listen and to act. His love is eternal and he will do everything he has promised.

In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.

So be it.