An old racing dog who spent his whole life chasing a mechanical rabbit one day simply stopped running, because he discovered that what he was chasing was not even real. That story opens a reflection on one morning in the life of Jesus, who after an exhausting day of healing rose before dawn and went out to a lonely place to pray (Mark 1). The sermon is about the art the Church Fathers called holy idleness, the royal waste of time spent with God, the time none of us supposedly has. Listen if you sense that your own well is slowly running dry.
Wasting Time Wisely
Teach Us to Pray
Of all the spiritual practices the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, they chose this one: prayer. Jesus himself not only taught them how to pray, but through stories and parables he showed how humble and persistent prayer can change reality. “Breaking through to heaven”, that’s how John Ortberg described prayer, and that’s what we’ll seek to learn alongside Jesus’ disciples during Lent.
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15 sermons
