Sermon for March 20

Here is the sermon from March 20.

(Un)Finished Business

He watched with a great deal of eagerness.  She had been pushing and pushing, and the moment was drawing closer really fast.  Suddenly, a little head pushed through, followed by little shoulders, and then the rest of the body.  A little blue life emerged from his hiding place for the last several months, fully formed and full of promise.  And then, there was that sound that has cut to the heart of so many fathers through the years.  That first clearing of the lungs, the first cry of life.  It was a sound that cut through to the heart, and the Father knew such joy that could never be described with words.

Even before that first cry of life, the Father’s heart had been claimed by this child.  But now, as His Son emerged, and as that first cry of life cut through the air, a new kind of joy leapt into His heart.  This wasn’t just any child.  This was His child.  This was His boy.  Yes, all the children of the world are special and unique and a reason to celebrate, but this was His Son.  No other child in the world could claim that title.

And so the Father watched.  He watched His boy take His first toddling steps in the big world.  He watched as His boy learned the ways of the world.  He saw a serious little boy, one that seemed to have a tremendous grasp of who He was.  The Father would reflect on the life of His Son.  He remembered the time when His boy was young.  He already knew so much about the business of His dad.  He amazed people as He was able to them what His Father did, and why it was so important.  Even as a young boy, He had that uncanny sense about Him.

And so the Father continued to watch His Boy as He grew up.  He watched as He ventured out into the world to make a name for Himself.  Even though He was busy with His friends and His career, He always made time to talk to His dad.  Sometimes, it would only be a brief conversation.  “Hey, dad, we’re just sitting down to eat a meal, but I was thinking about you and hoping you could be part of our meal together.”  Other times, they would have long, extended conversations.  They would talk late into the night about everything that was going on in His Son’s life.  And the Father simply loved those times of conversation.

He knew life wasn’t easy for His Boy.  As with everyone, there were people who just plain didn’t like His Boy.  Yes, He had His close friends, and they seemed to stick with Him pretty well, but they were also less than reliable at times.  Every once in a while, they would show those great bonds of friendship, but then, at other times, it really did seem as though they didn’t have a clue in the world as to what His Son was doing.

That was something the Father knew about His Boy.  His Boy had the potential to cause some ripples and waves.  He has seen it from the time His Boy was young.  He knew what was right, and He knew what was wrong.  But what was truly uncanny was that He wasn’t afraid to show others what was right and wrong.  He didn’t do it rudely.  In fact, He seemed to have some kind of gift of pointing out right and wrong in their life in a way that served to draw them away from the wrong.  He was rather compassionate in His approach.  More than once, someone heard Him point out what was wrong in their lives, and then they changed, and were happy to do it.  

But not everyone likes it when you point out their wrongs and faults.  There are those who think that they are right, and if anyone else points out that they aren’t, they get rather angry and defensive about it.  And the Father knew that His Son could be a bit blunt sometimes.  When it was obvious that someone was wrong, but didn’t want to admit it, He could really seem to lower the hammer.  And because of that, the Father knew that His Son had upset a few people along the way.  Those who didn’t like Him really didn’t like Him, but they also seemed to be unable to stay away from Him.

And then, there was that one night.  The Father had been watching the different things His Boy had been doing, and He knew that there was some trouble brewing.  He and His Boy had talked about it a number of times, and so it really came as no surprise.  He knew that it was something His Son had to go through, and that it would really turn out for the better, but He also knew that it wouldn’t be easy.

So He wasn’t surprised that night when His Son got in touch with Him.  “Dad, can you think of any way out of this situation?  I see where it’s heading, but if there’s some other way to handle it, I’m open to suggestions.”  And yes, the Father knew that He could do something about it.  He could pull some strings.  He could make use of some of His contacts.  He could indeed do something about the situation His Son was in, but He also knew that this was a vital point in His Son’s life.  And so the answer tore at His heart, much as that first cry of life had penetrated His heart.  “No, I can’t.  It has to happen this way.”

Shortly after that, the conversation had to come to a close.  Events were unfolding rather rapidly.  The Father watched the different events as they came to pass.  He knew that His Son could ask His Dad to step in at any time, but His Son’s resolve never seemed to waver.  He could easily have asked His Dad to pull those strings and make use of those contacts, but He never did.  No plea to make things stop.  Sure, as He watched His Son go through the events, He got a few brief messages, but they were short and to the point.  More like a text message just letting His Dad know what was going on.  No urgent plea to step in and stop things.  More like, just letting You know what’s going on.

And then, there were the two short messages that tore deeply into the Father’s heart.  They hurt so much because He knew what His Son was going through, but they also made His heart want to burst with pride.  His Boy was going to be up to the task.  It wasn’t easy, but His Boy could do it.  But still, there was a certain ache that penetrated into His heart as He heard His Boy.

“Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”  Words that were so heartfelt and deep.  But part of what made them so meaningful was not just their content, but the moment when they were spoken.  He wasn’t saying it as He watched in triumph over His opponents, but as they did their worst to Him.  As a pair of nails were driven into His arms, and another, longer one, driven through His feet.  Even at a time when they were doing their worst to Him, He still could cry out, Father, forgive them.

And then came the cry that let the Father know that His Son’s ordeal was almost at an end.  “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  His Son had known where this road would end.  He knew of the pain that would come His way.  He even knew how the end would come about.  And yet, He had not wavered.  And as He completed the task that had been set before Him, He spoke one last time with His Father.  “Receive my spirit.”  And with that last cry of life, He finished His Father’s business.

Prayer is unfinished business.  There is never going to be a time in your life where you no longer need prayer.  From the first cry to the last gasp of life, you are going to need prayer.  And there is a great comfort in that.  The Father sees and knows what is coming in your life.  It’s no surprise to Him.  He knew everything that was going to happen in the life of His one and only Son, and He knows everything that is still to come in your life.  He sees it.  He knows it.  And He is there to be a source of strength and comfort as the journey of life unfolds.

In some ways, our prayer life is like that of Jesus, the Father’s one true Son.  The Father knew everything that would happen to His Son, even before He took that first breath of life in this world.  He knew what His Son would accomplish for people like you and I, the forgiveness of our sins.  The gift of new life.  The hope of a life that will never end.  The promise that we will be with our Father forever, with nothing ever coming between us.  The Father knew everything that would happen in His Son’s life, as well as what that would mean for the people of this world.

And so our prayer life in this world is unfinished business.  We don’t know what lies on the road ahead.  And so, as it comes to pass, we simply ask our Father to let us be His instruments as those events come to pass.  We trust that our Father is going to hear us, and that He won’t bring about things that would draw us away from Him.  We have His promise that He is with us, near to us, and that He won’t desert us on the road.

So our prayer life is unfinished as our lives in this world are unfinished.  And yet, in some ways, our prayer life is already a finished business.  Our Father hears us because of what His Son has done.  We have someone who constantly has the ear of our Father, and who speaks to Him and pleads with Him on our behalf.  His Son came into this world to do the greatest of tasks.  In His life, death, and resurrection, the Father’s Son would make every single one of us children of the Father.  

That means that we have that same connection to the Father that His very own Son has.  In a way, when we engage in the unfinished business of our prayer lives, God isn’t only hearing our words.  He hears what His Son has already done for us.  He hears the pleas of His Son to do what is right in our lives.  He hears the plea of His Son to see us as a forgiven people, and not a guilty people.  He hears His Son cry out for our forgiveness, and to receive our spirits.

Prayer is finished business because of what Jesus has done for you.  Prayer is unfinished business as long as we still live our lives in this world.  Prayer is unfinished until we join our voice with Jesus in that last cry of life.  “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  And even when the time comes for that last cry, we have a sure and certain confidence in our Father, a confidence that comes because the Father’s Son was up to His task.  In the holy name of our Lord Jesus.  Amen.