LENT ’09 MARCH 29,
2009 JOHN
17 (selected verses)
STEAL
AWAY*
THEME: Pray for
yourself, pray for those close to you, pray for all…
INTRODUCTION
A. Our
sermons during the season of Lent have focused on the Negro Spirituals sung by
our choir…
today the choir
sang Poor Man Lazarus – a Biblical
story in song - and Steal Away – a “code song”
o The spirituals were primarily songs
of faith, but they could also be “code songs” – songs that gave the slaves a
secret message to help them to escape from their captivity by way of the
“underground railroad.”
o “Steal
Away” was a signal
that the “underground railroad” was in place and ready to help a group of
slaves to escape under the cover of darkness that very night from the
plantation where they toiled…
o “Wade
In The Water”
was a code to remind the slaves to walk in the shallows of the river rather
than on the dry land so that the slave catchers and their bloodhounds couldn’t
pick up their scent.
o “Follow
The Drinkin’ Gourd” was a code to use the North star at
the tip of the Big Dipper as a compass to guide them as they headed north to
freedom…
B. Steal Away, a “code song,” is also a
“prayer hymn” – a reminder that no matter where we are or
how difficult life
is at the moment, we can always “steal away” to Jesus in prayer… in Him we will
find our strength
C. What is the
greatest crisis you have ever faced in your life?
o I tried to answer that question for
myself this week…
o The greatest crisis I have faced was
the fire that destroyed Old South’s meetinghouse in May of 1989 – just about 20
years ago…
o Watching the steeple collapse into
the flames bursting from the sanctuary below was the darkest moment of my life…
D. Some
describe “life” as “a series of crises with only brief interludes of calm” –
that’s a very
pessimistic view
of life, but for some people that may be all too true… one crisis follows
another.
E. What can
we do when we face a crisis? – We can Steal
Away to Jesus in prayer and follow his
example of how to
pray…
F. A survey
discovered that 78% of the American people pray at least once a week… 57% pray
daily… and almost
100% pray when facing a crisis… even some folks who claim not to believe in
God pray in the midst of a crisis…
I – JESUS AT PRAYER
A. Jesus was
not exempt from crises… but he handled each crisis with prayer, especially as
he drew
near to
o The hour had come…
o He knew that he would be crucified…
he knew how cruel and horrible crucifixion was…
o He was too young to die… his ministry
had just begun…
B. The Gospel of Luke paints a picture of Jesus praying in the
arrest… he prayed
in earnest, asking for guidance, and understanding, and courage…
C. In the
Gospel of John, the final prayers of Jesus take place in the Upper Room on the
night of the
Last Supper shortly after he had washed the
feet of his disciples… the prayer in the Upper Room is
part of a very
long discourse that Jesus shares with his disciples as he prepares them to take
up
his ministry.
D. Studying
the prayers of Jesus in the Upper Room and in the
a pattern for our
own prayers in times of crisis…
II – A PRAYER FOR SELF
A. First,
Jesus prayed for himself…
o Some folks resist praying for
themselves…
o They have the idea that it is selfish
or self-serving to pray for themselves…
B. In the
“Father, if you are willing, remove this
cup from me….” (Luke 22:42)
o He did not want to die…
o Jesus humbled himself and prayed for
what he wanted, but at the same time, he put himself into God’s hands…
o He prayed, “… yet, not my will, but
yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
C. Facing
the crisis of crucifixion, Jesus prayed for the strength to accept God’s will…
D. What do
you pray for in times of crisis?
E. I have
found that prayer does not remove the crisis…
o Prayer did not deliver Jesus from
death…
o Prayer did not extinguish the flames
that consumed the church…
o But prayer does provide the strength
and the guidance needed to face a crisis…
o Prayer may not change the situation,
but prayer changes us…
F. Prayer
puts us in the presence of God…
o There is no better companion than God
when facing a crisis…
o There is no crisis too big for God…
o There is no crisis that God can not
help us through…
G. Prayer
changes us… it gives us peace… it gives us perspective… it allows God to speak
to us and
To give us what we need to steer ourselves
through the crisis…
H. At age
40, Tom had a stroke and then went through an operation in which a heart valve
was
replaced… after
his full recovery, Tom described the experience as follows: “As my wife helped
me
into the car and
then down to the hospital, I was scared. After I got through the initial
fright, I
asked myself,
‘What do I do now?’ But I was helpless. I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to
pray,
but I could not
even remember the Lord’s Prayer. All I could say was, ‘Lord, hold my hand.’ The
chance that my
surgery would be successful was 60/40… and the ‘40’ was a very frightening
number to me… a
40% chance that I would not make it. My prayer was still, ‘Lord, hold my hand.’
I wasn’t making any promises to the Lord to
do this or that if I could only live, and not die. I was
only asking for
the Lord’s presence and companionship in my time of need. All I could say over
and over again
was, ‘Lord, hold my hand.’”
I. Tom’s prayer was an invitation - an
invitation to God to be present with him in his time of need.
J. When you steal away to Jesus, first pray for
yourself, as Jesus did… pray, “Lord, hold my hand”
And “Yet, not my will, but your will be
done.”
K. Place
yourself in God’s presence.
III – PRAY FOR THOSE
CLOSE BY
A. In the
Upper Room, Jesus prayed first for himself, and then he prayed for those who
were closest
to him, his
disciples…
B. When we
face a crisis, those who are closest to us are bound to be affected… and
sometimes,
because of our own
overwhelming need, we are blind to the needs of those around us…
C. According
to John’s Gospel (chapter 17) Jesus prayed that his disciples would remain
together
after his death… fearing
that they might fall apart, he prayed for their unity…
D. He prayed
also for their safety, asking God to protect them…
E. He prayed
that they might know the truth… that they might understand what was happening
and
that they might be
able to go forward from this point with the Lord’s guidance…
F. When you steal away to Jesus in times of
crisis, pray as Jesus did for the people who are closest
to you, for they
too need to be held in the palm of God’s hand.
IV – PRAY FOR ALL
A. In the Upper Room, Jesus also prayed for all people – for those he did not know and
for all those
who would come
after him…
B. His prayers were for you and for me… and for
all who face trials… for all those who come face to
face with crises…
for all those in need…
C. In time of personal crisis, when you steal
away to Jesus, in addition to praying for yourself and
for those who are
close to you, pray for all those who struggle with life…
CONCLUSION
A. Don
McKenzie shares the following story: “A powerful rainstorm passed through
worship last
Sunday morning. Prior to coming to church, I was out walking before sunrise.
The
stars were shining
in the clear sky. Off to the north I could see the clouds above the horizon.
The storm was imbedded in those clouds and
it was moving our way. But above the storm clouds,
I knew the stars were still shining.” (PSF - #91 – p. 8)
B. The only
thing that gave the slaves a glimmer of hope was their faith in God and the
belief that
above the storm
clouds, the stars were still shining.
C. When you
face a crisis, steal away to Jesus… turn to God in prayer…
o Pray for yourself…
o Pray for those who are close to you…
o Pray for all…
D. God
awaits our invitation to be a living presence in our lives.
*Note:
o
Revised
from a sermon originally preached on 1/29/95 by T.O.M. – A Prayer For Times of Crisis
o
Sermon
idea came from Doran ’84 – p. 21