Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Luke 11,5-13. Rogate

Friday, May 27, 2022

Luke 11,5-13. Rogate

Luke 11,5-13 2922

Rogate 41

Constantine, Emperor, 337

22. Mai 2022

1. ℣ Yahweh hath redeemed His servant Jacob:

℟ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! (Psalm 66,2).

O Holy Spirit, Thou Dearly-beloved; direct all our life to always be according to Your purpose, so that when we go into the jaws of death You help us die gladly and after death we inherit the eternal house of life. Amen. (Zieh ein zu deinen Toren Paul Gerhardt 1653 elkg 482,13 2021).

2. »And Jesus said to them: „Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him 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!“«

3. Jesus taught His disciples: »Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full« (John 16,24). He taught them the Lord’s Prayer with its 7 petitions that ask God the Father to: make His Name holy in our lives, bring His kingdom into our midst, do His will among us, daily provide for us, forgive us of our sins, lead us away from temptation and rescue us from evil. This brief prayer addresses the basic concerns in this earthly life.

4. Jesus told a parable after He taught us the Lord’s Prayer. This parable highlights God’s love and providence for us. He immediately addresses one of the first arguments people tend to make about prayer: well, I don’t want to bother God with my concerns. People usually intend this to be a pious humility, but in reality it may be a pretentious arrogance that presumes to know what God wants in regard to prayers. Jesus flatly says your prayers do not bother God, for He expects you and encourages you to pray to Him. Jesus says ask, and God will give it to you, for He is our Heavenly Father. Luther writes in the Small Catechism: God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our True Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear Father.

5. Jesus then addresses a 2. argument people tend to make about prayer: well, I don’t know what to pray for or how to pray for it. I daresay, the reason Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer is because they asked the same questions. What should we pray for Jesus and how should we word it? The Lord’s Prayer gives us simple words and short petitions to pray. We could just pray the Lord’s Prayer alone for their whole life and we would pray for all the concerns Jesus says are near and dear to His Father’s heart.

6. Prayer is not also not an activity that becomes null and void if you say or use the wrong words. God knows your heart and intention; He will not give you something harmful. His desire is to always give you that which is good, beneficial and helpful to you. We only need to pray, and let God answer and decide according to His perfect will what good gifts to give to His children and when to give those gifts.

7. Jesus then addresses a 3. argument people make about prayer: well, I can’t find the words to pray. This often occurs when we are in crisis or distraught; we are overwhelmed with emotions and find it difficult to put our thoughts into words. A tragic accident or illness, an unexpected death, unspeakable violence or a natural disaster often occurs unannounced and we struggle to find the words to pray. Recent events in our country and around the world drive this home. Jesus says our Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. The Psalmist reminds us with these words of God: »Be still, and know that I am God« (Psalm 46,10). The Apostle Paul told the Roman Christians: »The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for us as we ought, but the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God« (Romans 8,26.27).

8. Thus God has briefly placed before us all the distress which may ever come upon us, so that we might have no excuse whatever for not praying. But all depends upon this, that we learn also to say Amen, that is, that we do not doubt that our prayer is surely heard, and what we pray shall be done. For this is nothing else than the word of undoubting faith, which does not pray at a venture, but knows that God does not lie to us, since He has promised to grant it. Therefore, where there is no such faith, there cannot be true prayer either (Large Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer 119-20).

9. Be our light in darkness, Lord, Our defender;

In Your presence perils all Must surrender.

Drive all dark satanic snares From each dwelling;

Then, at peace, our hearts Your praise Will be telling (Lord, Support Us All Day Long, Stephen P. Starke, b. 1955 lsb 884,2)

This is most certainly true.

10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Almighty, Eternal God, Faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, You are the Eternal Word and Image of the Eternal Father, our Mediator and Savior, crucified for us and raised again. We give You most hearty thanks that You took on our human nature, and are ordained our Redeemer, that in Your flesh You suffered, rose from the dead and now intercede for us. Regard and have mercy on us, for we are lonely and poor. Increase the light of faith in us. By Your Holy Spirit bear with us in our weakness, rule, protect and sanctify us. In you, O Lord, do we take refuge; let us never be put to shame! Amen. (Philip Melanchthon, in The Life of Philip Melanchthon, Charles Frederick Ledderhose, 1855, p. 356; Stratman 43).

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Friday, May 27, 2022

Luke 11,5-13. Rogate

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