(This Sermon was delivered at Trinity Anglican Church, Aylmer, ON)
Mark 10:46-52
{Jesus and his disciples} came to Jericho. As
he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of
Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was
Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out
even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still
and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to
him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and
came to Jesus.
Then Jesus said to
him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him,
"My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your
faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed
him on the way.
"Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!"
· Today I get to do what
I’ve wanted to do for a long time; I’ll be preaching about prayer, using the
incident reported in the Gospel story today.
· Let’s take note of what is
done here. The words are simple words. Jesus is addressed and recognized, and
the petition is given… all in seven words.
· These words were not
“crafted” (a word I’ve heard used when discussing the prayers and orations used
at worship.) These words were shouted by Bartimaeus and Many sternly ordered him to be
quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on
me!" Were this to happen in church, we call it a disruption
and then call the usher… and maybe the police. However, this call came in the
middle of a travelling walk.
· Jesus responds by calling
the man over, asking what he wants, and then healing him without ceremony or
fuss: "Go; your faith has made you well."
· Bartimaeus is healed and followed
him on the way. Just like that.
· Of course, prayer and
following Jesus is never “just like that” although it is “just like that.”
· What could we learn about
prayer and praying from this brief story? Plenty!
· The blind man is taken to
task for yelling at Jesus. Many in the crowd tried to hush him, but he cried
out all the louder. We can take this as a simple lesson: Pray as you can and
not as you can’t. We might often feel oddly that we can’t or don’t pray like
someone else – whether that is with fine and learned words or with high emotion
and flamboyant action. Those things are alright and they are the right way for
some people. If that isn’t your way, that’s just fine. Be who you are before
God, because God knows the real you and can tell the difference. It is possible
that you can make another person’s words yours when joining in public worship
or common prayers. One great example of this is praying the Psalms, the Bible’s
prayer book.
· When you pray, pray with
real words and real feelings. If you’re angry, pray in anger. If you’re hurt,
pray out of your hurt. If you’re sick, you are allowed to say “I can’t pray
today.” Remember that God will be just as close.
· Once again, when you pray,
pray about real things, your cares and concerns, and even your fears. If these
things are real to you, they are certainly real to God.
· There are more ways to
pray than simply to make petitions and ask for things. You can offer praise;
you can express surprise; you can express gratitude – and all of us really
should. You can also pray as a way of being in touch with God. In this last
case, it is possible to pray without words through a simple awareness of the
presence of God in your life and in the world around you. That does take
practice, just so you know.
· As disciples of Jesus, prayer
is part of our following as a disciple. When our prayer is honest and open, it
will lead to things we might never have expected. It is possible to have prayer
change us. That can be a frightening and wonderful thing.
· The last thing to say has to
do with what words or actions or postures or emotions are prayerful. You can
pray with words or without them. You can pray with your posture or your body –
standing, sitting, kneeling, bowing. You can pray out of any emotion – joy,
gratitude, sadness, pain, anger. There is one thing you have to do to pray: you
have to want to. That’s all that’s required. The desire to pray is itself a
prayer.
· Bartimaeus
wanted to… and was healed… and followed Jesus. And it all began with these
words: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
W
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