He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 So he said to them, “When you pray, say:
Luke 11:1-13
Father, may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? 13 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!”
My sermon from the 7th Sunday after Pentecost (July 27, 2025) on Luke 11:1-13.
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8 days ago, my family and I attended a memorial for a friend who passed away last year. Seth was an amazing person who knew practically everyone which is why his remembrance was being held in a theater in Brooklyn. The event began with a heartfelt welcome from his wife who planned to share more words later on. But before we could hear stories and reflections from those who knew him best, we were first invited to please stand up. Now one of the things to know about Seth is that he was a professional clown. He and his wife spent over two decades performing in circuses, at street festivals, and dazzling audiences all over the world with incredible sold out shows. They never wore full clown makeup and preferred using acrobatics, props, whimsy, and humor to bring joy to others. In the years immediately after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, Seth had organized and created a home-grown circus that traveled from village to village through the war-torn countryside. The work he and others did empowered individuals to claim their humanity in the face of all kinds violence, suffering, and sorrow. It’s a circus that is still active today even after the Taliban returned to power. And many of the acts and routines Seth brought to life are still going strong. So we, at the memorial, began the event by doing – together – the circus’ warm-up routine. I’m going to do my best to replicate it now and – if you’d like – feel free to stand up and do it with me. We begin by taking our right arm and slowly sort of punch the air while counting: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. Make sure to keep the rhythm steady and try really hard to not speed up. We then switch and do the same thing with our left: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. Next, we kick out with our right leg: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. And then we do the same with our left: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. With our limbs feeling loose, we now do our whole body at the same time: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. I think we’ve got a handle on it so let’s do the whole thing two more times – but faster.
Right arm: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Left arm: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Right leg: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Left leg: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
The body: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Now even faster!
Right arm: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Left arm: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Right leg: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Left leg: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Everything together: 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10.
Congratulations. We’re ready for the circus.
But before we rush to whatever comes next, let’s pay attention to our body and our spirit. Maybe we feel a bit looser, more relaxed, a tad silly, and even a bit surprised since we didn’t expect to see ourselves, those around us, and me up here in my alb shaking way more than we usually do on a Sunday morning. When our bodies move in an enthusastic, freeing, and unexpected way, we’re doing more than preparing ourselves for whatever might come next. We’re also opening ourselves to the possibility that the joy, laughter, fun, and hope we share with others might be available to us too. Warming ourselves up for what can be while living through everything as it truly is – empowers us to grab onto a love and grace that pushes us into something more. And I wonder if, maybe, the words we heard Jesus share were an invitation for us to do the same. Prayer doesn’t need to only be a list of complaints we make to upper management or a wishlist turning God into some kind of cosmic Santa Claus. Prayer is, instead, an opportunity to discover the God who is with us no matter what comes next. Prayer is a conversation, an experience, and an event where we get to be completely ourselves. And that’s because God has empowered us, through baptism and faith, to be authentically who we truly are. That means we get to ask and wonder, dream and imagine, complain and rage as we wonder why the beauty of life is often overcome with so much pain and sorrow. God wants us to name what breaks our heart before we downplay it by recognizing how others have it worse. God knows our prayers won’t necessarily be answered in the ways we expect and that they won’t always stay the same since life has a habit of changing our prayers while we go through so much joy and grief. Yet the God who was willing to go through Christmas and to discover what it means to be vulnerable, helpless, and to need other people’s love – is a God who wants us to realize just how known we truly are. God knows your hurts. God knows what makes you smile. God knows the anxiety that wakes you before the dawn breaks and the fears that keep you up way too late. And while our God knows all these things, that doesn’t mean God wants us to act as if some are worthy of care while others are not. God, instead, chooses to empower you to trust that you really are part of what God is doing in the world. And that, I think, is what opens us to something that is incredibly powerful and unbelievably humbling all at the same time. You, really are, loved by God – and we, together, can become who God knows we can be.
And so I wonder if the Lord’s prayer could be a kind of holy warmup rather than something we only say at the end of a long day. Jesus’ words invite us to recognize how we truly are rooted in something so much bigger than ourselves. No where in Jesus’ prayer does he invite us to cling to an “I” or a “me” that is entitled to God’s favor at the expense of everyone else. We, instead, are called to remember that God’s kingdom – not ours – will always be what’s holy and true. God’s kingdom is where everyone receives their daily bread and where our spiritual and material debts are forgiven, while we make sure to practice the same. And when we find ourselves living through trials and hardships that break our soul, we can remember how we are being held in an ever loving embrace that will never let us go. Keeping ourselves open to the fact that God’s love really is for us and for the world isn’t always easy which is why a little warmup is sometimes necessary for us to remember who we get to be. And while that warm up might include moving our arms, legs, and our entire body in ways that feel a bit awkward, silly, and even a little funny – we can also warm up our spirit with a prayer we say out loud or hold deeply in our hearts. The Jesus who is Emmanuel – God-with-us – is truly with you. And may he continue to empower us to live out a holy kind of grace and joy that opens us to the incredible life-giving love God offers to all.
Amen.