Creekside Church Sermon of September 19, 2004 "Try, Try Again" Luke 11:1-13	Rev. David Bibbee
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The writer Annie Dillard said, "We are here (on earth) to witness. Until God changes his mind and nature speaks with an audible voice, all we do can do with mountains and rivers and trees is watch them. If we weren't here, the changing seasons would lack the meager meanings we are able to muster for them. She said, "The show would play for an empty house. That is why I take walks: to keep an eye on things."

A man named Larry inspired Annie Dillard's insight. The only time she talked to him was when their mail was mixed-up and she went to his shack that was perched on a cliff to make the exchange. Lots of the islanders knew Larry, but not as in "knowing" what made him so eccentric. They knew Larry for a ritual he performed several times a day. He took a smooth, palm-sized rock from a shelf to teach it to talk.

No one knew if he was making progress, or what he was teaching the rock to say. They wondered if he had chiseled a mouth in it to use when the long-anticipated moment came. When the pupil is a rock, the teacher can't be self-conscious or allow himself to doubt the goal is possible. Dillard says she "….wishes him well. It is a noble work, and beats, from any angle, selling shoes."

Many people pray, and many people stop praying for the lack of tangible results. They conclude that Larry's rock will talk before God will speak personally to them. They try to pray and give up - "I did all the talking, and never heard a peep from God."

It is easy to challenge their thinking. "The problem with prayer isn't God. If you do all the talking, how can God get in a word edgewise?" The "prayer drop-out" rate is a patience problem. We expect quick results. Why correspond by snail mail when there is email, voicemail, and instant messaging? Why wait when there are express lanes, drive-thru's, two-minute car washes and ten-minute oil changes? Someone said we suffer from a disease called, "insta-mania."

There are no accelerated learning programs in spiritual growth. Practicing God's presence and being attuned God's voice is the result of disciplined living, and prayer is the foundation. It requires time, patience, practice, and a trait I want to talk about this morning-persistence.

History is full of stories about the rewards of persistence. Thomas Edison thought it would take a month to invent the light bulb. After over ten thousand failures, he achieved his goal. When asked about his accomplishment, he said he had discovered ten thousand ways not to invent a light bulb! Thomas Edison was persistent.

In 1927 when studying to be an actress at a prestigious drama school, Lucille Ball was told by the head instructor, "Try another profession. Any profession." The millions who grew up watching "I Love Lucy" are glad she didn't heed the advice. Lucille Ball was PERSISTENT.

John Milton became blind at the age of forty-four. His misfortune could have defeated him, but he was determined to continue writing. It took Milton sixteen years to complete his next book. It was worth the wait. Not only was it his personal best, but one of history's great literary works-Paradise Lost. John Milton was PERSISTENT.

In the fourteenth century there lived woman named Julian. She prayed all her life for what she called a "showing" or experience of God. It came when she was thirty-years-old-- gravely ill, and hovering near death. It lasted mere moments, and never happened again. But seven hundred years later, her record of that experience continues to guide those who thirst for God. Julian of Norwich was PERSISTENT.

The disciples knew that prayer was as vital to Jesus food and air. Wanting access to the power that was present in him, they asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." They didn't know how. Prayer didn't come naturally. Like any discipline, it has to be learned. We call the form of prayer he gave them as, the Lord's Prayer, and then he told a parable.

Late one night, an unexpected guest showed up at the door of a friend. He was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by for a visit and spend the night. The host probably thought, "With friends like this…"

In those days, rule of hospitality was taken seriously, and the rule stipulated that when guests visit your home, you must feed them, be it day or night. But the unprepared host had a problem. His refrigerator was empty and the convenience stores were closed, so he went to a friend's house and started banging on the door. Do you remember a while back when our computer went haywire and made Phone Tree calls to every home in the wee hours of Sunday morning? When you arrived at church I could tell by your expressions that you weren't thrilled to hear my voice waking you from a deep sleep.

From his bed he said, "For cryin' out loud, do you know what time it is?" "Sorry, Phil, but a guy showed up unannounced at my place and I'm out of food. Could you spare a loaf of bread and some baloney?" Phil replied, "Get lost!" But the friend-in-need kept pounding on the door and leaving messages on his answering machine and woke everyone in the house before Phil gave in to this pain-in-the-neck's request.

Jesus said, "This is how you should pray. Tell God exactly what you need. Don't give up. Keep at it. Keep on knocking at his door until your knuckles fall off. "Ask. You'll get it. Seek. You'll find it. Knock. The door will open." Persistance pays off.

Jesus paints a troubling portrait of God in this parable. Is he saying that God is a cranky neighbor who doesn't want to be bothered, but that if you pester him enough you'll wear him down and he'll eventually give in? If you are having problems in the prayer department, this view of God isn't very encouraging.

We hear the parable and focus on the description of irate neighbor, which overshadows the actions of the man in need. This parable is less about what God will or will not do, and more about what we will or will not do. More than a description of who God is, I take it as a model of who we should be. God is no miser who takes pleasure in sending his needy children away empty-handed. Jesus is saying that if a grouchy neighbor gives what you want just to get rid of you, how much more will God who loves you dearly and desires the best for you give you what you need?

This parable tells us truths about God, but it also says something about our need for persistence in prayer. As someone said, "It is important to persist in prayer, not so much to persuade God but because prayer impassions us." The Apostle Paul was big on prayer. He didn't say we should pray persistently. He said we should pray, "without ceasing." There may be people who can do this. I've not met any of them. How can we pray without ceasing when we find it hard to squeeze in five minutes after breakfast or before going to bed? We are no different than the disciples. "Lord, teach us to pray, too."

I don't know about you, but I know about me. I am often preoccupied. My mind races from one thing to another-evaluating, anticipating, orchestrating, worrying, wondering how I'll keep it all together. Patience and persistence is not my strong suit. I can't spend my day in the prayer closet. Neither can you. So how do we begin to practice persistence in prayer?

We do it by expanding our idea of prayer. It isn't something isolated from the rest of our daily lives. Prayer is orientation toward God. It is knowing that nothing lasts forever, except God. It is knowing that the meaning we find in this life is found only in relationship to him. Prayer is a mark of discipleship that encompasses all the other marks-- worship, Bible study, fellowship, witnessing, and giving.

We don't do the same things in worship each week because we like repeating ourselves. We can't always say how, but the rituals we participate in shape our lives.

After the service, if you should tell me, "I didn't get anything out of worship today." I might reply, "Is there a problem with that? You're probably not the only one who didn't get anything out of it. But Walter did. So did Bertha. Aren't you glad for them? It probably wasn't your turn to be touched today. Come back next Sunday and see what happens." This a reason we keep returning. You won't see the burning bush every Sunday. But when the practice of worship is persistent, you are more engaged and ready when God comes to you.

In the Music Department at the University of Michigan there was a beloved piano teacher who was simply known as, "Herman." One night at a university concert, a renowned piano player suddenly became ill while performing a very complex piece. As the artist was being ushered from the stage, Herman rose from his seat, walked across the stage, sat at the piano and completed the performance. Everyone was amazed.

Afterward, student asked him how he was able to play the demanding piece so beautifully without notice or rehearsal. He said, "In 1939, when I was a budding concert pianist, I was arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. I knew I would likely be killed, but I had to keep a flicker of hope alive that I might play again. So I practiced every day. I began by fingering a piece from a repertoire on my bare bed board late one night. The next night I added a second piece. Soon I was playing my entire repertoire, and I played it every night for five years. What I played tonight was part of that repertoire. Constant practice kept my hope alive. Every day I renewed my hope that one day I would be able to play my music on a real piano, and in freedom." Like the neighbor in need of bread, like Julian of Norwich, like Lucy, and Thomas, and Milton, Herman was PERSISTANT.

In a cabin on an island, Larry is trying to teach a stone to talk. I doubt that his persistence will pay off. As for hearing from the Almighty, whether it is through a silent inner voice, a holy passion, an infusion of hope, an unexpected event, or another person sent as God's envoy, the odds of an answer are far greater.

Answers to our prayers can't be ordered like a hamburger at Wendy's. We can't predict when or how God will act. The most important thing is to pray. Try, and try, again. If you are persistent you find that while you wait for one thing, you will receive something else. Like the man who wouldn't quit knocking, the most important time to pray is when you doubt the answer will come or feel that you are just talking to yourself. So try, and try again. It's the practice that gives you life.

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