Philippians 4:4-9: Speculating on the Possible Good

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.  - Philippians 4:4-9

Peace seems elusive to the people of Philippi. "...the peace of God...will guard your heart." and again, "the God of peace will be with you." Rather than deny that people are anxious, Paul tells them to go to the source of peace-God.

Why? Because God is not surprised. He is not caught off guard. He is not worried that things will not turn out as planned. Those were things that Paul experienced. Those were things that the Philippians experienced. They were not things that God experienced. But he welcomes us telling him about them, no matter how trivial or major they are. 

There are two concrete tools for people under stress: first, stay gentle. Stress is a character projector-it shows what is really inside us. Second, center on that is true. Stress is often related to a world view where God is actually not in control or doesn't have care for us. In the back corners of our minds, we can construct all sorts of fantasy explanations of why things are the way they are and they often leave God out of it.

So first, this week, when I am stressed, I want to react gently and-when I don't-to be honest about that's going on. And second, I want to re-center and speculate on the possible good in the world rather than speculating on all the world's possible bad.  

Call to Worship: Wisdom and Prayer (Colossians 1:9-12)

Call to Worship

Colossians 1:9-12

L1:    We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives

L2:     So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way

L1:    Bearing fruit in every good work

L2:    Growing in the knowledge of God, 

L1:    Being strengthened with all power ...

L2:    Giving joyful thanks to the Father ...

ALL:    Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.  

Philippians 4:10-19: Generosity and Contentment

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:10-19

Generosity can come from two sources: either you feel like you have enough or you feel like you must appear like you have enough. One is born out of trust and the other out of fear. In 1 Timothy, Paul said, But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that, Food and clothing are a long way from what my minimums would be. Why could Paul be content? Because he knew that God would provide. There was a patience in knowing that God had plans already in motion that would take care of him. God's people were already concerned. Epaphroditus was on his way. Knowing that God already had things in hand allowed Paul to live with the minimum in patience.

I find I am not content often. I am waiting for the next thing to happen. The next paycheck to appear in my bank account. The next meeting to further the agenda. If they don't happen, I grow anxious, short tempered, and I can't focus. What would contentment look like for me? Maybe lower blood pressure, a continued acknowledgement to God that I trust that he has things in hand, a recounting of the number of times that he has proved faithful to give me strength in the past. Paul knew this isn't automatic, which is why 4 verses before these he wrote Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. So I will pray and, in turn, be generous for the right reasons: out of God-given contentment based on my trust in him.

Call to Worship: May None of God's Works Keep Silent

From a 3rd century Christian prayer found written on shards of pottery, discovered in Oxyrhynchus in Egypt:

May none of God's wonderful works keep silence, night or morning.
Bright stars, high mountains, the depths of the seas, sources of rushing rivers-
May all of these break into song as we sing to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
May all the angels in the heavens reply: Amen! Amen! Amen!
Power, praise, honor, eternal glory to God, the only Giver of grace.
Amen! Amen! Amen!

- A. Hamman, ed. Early Christian Prayers (Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1961), p. 69 as cited in M. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity (Grand Rapids: Baker Academin, 2012), p. 39

Help, Thanks, Wow...Sorry?

I remember when I read Anne Lamott's book, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers, I really appreciated her taking a step back and discussing frankly what can and ought to prompt anyone to prayer. She didn't assume a Christian or even a traditionally religious viewpoint for the beginning of her discussion. I found her thin little book thought-provoking and refreshing.

When I finished it, however, it seemed somehow incomplete--missing a word. As I cataloged my own prayers, there was one category that wasn't categorized by the help/thanks/wow trilogy and I summarized it as: Sorry.

As I've worked my way through Tim Keller's book, Prayer, I found similar thoughts: "It is striking, though, that the book leaves out one of the most crucial classical categories of prayer, namely confession and repentance." (p. 61) Sorry.

Helen reminded me of the old acronym that we heard for pray: ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication). Adoration is Wow! Thanksgiving is Thanks! and Supplication is Help. But, there it is again, that missing piece: Sorry.

I realized that Sorry is essential because we have a relationship with God. With any relationship, there is the potential for hurting the other person, realizing that we have caused hurt, and seeking restoration. 'Sorry' starts us on the path for closing the relational gap with God.

If you only knew my secret identity... (Luke 8:28-36)

If You Only Knew My Identity…

Lke 9:28-36

Introduction

Recently, the movies have been full of super heroes. There’s been Bat Man, Spider Man, the Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men and now there was the trailer for the new movie “Man of Steel” which will reboot the story of Super Man. One of the staples of the super hero genre is the idea of the secret identity. Most of the time, they are Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker but when there is trouble, they are Super Man, Bat Man or Spider Man. The intriguing possibility that, behind any bland exterior there could be a person of extraordinary talent drives much of the drama in these super hero stories.

In fact, maybe I am a super hero. Maybe if I rip open my shirt or duck into a phone booth, my special spandex costume might be revealed. Yeah, I could be like Bat Man: bat mobile, bat copter, bat belt, bat gadgets, really cool bat cave, lovely sidekick Labuyo. Rich, ripped and stocked up on gadgets.

But I don’t think I could pull off Super Man. He’s not even human—he’s from planet Krypton. He has real super powers. He didn’t get them from a radioactive spider or gamma rays or steroids or an industrial accident—they are innate—they are a part of who he is. Bat Man is just an overcompensating spoiled kid with parent issues.

How about Jesus? Was he a man? Smart and gifted? Insane? Special connection with the man upstairs (he sure seemed to want to pray a lot!). Maybe the reincarnated version of some previous super hero, like Moses or Elijah or John the Baptist? Or was he even human? There has been speculation in some quarters that he was some form of divine ghost or meat puppet, controlled by some other being? Or, was he something else entirely? Is there a third option?

We’ve been working our way through the 3^rd of 4 biographies of Jesus found in the Bible, written by Luke, a doctor. Luke went back and talked to many of the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life who were still alive, including the original band of followers who were with him from the beginning of his public career all the way until his death and beyond.  There were crowds around Jesus, of course. But seventy or so were around him on a semi-regular basis throughout his three year career. Then twelve, called his disciples, were with him pretty much day in and day out. But within that twelve, there was an even smaller group: Peter, James and John. So, if anyone knew what Jesus was really like, even when the crowds were gone and the spotlight was off, it was these three. 

After Jesus’ big tour of Galilee, healing and teaching, Luke records, in the 9^th chapter, that he asked this group: “Who do you say I am?” And Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ.” That word “Christ” is actually the word for Messiah or “chosen one of God”. Jesus went on to say, in effect: What do you think a Christ does? They wanted a power Messiah, but he revealed a sacrificing Messiah.

And then, eight days later, Jesus gives his disciples an uncensored look at who he really was, but it was so strange—so weird—so much like a sci-fi movie before sci-fi was even thought of, that they “kept it to themselves” (Luke 9:36b) until much later.

Let’s take a look, in chapter 9 of Luke, starting about half way through where it says “Transfiguration”, at what they saw:

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

 ³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

Listen: Jesus Has A Unique Identity, So Pray (vs. 28-29)

Prayer was a constant habit for Jesus. He was busy. His life was managed chaos: crowds, needy people, angry people, and the next town on his preaching tour. He was tired (John 4:6). But it was his regular, fixed practice (ugali) to spend time in prayer (Luke 5:16).

When I travel to Taiwan for a week, I arrive at 6am on Monday morning. After I get to my hotel and get cleaned up, I’m off to the office. From then on, it is meeting on this, customer wants this, “Can you fix this” “Why did you do it like that?” “Can you come to dinner?” Get to bed by 9 or 10, try to go to sleep and then because of jet lag, wake up at 3am, can’t go back to sleep. But as soon as I try to open my Bible and try to pray—then I fall asleep. I’m too busy to pray. I am like Peter, James and John. A little further down, it says they were “very sleepy.”

Jesus goes to prayer, and he is transfigured. Peter goes to prayer, and he falls asleep. I am too busy to pray. But Jesus is too busy not to pray. Jesus appears to be somehow nourished and reinvigorated by prayer, but I am drained. Why is that? Is it just because he is Jesus, a super hero, and I’m just an extra?

Here’s what I know: Jesus wanted to pray, I want to sleep. Seven months into our marriage, Helen left to go finish her college degree in England for five months. No e-mail. I couldn’t wait for the time once every week or two weeks when I could afford to call her. I had no trouble being available at the right time. I’m so socially awkward that I created lists of things to talk to her about, so I could tell her all the interesting things that happened while we were apart. Those conversations made my week. Why? Because it was Helen!

Perhaps our prayers would be less like Ambien and more like 5 hour energy, if we didn’t, in our heart of hearts, think God was boring, passive, uninteresting. Look what happened to Peter, James and John: Luke says: “Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory…”

God is not boring. God is not boring. God is fiercely loving, amazingly creative, wild and glorious. But if you are like me, God can seem boring. It happens. It happens to me. It happened to Peter. Usually I’ve pasted a bad mental picture over the God spot in my soul. The boring God. The predictable God. The impossible-to-please God. These are the lesser “gods” We think that we can finish God’s sentences for him. When you talk with someone thinking you already know what they will say, then it is no longer a dialog. It is boring, presumptious and selfish. How much more with prayer? When you pray, do you also go to listen? Because God will surprise you. He will expose the gaps.

Jesus knows we need this. In our life, he knows we are weak and easily distracted. So, for the briefest moment, he allows heaven to shine through, and we see Jesus as Jesus with absolute certainty. Hold on to those moments. Remember them. Tattoo them on your memories. Because they will sustain you.

Remember Jesus’ mother, Mary? Between the fireworks and miracles at Jesus’ birth—at Christmas--and the wedding at Cana (in John’s biography), thirty years. Nothing. What sustained her? In chapter 2, Luke says:

¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Listen: Because Jesus is uniquely God and man.

Listen: Jesus Has A Unique Role, So Hope (vs. 30-33)

So Jesus’ transformation woke up Peter, James and John from their sleep. And they notice that Jesus isn’t alone. They wake up to find Jesus hostinga round-table theological discussion with Moses, greatest religious leader in Jewish history, and Elijah, greatest prophet in Jewish history.  Both dead hundreds of years. Both glowing. What was in those matzo balls, anyway?  Dead people discussing theology. Now we know what killed them.

Peter notices that they are leaving (vs. 33), and he does what Peter does best: he starts to blab. Moses! Elijah! Jesus! Best. Camping. Trip. Ever. Look at the lineup of speakers we’ve got for you this year!

That’s exactly the problem: Moses and Elijah were not Jesus’ peers. They are not his religious colleagues. You ever see someone dancing on a street corner, holding a sign, trying to get you to turn here? That’s Moses and Elijah. They are sign carriers for the coming attraction: Jesus. They are the movie trailer long before the coming attraction: Jesus. 

Notice it says (verse 31) that “they spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” Their whole life was spent pointing to Jesus—the Christ—the Messiah—the chosen on—God on earth—to this very day. They were excited. But they never got to see it. Later, in Peter’s 1^st letter, he wrote:

“¹⁰ …the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” – 1 Peter 1:10

Many times we suffer from Peter’s problem. He was looking for a great man to solve all of his problems. But those men were just sign carriers, advertisements for a great God. We do the same thing. There are no Christian super stars. But American culture and Filipino culture likes super stars. So we  make American Idols. We like great singers, powerful speakers, dynamic leaders. But can’t you see the trap? It’s like the new car smell without the new car!  The trailer without the movie. The ad without the product. But miss Jesus!

Jesus is the hope. There is no lasting life change without Jesus. There is no enduring strength without Jesus. There is no ability to push through hard times unscarred without Jesus. There is no untainted genius without Jesus. Jesus has a unique role: the answer to the ‘hopes and fears of all the years rest in thee tonight’

Don’t settle for second-class hope (was class hope). Jesus is the special, chosen Messiah of God, sent to give us hope.

Listen: Jesus Has Unique Authority, So Listen (vs. 34-38)

Now at this point, someone needs to shut Peter up. You know, like when your spouse or your friend is starting to say something embarrassing and you elbow them, or give them the “look” (kindat). Well, James and John weren’t doing their job, so God decides to do it himself:

While he was speaking, God starts talking. Peter shut up. A cloud comes up around them, and the other two disappear. Moses once wrote about a cloud on a mountain top, just like this one, back in the book Exodus. Every good Jewish boy and girl heard this story, about how Moses went into the cloud and met God and received God’s instructions. So God was speaking to them, in a cloud, on a mountain, so that they would understand the importance and gravity of what he was about to say.

Helen will tell you that, in our house, if there is a period of silence and then I say, “OK” it means I’m about to say what we should be doing.  Same with the cloud and the mountain.  And Luke felt it was so important that he wrote it down for us:

So, what does God want us to hear? “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” First: Jesus is uniquely divine and human: Son of God and Son of Man. Second: Jesus has a unique job: He is chosen. He is Messiah. He is Christ. No one else can claim that role. Third: Jesus has unique authority. He has the full faith and backing of God, so you’d better listen.”

What does this mean for us? Jesus is in a unique position because He is God and because He is God’s chosen hope for the world. He is a Teacher and we lack understanding.  He is a Master and we lack direction.  He is the Savior and we need rescuing. There is a tremendous gap between who we are and who we should be. Jesus bridges that gap.

Conclusion

Let’s wrap it up.

Among the dead from the Newtown, CT shootings was Mary Sherlach, the school counselor. From the Sacramento Bee, “When the shots rang out, Mary Sherlach threw herself into danger. Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools said Sherlach and the school’s principal ran toward the shooter. They lost their own lives, rushing toward him.” She was nearing retirement, but, according to her son-in-law, “Mary felt like she was doing God’s work working with children.”[1]

I admire these two. They are the super-heroes. Those who hear the danger, but heed it not because of the value of those placed in their care. These two died.

Jesus died at the end of a path which led relentlessly from the cradle to the cross, heeding not the shame and danger, because of the value of those placed in his care. But now Jesus lives and he is uniquely able to transform ordinary school counselors, and nurses and programmers and students into heroes who, in turn, give themselves away.

That is your identity: in Christ. That’s who I want to grow up to be.

---

[1] Grief pours out for tiny victims and school staff, Sacramento Bee, December 16, 2012, page A20.

Jeremiah 29:7: Praying With External Focus

After being carried to Babylon, God spoke to the exiles:

"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." - Jeremiah 29:7

Often, our actions express an unspoken focus on blessing the church, but ignoring the community in which God placed the church. How about with prayer? What does prayer look like when a church takes its eyes from itself and looks outward? Here's a thought-provoking chart from the book, The Externally Focused Quest[1]:

• "Internally Focused Church" vs "Externally Focused Church" 
• "Prayer inside the church" vs. "Prayer on location in the community (schools, places of violence, etc.)" 
• "Prayer for our people" vs. "Prayer for those outside our church-city officials, human service agency leaders, teachers, etc." 
• "Prayer for our church" vs. "Prayer for other churches"
• "Prayer for you" vs. "Pray with you"
• "Prayer for church finances" vs. "Prayer for money to be freed up to help others." 
• "Prayer for the lost." vs. "Prayer for and engagement with three people who don’t know Jesus." 
• "Prayer gatherings for people in our church." vs. "Prayer gatherings with other churches for the community." 
• "Prayer for myself (my happiness, security, health, etc.)" vs. "Prayer for people in need." 
• "Prayer for God to change them" vs. "Prayer for God to change me" 
• "Prayer for people to come to church" vs. "Prayer for people to be sent out from our church." 
• "Prayer for the success of our church." vs. "Prayer for expansion of the kingdom." 
• "People who pray" vs. "People of prayer." 

Pray outwards.


[1] The Externally Focused Quest, Eric Swanson & Rick Rusaw (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)

Colossians 4:2-6: Ready

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Introduction
As with Paul’s other letters, the last portion of the letter focuses on personal news (vs. 2-6), recommendation of those who were carrying the letters (vs. 7-8) and greetings to members of the church from those who are with Paul (vs. 10-18). In many ways, this section is a match with the beginning of chapter 1.

In chapter 1, we see Paul’s greeting. In chapter 4:18, we see Paul’s handwritten greeting.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God… - Colossians 1:1a

I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. – Colossians 4:18

In chapter 1, we see the greeting from Paul’s companions. In chapter 4, we see an extended greeting from Paul’s other companions. For example:

and Timothy our brother, - Colossians 1:1b

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. – Colossians 4:10a

Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. – Colossians 4:11

. – Colossians 4:12

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings

Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. – Colossians 4:14

This kind book-ending, where you have topic 1 and then topic 2 and then topic 3 and then back to topic 2 and then go back to topic 1 is called chiasm. In this chiastic structure, the most important topic is placed in the middle. In Colossians, this falls on Chapter 3:1 where it talks about setting your mind on things above, right between his practical advice on religious life and his practical advice on relationships. You can see this similar sort of structure in many Psalms. This is why we sometimes get confused when reading them and why outlining them sometimes makes no sense, because they aren’t written Thesis Statement, Supporting Statement A, Supporting Statement B, then C, then Conclusion. They are written Thought A, Thought B, Really Important Point C, Back to Thought B, and then wind down with Thought A and maybe a little tag at the end. And it isn’t always 100%. Drives OCD Bible scholars nuts.

Now as we come to verses 2-6, we see Paul encourage us:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Now, sneak back to chapter 1 again:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you… - Colossians 1:9

You see, Paul is working his way out from his central theme, back to the theme of prayer that he started the book with. Paul and his fellow workers (“we”) were praying continuously for the Colossians and now he asks them to pray.

If there is one word that characterizes these verses, it is readiness. Be ready. God is on the move. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we missed the movement of God; if it just passed us by without our notice? Or if we saw the movement of God and decide not to join him? One of the few times where Jesus was moved to years is recorded in the book of Luke:

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he [Jesus] wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes…because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." – Luke 19:41,42,44b

God is not passive. He is not some senile old man in the sky who once in a while gets his act together. And while his character is predictable, his methods are not. He continually is able to surprise us with his creativity and inventiveness. With a God on the move, we who are his servants can only stand on tiptoes, looking for what he will do next.

This past weekend we picked up a man who lived in a tent on a 2 acre parcel in the lovely town of Snake Pit California. He struggled to stay awake each night, because as soon as he would sleep, someone has been stealing stuff from his tent: Pillsbury biscuits, soup, his driver’s license. He couldn’t sleep because of fear of theft. For us, what would life be life if we wouldn’t sleep, not because of fear, but because we were afraid we would miss something that God was doing?

Paul gives us three areas:

1. Be Ready To Pray
2. Be Ready To Speak
3. Be Ready To Answer

Be Ready To Pray

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. – Colossians 4:2

If God is moving, then we must be ready to act when He is on the move. That readiness is cultivated by the habit of prayer. Notice how Paul couples “prayer” with “watchful”-ness and “thankful”-ness. To be watchful is to look forward with expectation. Our hope is in heaven, so what is heaven up to? Prayer is the key to getting on God’s channel; tuning into God’s station; syncing with his agenda. When you read an Agatha Christie novel, or watch one of her great detectives like Hercules Poirot or Miss Marple, you know that they have a knack for noticing the details and understanding which are significant and which are not. In one story, Poirot discusses his methods. In order to get the “little gray cells” working he must have just the right setting: lighting, tea, sitting position; lack of interruptions. For the follower of Jesus, prayer is the method. With it God helps us notice details and discern what is significant and what is just static.

We also pray thankfully. Thankfulness is the 20-20 hindsight version of watchfulness; watching carefully behind us to see how God has marvelously worked. Someone has once said that a mystery novel starts at the wrong place; that all of the interesting bits--all the passion and stress and action--have already happened in the past; that the detective is piecing together the amazing drama of the past. That is praying with thankfulness. Detailing God’s work yesterday gives us perspective for today.

Sometimes God is moving, but we don’t see it.

The journals of Mother Theresa reveal a woman who was on fire from a young age, whose very call to ministry was from Christ. But then, except for a brief period in 1959, she confessed repeatedly of being lonely and struggled with the sense of God’s absence until she died.

When Jesus was brought to the temple as a baby, they met Simeon, an old man, who had received a word from God: that he would see the hope of Israel before he died. He heard just this one word from God and then had a lifetime of waiting, in a nation which had not heard from God in over 400 years.

That is why Peter wrote:

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. – 2 Peter 3:9

Many of Jesus’ parables are of the absent master who comes back and finds servants or his bride in various states of readiness. Some live like he is going to be around soon. Some have lived like he is in permanent holiday. That is why Paul instructs us to “devote yourselves to prayer” That word “devote” is actually an adverb: pray devotedly or, stickily. The same word is used in Mark 3:9, where it says:

And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; - Mark 3:9 (NAS)

That phrase “stand ready” is the same word. It has the idea of faithfulness or keeping it close by.

First, we are ready, when we pray, because it allows us to see God at work. Second, because God is always at work, we need to be ready to proclaim when he gives us the opportunity.

Be Ready To Speak
The second place where Paul wants to be ready is in speaking.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. – Colossians 4:3-4

When Helen and I go walking in the morning, there are two kinds of dogs: there are those that just lazily watch you as you go by and then there are those who are testing the length of their leash. When Paul is asking to pray that the door may be open for the message, he means that literally. How frustrating it must have been for Paul to be at the end of a chain. We know from the 1st chapter of Philippians that Paul wished he could be out doing the work of proclaiming.

So Paul is staring at his prison door, waiting for a crack, so that the message can go out. He wants to be ready. The word for “proclaim” here is just the normal word for speaking to someone. But the context here is someone who initiates; who puts forth the word first.

The second aspect of Paul’s request for prayer is that he would speak clearly. Wouldn’t it be a shame for you get to get your golden opportunity to insert a word and to bungle it because no one could understand what you said? Holding up signs saying John 3:16 doesn’t mean much to a generation that has never cracked open a Bible. Holding up a cross means little if people think it resembles a cute piece of jewelry. Sometimes we try to just toss out the gospel in a form that we can understand and hope against hope that someone else will figure it out. But the responsibility for communication lies with the communicator, not the listener. This was a great lesson from God himself, when, in order to communicate himself, sent Jesus as a man.

Be Ready To Answer
The third place where Paul wants to be ready is in answering. While speaking is active, answering is reactive.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:5-6

Life happens. In the grocery store, in the hospital, on an airplane, on the soccer field, in an office, God presents countless opportunities. And God encourages you: make the most of every opportunity. Not every chance is special, but when the special chance does come we have to be ready.

And your opportunities are squandered if you can’t talk in a winning, life-changing way. The way you talk earns you the right to be heard. When we were in Turkey, the workers there told us, “You can say anything to someone with a smile on your face.” And this phrase “full of grace” is referring to a winning, generous way of speaking, not stingy in praise or love.

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ… - Ephesians 4:15a

But it is not enough to win favor. Whether in religion or in politics, there are plenty of people who will tell you what you want to hear.

…but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires – 2 Timothy 4:3b

And there are plenty to people who speak in clichés. But the difference between friends and friendly can drive you to your knees. In order to be ready, the few moments, the few words need to count. That’s why the Bible says our conversation needs to be “seasoned with salt” It needs to make a difference in the moments we have.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. – Matthew 5:13

It is not enough for people to hear the truth, they must hear that we care. Don’t tell them Jesus loves them until we’re ready to love them too.

Conclusion
How to answer everyone.

``I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,'' said Darcy, ``of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.''

``My fingers,'' said Elizabeth, ``do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women's do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault -- because I would not take the trouble of practising.

I am not very good at being ready. I tend to drift along with whatever is happening, trying to keep my head above water. Life seems moment-by-moment and my mind is focused on the momentary and not the eternal. But even in those moments, Paul enourages us to pray, to speak and to answer.