Christ Church Cathedral Fredericton, NB

A sermon by Dean Keith Joyce

"¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be (will have been) bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be (will have been) loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

When a child is screaming in the shopping cart of a hapless parent trundling through the supermarket to get through the check out counter as quickly as possible, what's going on? We've all seen such scenes or perhaps participated in them, either as the child or the parent or maybe both, though not likely at the same time! Clearly the child is not getting what he or she wants!

In other words the child's desires are not being formed, let alone controlled, by the will, or better yet, the purposes of the parent. How often do we feel like that child when we are speaking to God? "Why is God not answering my prayer?" we might ask ourselves, but could unconsciously mean, "why am I not getting my way".

Of course He is answering that prayer, but it is not in a way that we can hear because our determination to get what we want is so strong that we do not want to respond to God's direction. That's just like the child that does not want to stay in the shopping cart for his or her own safety. There will be no peace, nor any helpful moving forward at the meat counter until the child responds positively to the intentions of the parent.

So it is in prayer, in our praying. But today's scripture seems to contain an interesting notion. It says in Matthew 18:19 "... truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven."

So, all we have to do is get one other person and agree on some request. That shouldn't be too hard. And then, very simply, we can make the request of God and it will be done. Wouldn't that be nice! Actually, it is nice, it's in fact very good, but only when our requests are conformed to the will of heaven.

We will be able to see God answer prayers in His way, which is always best for us, when, in our praying, we have endorsed the will of heaven, when we think and pray and do what reflects the perfect will and purpose of God. That's why we pray to God our heavenly Father, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." All our praying is to be grounded in that petition. Jesus asks us to pray this because the will of heaven - i.e. the loving and perfect purpose of God - is always going to be best for us here on earth, even when it flies in the face of what we want, or what we think we want.

How do we pray in conformity with the will of heaven, according to the will of God our Father? We do it by taking seriously who Jesus is. And Jesus is the only one who shows us who God is. He said, in the Gospel of John, ⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. ........" But then like Philip we might say to Jesus, ⁸ ......... "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." In response we would hear Jesus say, ⁹.......... "Have I been with you all this time, ..., and you still do not know me? .............. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me."

Earlier in the same Gospel Jesus had said "³⁰The Father and I are one." (John 10:30) And the foundation for this truth comes in the prologue of John when we hear these sublime words, "¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known."

The depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ and our knowledge of Him is what will guide us to pray in conformity with the will of heaven. Jesus says, ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

And so when the two or three do get together Jesus is right there, and we cannot escape his presence. It's a loving, holy, challenging presence. It's a life-giving presence full of the aroma of heaven, and it's a presence infused with hope. It is the presence of God. It's also a presence that smells richly of earth, assuring us that Jesus is very much of this world as well as of heaven. He knows not only the perfection and glory of heaven, but he also knows the real, earthy, imperfect existence of the two or three gathered in his name.

Prayer can be dangerous. In praying we are encountering a loving and compassionate God yet He is also holy and awesome and majestic. Along with the comfort and compassion that comes our way through His grace, He will also have expectations of us that don't always fit in with our will or ambitions or even our interests. This is because He loves His world and His Church very much. He doesn't just help us when we are down and then for the most part leave us alone. He draws us into His will and ways. Jesus, with the two or three gathered together in his name, is there in their midst with the fullness of God, with His mercy, with His love and with His call to follow Him. And that's why prayer is not always comfortable. We are called not only to love God but also to obey Him.

The one who said, ²⁸"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) also said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." (Matt 16:24b, 25)

We begin a new year. What will guide us - our desires and ambitions, our wisdom and understanding or will it be the will of heaven fully revealed in the King of Kings and Lord of all, Jesus Christ our friend?

The same one of whom it was said before his birth would be called "Immanuel," which means "God with us," is the same one who said to His disciples, " ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you."

The Church is not a benevolent society, nor a non-profit organisation, nor some place to meet our needs, nor a place to get our religious highs. The Church is not here for us but rather we are here for God who forms us into the Church to be the mission outpost of heaven. Why? So that the world can know and experience the love of God for them. The Church - that's us - is made for mission, and the Church has been charged with the most important task of any entity on the face of the earth.

It's not an easy task. It's not an easy road, and it certainly is not popular. Regardless, in that high calling of God we are to care for the sick and the wounded, we are to grieve over the millions affected by AIDS, we are to hurt with the pain of those who have suffered terrorist violence not only last September 11 but in so many places throughout the world. We are to be concerned about the inequities in our social services, we are to work to deal with homelessness. We are to care for our children, and for parents that need our help in their older years. We are to reach out to our colleague with comfort in a time of distress, we are to sit with the terminally ill, we are to hold the hand of the lonely. We do not have to go far to be sent by God as ambassadors of His love.

So let's go and be the Church in the world, but don't forget Jesus also said, "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."