Daily PresenceНамуна

Old-school preachers in my tradition were often masterful rhetoricians, wordsmithspar excellence. The best were known for flowery ceremonial prayers, pronounced with ringing eloquence right after the opening hymn at the high point of the 11:00 Sunday service. One clever preacher I remember in this tradition used repetition to get God’s attention in a series of sentences that came out like this: “May the teachers teach, and the singers sing, and the preachers preach, and the deaconsdeke.”

Did he really say “the deaconsdeke?” Yes! He most certainly did!

So here’s a question to ask Jesus one day in eternity: “Lord, what did you think of some of our ceremonial prayers?” If I had to predict an answer, the Savior might well refer me to the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in today’s reading from Luke, pointing out the contrast between a show-off prayer and a humble prayer, a prayer unworthy of God’s attention and a prayer worthy. The striking contrast between the prideful, arrogant pharisee and the contrite, penitent tax collector certainly shows the impulse in our human nature that wants to shine before others and before ourselves . . . but is God impressed, much less glorified?

Of course, we understand that God doesn’t need for us to tell him in our prayer about all the good stuff that we do. In fact, Jesus’ lesson in the parable clearly highlights the Pharisee's sin! The danger for us is that a measure of that disturbing pride that works in the pharisee also lurks within our nature. If pride gets to us, our presentation becomes all about “me, myself, and I.” We will worry more about looking smart and impressing others, all to the glory of self.

So we should remember the basics of prayer: what we should tell God, what we should ask for, and how. The model Lord’s Prayer really shows the right way. Proper prayer language consists of worship, thanksgiving, praise, profession, supplication, and confession, all spoken in tones of reverence, humility, and sincerity.

So while the deacons deke, let’s make sure, above all, that the prayers pray . . . and that they pray not to the eloquence of man, but to the glory of God.