WEBVTT 00:00:01.609 --> 00:00:05.309 So when I was little, I remember there was this 00:00:05.309 --> 00:00:09.669 older man in church. The elders would lead the 00:00:09.669 --> 00:00:12.750 worship. They'd be praying or reading scriptures 00:00:12.750 --> 00:00:16.129 or giving short sermons. And there was this one 00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:20.149 man that whenever he went up, I knew that that 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:23.579 prayer, was going to be at least 10 minutes long 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:27.000 and oh my word the prayers were just so long 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.899 and I remember as a as a kid I'm like you know 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:31.399 eight nine years old and I remember thinking 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:35.579 if I put my elbows right here on the pew lean 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:38.740 forward in a very devout and holy way and put 00:00:38.740 --> 00:00:43.679 my forehead onto my hands in a nice holy gesture 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.689 then I can get a nice little nap in And it's 00:00:46.689 --> 00:00:50.090 like, oh, yes, thank you, Jesus. Very, very grateful. 00:00:52.689 --> 00:00:56.770 Oh, man. And then once I heard that there was 00:00:56.770 --> 00:00:58.469 no more talking for a little while, I was like, 00:00:58.710 --> 00:01:02.149 OK, I think we're done. And it just made me think 00:01:02.149 --> 00:01:04.989 so much about it. Is this what praying really 00:01:04.989 --> 00:01:08.010 is? Is this what it means that we have to make 00:01:08.010 --> 00:01:10.590 sure we've quoted all these scriptures and that 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:13.290 we've gone into all the things about how terrible 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:16.090 the world is and all the problems that we think 00:01:16.090 --> 00:01:18.989 that we see? How much of this is what it is that 00:01:18.989 --> 00:01:22.709 God wants? Does God have these expectations to 00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:25.969 pray the right way and make sure to go into all 00:01:25.969 --> 00:01:28.909 these things enough? And it made me wonder, when 00:01:28.909 --> 00:01:32.969 will I be able to pray like that? When would 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:37.060 I be at this point? whenever we're young and 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:39.140 and even later in life we oftentimes pick up 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:42.200 on certain rhythms or assumptions and you know 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:46.120 we see prayer often as a kind of formula saying 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:48.640 the right thing and then maybe God will finally 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.620 listen and do what it is that we want. Do I need 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:54.359 to make sure I have plenty of scriptures I can 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:56.620 quote? Do I need to make sure that I'm telling 00:01:56.620 --> 00:01:59.299 God about how terrible the world is? Do I need 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:03.480 to make sure that I have expounded on anything 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.159 and everything that was on my mind with God and 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:09.620 used some big, six -syllable vocabulary words? 00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:13.259 The thing is that in my mind, I'm thinking, what 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:18.219 is the right way to pray? Did I even pray hard 00:02:18.219 --> 00:02:20.699 enough? to make it count with God. You know, 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.759 we pick up on certain rhythms, certain assumptions, 00:02:25.379 --> 00:02:28.120 certain formulas that we follow, things that 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:31.460 we click with. And oftentimes though, we may 00:02:31.460 --> 00:02:35.560 feel guilty because our prayers don't match what 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:38.639 it is that we think God would want to hear from 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:42.939 us. And then sometimes, even when we pray earnestly 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:44.939 and things don't work the way we thought, then 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:49.169 we wonder, maybe my prayers were broken. Maybe 00:02:49.169 --> 00:02:51.389 God isn't actually listening to someone like 00:02:51.389 --> 00:02:56.009 me. And we wonder, what would actually get God 00:02:56.009 --> 00:03:00.449 to listen in the first place? What are the things 00:03:00.449 --> 00:03:04.509 that we have believed? And what do we still believe, 00:03:04.750 --> 00:03:08.810 even when we should know better? What we believed 00:03:08.810 --> 00:03:12.490 and what we still do, it leads us to think about 00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:15.789 some of the claims, the beliefs, and the philosophies 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:18.639 that have been widely accepted throughout history. 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:21.620 Things that people believed that were later proven 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:25.840 to be false but with tragic consequences. Let 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:28.580 me talk a bit about some of the claims that have 00:03:28.580 --> 00:03:31.280 happened and some of the beliefs and then some 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:34.419 of the philosophies. See, some of the claims 00:03:34.419 --> 00:03:37.719 that used to exist, one of them was smoking was 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:42.319 once targeted as healthy with ads saying it sued 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:46.469 the throat. helped digestion and reduced stress. 00:03:47.189 --> 00:03:49.569 Now, we know that smoking causes cancer, heart 00:03:49.569 --> 00:03:52.189 disease, and countless other illnesses, but tobacco 00:03:52.189 --> 00:03:55.590 companies had funded misleading studies, used 00:03:55.590 --> 00:03:59.169 doctors and ads, and suppressed negative evidence. 00:03:59.930 --> 00:04:04.370 People genuinely believed smoking was good for 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:08.610 you until it was finally proven otherwise. Or 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:11.780 even in much of the 20th century, There were 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.759 many doctors who believed that infants couldn't 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:18.959 feel pain the same way that adults do. In reality, 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:23.360 infants do feel pain. Now, many people, though, 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:25.639 would try to have the surgeries on infants without 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:30.079 anesthesia. A misunderstanding of neurology and 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:32.980 also the desire to avoid the complications of 00:04:32.980 --> 00:04:36.980 anesthesia actually caused people to hold to 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:39.860 an assumption. because it made them feel better 00:04:39.860 --> 00:04:44.000 about their decisions. They were so sincere about 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.160 not wanting to hurt the infants, but what they 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:50.519 held to was very, very wrong. And that gives 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:54.980 us pause as we look at our third example, because 00:04:54.980 --> 00:04:58.100 for centuries, bloodletting or draining the blood 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:01.699 from people was believed to cure fevers, infections, 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:05.160 and even mental illness. Makes you grateful for 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:09.230 ibuprofen today. But bloodletting often weakened 00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:12.410 the patients for obvious reasons and sometimes 00:05:12.410 --> 00:05:15.110 even hastened the process of death. There was 00:05:15.110 --> 00:05:18.689 this ancient belief about four humors that existed 00:05:18.689 --> 00:05:20.750 and you're trying to get rid of one of them to 00:05:20.750 --> 00:05:24.129 help the others, but it persisted because of 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:26.370 a lack of anything else for them to believe. 00:05:27.129 --> 00:05:29.990 But as we can see, even when everyone's trying 00:05:29.990 --> 00:05:33.170 their best, the old frameworks can oftentimes 00:05:33.170 --> 00:05:36.540 lead us down the wrong path. If those generations 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:40.620 were wrong about things that were so basic, what 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:45.720 are we missing now? Are there voices today that 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:49.620 we ridicule or ignore just like others did before? 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:53.360 How do we know when it's time to rethink what 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:57.519 we've always assumed? But what about some of 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.139 the previous beliefs that existed? In the ancient 00:06:00.139 --> 00:06:02.790 world, people looked at the universe and saw 00:06:02.790 --> 00:06:06.329 it as full and overflowing with unseen powers 00:06:06.329 --> 00:06:09.170 in their daily lives. And it wasn't just the 00:06:09.170 --> 00:06:11.670 Hellenistic idea of the Greeks and the Romans 00:06:11.670 --> 00:06:15.750 with their multitude of gods and demigods. Even 00:06:15.750 --> 00:06:19.709 in Judaism, there were strong traditions of mysticism. 00:06:20.410 --> 00:06:23.230 Visions of angels and cosmic battles and heavenly 00:06:23.230 --> 00:06:26.610 intermediaries and the sense that divine beings 00:06:26.610 --> 00:06:29.910 were somehow controlling the events behind reality. 00:06:31.050 --> 00:06:33.310 In the book of Daniel you start to see hints 00:06:33.310 --> 00:06:36.189 of this, but in other apocalyptic writings it 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:38.850 talks even more about the Prince of Persia and 00:06:38.850 --> 00:06:42.889 Michael the Archangel waging war in heaven, spirits 00:06:42.889 --> 00:06:45.069 and angels and forces and elemental principles. 00:06:45.269 --> 00:06:48.730 The average person didn't think of the divine 00:06:48.730 --> 00:06:53.509 as one clear person. So people did what people 00:06:53.509 --> 00:06:57.310 always do, they hedged their bets. They tried 00:06:57.310 --> 00:07:00.250 to tap into a little bit of this God and a little 00:07:00.250 --> 00:07:03.209 bit of that power. They looked for the rituals 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:05.189 and the prayers and the knowledge and the secret 00:07:05.189 --> 00:07:08.410 forces that could give them an edge in dealing 00:07:08.410 --> 00:07:12.509 with life. And if we're honest, not a lot has 00:07:12.509 --> 00:07:16.009 actually changed today. Now, today we're less 00:07:16.009 --> 00:07:19.769 likely to call things gods. But we still search 00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:22.730 for some kind of greater power that's behind 00:07:22.730 --> 00:07:26.069 everything. Sometimes, It's spiritual. We have 00:07:26.069 --> 00:07:28.949 the crystals around our neck. We make sure that 00:07:28.949 --> 00:07:33.230 we're talking to our guardian angels and we look 00:07:33.230 --> 00:07:36.529 at our horoscopes. Sometimes it's social or political 00:07:36.529 --> 00:07:39.189 with the deep state and the system and big tech 00:07:39.189 --> 00:07:42.910 and big pharma, all of the days that are larger 00:07:42.910 --> 00:07:46.509 than life. And sometimes it's even a moral war 00:07:46.509 --> 00:07:48.949 where everyone who disagrees with us is demonic 00:07:48.949 --> 00:07:52.069 and everyone that's on our side is righteous, 00:07:52.370 --> 00:07:57.420 heroic. superhuman. And sometimes the conspiracy 00:07:57.420 --> 00:07:59.600 theories we chase are not because of wanting 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.160 to solve puzzles or finding truth, but because 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:04.980 deep down we want to believe that there's something 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:07.959 bigger that must be at work. Something hidden 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.300 that must be pulling all the strings. The idea 00:08:11.300 --> 00:08:14.399 that life is just ordinary or broken in mundane 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:18.399 ways, it's just not very satisfying. We create 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.589 grand unseen enemies or saviors We turn our flawed 00:08:22.589 --> 00:08:25.129 politicians into messiahs and our annoying co 00:08:25.129 --> 00:08:28.850 -workers into demons. We need it to be more. 00:08:29.610 --> 00:08:32.409 And so we inflate everything into cosmic terms. 00:08:33.450 --> 00:08:35.269 But the truth is, our enemies aren't demons and 00:08:35.269 --> 00:08:37.490 our friends aren't superheroes. They're just 00:08:37.490 --> 00:08:41.629 people. Real power doesn't lie in outmaneuvering 00:08:41.629 --> 00:08:44.190 secret elites or reciting the right slogans. 00:08:44.330 --> 00:08:46.370 We want to believe there's a bigger force at 00:08:46.370 --> 00:08:48.870 work, because if there's a super villain, then 00:08:48.870 --> 00:08:52.279 maybe we can be a hero. We turn everyday human 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:54.559 problems into epic cosmic battles, not because 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.200 we're evil at it, but because we're hungry for 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:02.019 meaning. But when that hunger isn't grounded 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:06.320 in Christ, it becomes paranoia and division. 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:09.919 In Colossians, Paul makes a bold claim. See to 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.279 it that no one takes you captive through hollow 00:09:12.279 --> 00:09:15.299 and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:18.139 tradition. In Christ, all the fullness of God 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:21.929 dwells bodily. In other words, everything people 00:09:21.929 --> 00:09:24.669 were searching for, the presence, the power, 00:09:25.029 --> 00:09:28.669 the closeness of God, it's already in Jesus. 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:31.129 Completely. And if you belong to Him, that fullness 00:09:31.129 --> 00:09:34.370 is already yours. Even prayer isn't about trying 00:09:34.370 --> 00:09:38.590 to reach God or convince God to listen. It's 00:09:38.590 --> 00:09:40.690 not about climbing some spiritual ladder. It's 00:09:40.690 --> 00:09:44.090 about growing into the fullness that you already 00:09:44.090 --> 00:09:48.149 have in Christ. See, prayer becomes less about 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:52.029 spiritual anxiety and more about abiding in a 00:09:52.029 --> 00:09:55.409 relationship that's already secure. See, today 00:09:55.409 --> 00:09:57.970 we don't talk about elemental or spiritual forces, 00:09:58.049 --> 00:10:01.529 but we do follow ideas that act like spiritual 00:10:01.529 --> 00:10:04.129 forces in our lives, our own personal mantras. 00:10:04.669 --> 00:10:07.950 I've just got to look out for myself. Everything 00:10:07.950 --> 00:10:12.230 happens for a reason. Good vibes only. I make 00:10:12.230 --> 00:10:16.590 my own destiny. The universe is testing me. as 00:10:16.590 --> 00:10:20.429 long as it makes you happy. These feel empowering 00:10:20.429 --> 00:10:23.669 and practical. They offer a kind of emotional 00:10:23.669 --> 00:10:27.549 support and control, a way of simplifying a chaotic 00:10:27.549 --> 00:10:31.029 world. But believe it or not, those are actually 00:10:31.029 --> 00:10:35.110 not in the Bible. Don't bother looking. See, 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:38.009 when they don't come from Christ, they're detached 00:10:38.009 --> 00:10:40.769 from grace. They're disconnected from community. 00:10:41.070 --> 00:10:43.269 They're grounded in self -effort and wishful 00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:46.919 control, but we live by them. There's a scene 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:52.720 in The Chosen, where Mary pours out expensive 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.860 perfume on Jesus' feet. And one of the Pharisees 00:10:55.860 --> 00:10:59.559 is furious. He clings to a principle and says, 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:03.740 this should have been given to the poor. Which 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:07.019 sounds very righteous, right? And it's a wise 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:11.399 idea, but he cannot see past it to realize that 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:14.960 Jesus is giving Mary dignity. in that moment, 00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:18.700 acceptance, grace, personal connection, not trying 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:21.940 to shame her for making a poor decision. The 00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:26.700 law, when it's twisted into a mantra, it blinds 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:30.559 us oftentimes to love. See, each of these philosophies, 00:11:30.779 --> 00:11:33.679 it's a subtle way of saying to God, if I think 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.279 or believe the right thing, I can make the world 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:40.000 work for me. It's a form of control. But Paul 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.680 says these ideas actually take us captive. Why 00:11:44.680 --> 00:11:47.799 well first they can make us miss what actually 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.440 matters if the mantra is working and life is 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:53.440 going smoothly We can just ignore our pain and 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.580 injustice and suffering of others Because it 00:11:56.580 --> 00:12:00.159 doesn't fit the vibe We lose our compassion our 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:02.620 awareness sometimes even our calling because 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:05.580 the mantra has trained us to filter out anything 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:08.159 inconvenient or uncomfortable That doesn't fit. 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:12.220 Oh they're having trouble they must not be following 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:15.620 the mantra right they just need to follow it 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:18.139 better and then they'd be okay I don't need to 00:12:18.139 --> 00:12:21.639 bother or second sometimes they make us blame 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:24.759 ourselves when life breaks down when the mantra 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:28.500 fails when a relationship ends or an illness 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:32.980 comes along or a dream we had dies we don't question 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:36.730 the mantra we question ourselves We feel shame. 00:12:36.970 --> 00:12:39.169 We didn't try hard enough. We didn't believe 00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:41.529 hard enough. We didn't think positively enough. 00:12:42.169 --> 00:12:44.769 We didn't control the variables properly. It's 00:12:44.769 --> 00:12:47.529 not the mantra's fault, it's ours. Or third, 00:12:47.570 --> 00:12:49.870 they can lead us to worship the wrong people. 00:12:50.490 --> 00:12:52.850 Because we find someone who seems to embody the 00:12:52.850 --> 00:12:56.250 mantra. They look strong, successful, fearless, 00:12:56.669 --> 00:12:59.889 at peace. So we give them our allegiance with 00:12:59.889 --> 00:13:03.710 our TikTok subscription and our YouTube enrollments. 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:07.519 But when they lead us to dismiss mercy, humility, 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:12.240 truth, we don't speak up because we've made them 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:16.159 the measuring stick instead of Jesus. Instead 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:18.399 of asking, is this Christ -like, we're too busy 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:22.320 asking, does this fit the brand? Paul invites 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.980 us to something more real, though. Just as you 00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:28.200 received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:31.980 your lives in Him, rooted and built up. It's 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:35.320 not a mantra. It's a relationship. It's not about 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:37.440 self -protection or self -promotion. It's about 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:40.139 becoming someone whose life is shaped by the 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:44.320 crucified and risen Christ, who suffered, loved, 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:49.179 forgave, and set captives free. Because in Christ, 00:13:49.860 --> 00:13:53.740 His fullness, the fullness of God, changes it 00:13:53.740 --> 00:13:57.200 all. See, Christ doesn't give us clever slogans. 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:03.230 He gives us Himself. His fullness is what changes 00:14:03.230 --> 00:14:06.889 things. He doesn't promise control. He offers 00:14:06.889 --> 00:14:11.710 union, fullness, freedom. In Christ, you don't 00:14:11.710 --> 00:14:15.169 have to manipulate the universe. You already 00:14:15.169 --> 00:14:17.750 walk with the Creator. You don't have to pretend 00:14:17.750 --> 00:14:21.649 to be happy. You can bring your real self, the 00:14:21.649 --> 00:14:24.929 broken one, the one that's still loved anyway. 00:14:25.750 --> 00:14:27.669 You don't need a mantra to survive the day. You 00:14:27.669 --> 00:14:33.169 have a Lord. who holds all things together. You 00:14:33.169 --> 00:14:35.769 don't have to chase the conspiracy or the slogans. 00:14:36.009 --> 00:14:39.029 You don't need the vague energies or the comforting 00:14:39.029 --> 00:14:42.029 cliches. You don't have to inflate your enemies 00:14:42.029 --> 00:14:44.990 or idolize your allies. You don't need anything 00:14:44.990 --> 00:14:48.429 more than Christ. You only need more of Christ. 00:14:49.330 --> 00:14:52.950 So the real question becomes, does this belief 00:14:52.950 --> 00:14:56.490 I'm holding reflect the character of Christ? 00:14:57.350 --> 00:14:59.529 Or is it an empty echo that I picked up from 00:14:59.529 --> 00:15:02.190 the world? See, that's something we all share. 00:15:02.570 --> 00:15:05.909 Even as adults, followers of Christ, we can get 00:15:05.909 --> 00:15:08.470 caught up in all kinds of sayings and spiritual 00:15:08.470 --> 00:15:10.950 mantras. Everything happens for a reason. Let 00:15:10.950 --> 00:15:13.169 go and let God. God won't give you more than 00:15:13.169 --> 00:15:16.789 you can handle. And we even attach power to specific 00:15:16.789 --> 00:15:19.909 words and habits. Like if we just say the Lord's 00:15:19.909 --> 00:15:24.830 Prayer every day, we should be good. Right? The 00:15:24.830 --> 00:15:27.980 Lord's Prayer. Now, looking at the two Gospels, 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.559 Luke and Matthew, they're not exactly the same. 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:32.980 Luke is a little more concise and a little more 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:36.200 streamlined. Matthew's has a little fuller wording 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:39.039 that many of us recite from memory, and then 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:42.259 of course our version has a blessing at the end. 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:45.539 There's a very good chance that Jesus was asked 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:48.340 this sort of thing more than once, and so each 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:51.100 time was spoken depending on what the audience 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:53.840 needed that time. But they both carry the same 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:57.139 heartbeat. Whether it's short or long, formal 00:15:57.139 --> 00:15:59.940 or conversational, the essential gestures are 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:04.179 all there of trust, surrender, grace, humility, 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:09.340 hope. But let's be clear. Jesus didn't give us 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:11.059 the Lord's Prayer so we could chant it like a 00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:14.200 magic spell. As if saying the exact words in 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:16.559 the exact order is what makes it holy. It's not 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:19.620 like the volume of our prayers gets louder because 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:23.220 we added thy kingdom come. And yet, to be honest, 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:25.840 if we ever stopped praying the Lord's Prayer 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:27.919 during worship, I know there are a lot of you 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:29.779 who'd go looking for another Lutheran church, 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:34.179 let's be honest. Some of us though, saying the 00:16:34.179 --> 00:16:37.759 Lord's Prayer, sometimes we act like it's almost 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:40.200 more essential than the sermon. Those are pretty 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:43.620 boring anyway. But maybe that's okay, as long 00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:45.940 as we remember it's not about being recited, 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:49.639 but rather that it's about being lived. Our Father 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:52.779 who art in heaven, We don't live alone. We're 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:55.919 part of a family rooted in God's care. Thy kingdom 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:59.500 come, thy will be done. We don't chase our own 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:02.879 agenda. We open our hands and say, God, use me 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:05.579 for your purpose. Give us this day our daily 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:08.259 bread. Fullness doesn't mean excess. It means 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:11.680 enough for me and for others. Forgive us our 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:15.059 trespasses as we forgive. Fullness makes room 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:18.359 for mercy. For releasing others from the debts 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:21.140 we hold over them. Lead us not into temptation. 00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:23.680 We're not just surviving this world. We're becoming 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:27.400 more like Christ, resisting the easy shortcuts 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:31.640 that would rob us of who we're meant to be. Deliver 00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:35.279 us from evil. Because there is a struggle. But 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:38.859 the enemy is not each other. It's anything that 00:17:38.859 --> 00:17:42.240 tries to pull us out of love, out of peace, out 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:45.380 of Christ. You want to know what fullness looks 00:17:45.380 --> 00:17:49.480 like? It's this. It's a life that's not just 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:51.680 packed full of busyness or religion or opinions, 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.839 but one that's grounded in Christ, open to others, 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.059 and at peace with God. See, the fullness in Christ, 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:02.400 it's not abstract. It has a body. It's human. 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:05.359 It's real. Jesus didn't float above the world 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:07.039 and every once in a while just spit out some 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:10.119 nice sayings. He entered the dirt, the tears, 00:18:10.299 --> 00:18:14.519 the blood, the bread. Any fullness that tries 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:20.210 to bypass needs and suffering. is false. Prayer 00:18:20.210 --> 00:18:23.349 that avoids the real world isn't full. It's hollow. 00:18:24.390 --> 00:18:26.910 That's where Jesus steps in. When the disciples 00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:28.829 ask Him how to pray, He doesn't give them a secret 00:18:28.829 --> 00:18:32.029 password. He's showing them the shape of a relationship 00:18:32.029 --> 00:18:35.210 with Him. Jesus invites us into something relational, 00:18:35.430 --> 00:18:38.289 not ritualistic. And then He reminds us who the 00:18:38.289 --> 00:18:41.609 Father is. The one whose name is holy, whose 00:18:41.609 --> 00:18:45.970 kingdom is coming. The one who gives us what 00:18:45.970 --> 00:18:48.329 we need daily, who forgives, who rescues, who 00:18:48.329 --> 00:18:52.269 listens. Jesus ends the section with a beautiful 00:18:52.269 --> 00:18:55.670 promise that if you are, if you who are flawed 00:18:55.670 --> 00:18:58.130 and inconsistent know how to give good gifts 00:18:58.130 --> 00:19:00.769 to your children, how much more will your Heavenly 00:19:00.769 --> 00:19:03.849 Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? 00:19:04.130 --> 00:19:06.829 I know it's hard to believe, parents. You are 00:19:06.829 --> 00:19:13.799 flawed and inconsistent. But, even so, That's 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:17.420 not what we see in God. So how much more will 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:21.859 He give us good gifts? Not just stuff, not just 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:25.140 outcomes, not just answers that go the way we 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:28.579 want, but His Spirit, His presence, His life, 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:31.619 the real gift. That's what Jesus wants us to 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:35.339 know. Because here's the thing though, you will 00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:37.859 never fully grasp that unless you're reading 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:42.839 all of Scripture. If you just try to take little 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:45.640 pieces of Jesus like He's in a vacuum and hold 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:49.299 onto this one piece, you're going to misunderstand 00:19:49.299 --> 00:19:51.559 who He is. Because every story, every covenant, 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:55.480 every psalm, every prophecy, they point to and 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:59.440 culminate in Him. We miss the magnitude of who 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:02.579 He really is, the fullness of God, if all we 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:05.559 want to engage with is a few lines that make 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:09.119 us feel comfortable. So what have you been praying 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:13.059 for? How have you been praying? Or maybe you've 00:20:13.059 --> 00:20:16.960 been holding back. Maybe you're afraid that your 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:19.759 words aren't eloquent enough. Maybe your life 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:21.859 isn't holy enough. Maybe your faith isn't strong 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:24.799 enough. Maybe you've been repeating the same 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:26.559 phrases and you hope that something will finally 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:30.799 stick. But here's the invitation. It's not to 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:34.079 focus so much on praying perfectly, but rather 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:38.039 to pray honestly. Instead of obsessing over the 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:42.009 outcome, Focus on the presence, not the performance. 00:20:43.009 --> 00:20:46.069 When you ask, seek, and knock, you're not just 00:20:46.069 --> 00:20:49.569 rattling off a list to God. You're drawing near 00:20:49.569 --> 00:20:52.150 to your Father who already knows your needs and 00:20:52.150 --> 00:20:55.769 loves to give you Himself. Maybe it's time we 00:20:55.769 --> 00:20:58.769 stop chasing the spiritual techniques and start 00:20:58.769 --> 00:21:01.849 resting in Christ. Because the real gift God 00:21:01.849 --> 00:21:04.529 wants to give isn't always the thing that we 00:21:04.529 --> 00:21:07.859 wrote down. But it's the Spirit that transforms 00:21:07.859 --> 00:21:12.400 and leads us. Because let's be honest. We've 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:14.779 all clung to a few slogans, a few traditions, 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.019 a few favorite scriptures that we put on the 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:19.539 wall or on the pillows, and we hope that they're 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:23.059 enough. But God's inviting us to something deeper. 00:21:24.059 --> 00:21:26.200 A life in Christ that's full, not because it 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.440 gives us everything we want, but because it gives 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:31.839 us what we need the most. Living in the fullness 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:37.150 of Christ is what brings. Life. We're not promised 00:21:37.150 --> 00:21:40.230 a magic formula. We're promised a faithful God. 00:21:40.750 --> 00:21:43.349 We're not promised instant results. We're promised 00:21:43.349 --> 00:21:45.930 daily bread. We're not promised worldly power. 00:21:46.089 --> 00:21:49.029 We're promised the Holy Spirit. Because when 00:21:49.029 --> 00:21:51.930 Jesus finishes His teaching in Luke 11, He doesn't 00:21:51.930 --> 00:21:55.029 promise that every prayer will be answered the 00:21:55.029 --> 00:21:58.289 way we expect. He doesn't promise that we'll 00:21:58.289 --> 00:22:01.549 gain some victory or an inner calm because of 00:22:01.549 --> 00:22:04.279 the mantra we've chased. He says that God, who 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:06.359 is better than even the best earthly parent, 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:10.180 will give what is truly good, the presence of 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:13.799 Christ, the connection to the Kingdom. That's 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:17.359 the fish, not the snake. It's the egg, not the 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:20.140 scorpion. It may not look flashy, it may not 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:22.759 be the next viral video, or satisfy our craving 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:25.380 as we're driving down the street, but it's the 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:28.420 fullness that we're made for, rooted in Christ, 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:32.900 not... philosophy or conspiracy not tossed aside 00:22:32.900 --> 00:22:37.039 by desires and phrases, but instead living in 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:41.859 the prayer of who Christ is and who we are called 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:46.579 to be. So may this morning we die to the old, 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:49.839 the mantras, the phrases, the heroes, the slogans, 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:53.160 the philosophies, the transactions that we thought 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:56.900 we were making with God. And instead, may we 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:59.789 rise into the fullness of Christ. the one who 00:22:59.789 --> 00:23:02.650 embodies all of God, who meets us in our asking 00:23:02.650 --> 00:23:05.869 and fills us with what we didn't even know we 00:23:05.869 --> 00:23:09.230 needed in the first place. Thanks be to God.