We are a diverse church.

If faced with a diverse church like ours, most pastors, disliking controversy, will likely preach a non-threatening message appealing to the largest number of members. The result? A successful but moderate message. It will evoke neither speaking in tongues nor overwhelming attendance at an AIDs memorial service. The consequence? Activists will devote their energies to the community center down the street, the more pentecostal will find nurture at City Harvest’s afternoon service, the evangelicals will perhaps check what’s happening at ARPC.

Our solution to this problem is to offer you alternating perspectives or worlds at the pulpit so that over a month’s time, everyone will know that they’ve been included in the family of Christ! (That’s provided you come every Sunday).

I am highlighting this because I want you to know that the last two Sundays saw two distinct theological worlds being presented to you from this pulpit. Many of the older members already are conscious of that, but I fear the newer among you are not. And I believe it is critical that everyone realizes this. So I am going to repeat myself. We are a DIVERSE church. How did we come to attract such a diverse crowd? Why aren’t other churches faced with the same problems of diverse opinions and views?

Most people seek out religious organizations that are, or seem supportive of them. The support which is offered by most churches is generally one that means you settle into some sort of conformity. If you think like the majority in the church and if the sermon, worship and spiritual vibes you get make you feel good, then you feel at home, comfortable, at ease. And among the mainline churches you have a lot of choice – Catholic, Bible-Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist; among pastors, Kong Hee, Pastor Prince, Edmund Chan, and within denominations you can choose among traditional services, healing services, contemporary services, hallelujah praise and worship; Korean, Filipino, Tamil services; 7am, 9.30am, 11am, 5pm service times.

But if you seek a church that is supportive of your sexuality, then sorry you have only one choice, Free Community Church. But I am confident in the not too distant future you will be able to choose from gay-affirming churches of many of the denominations and styles I mentioned, but we are all you’ve got today. In other words, we have got to make the best of what we are and what we’ve got. How? Firstly, we have got to understand and appreciate the different theological worlds we inhabit. Just like the personality tests many of you have taken, Myers-Briggs and the like, there are also distinct theological personalities, did you know that?

Let me recall again the four worlds I painted for you last year, using Psalm 23 for quick illustration, and you will easily identify the two worlds you entered into the last two Sundays.

World 1 – the Stranger
Out of the orientation of World One residents, images arise of being “beside the still waters”, “restoring my soul” and anticipating dwelling “in the house of the Lord forever”. The Stranger struggles for interior depth. Imagery and metaphor rule over conceptual information. Rather than seeing things in a linear way, they prefer the circular where things are viewed from multiple perspectives, pointing to a center. It is a dance – “I am circling around God” and He is the Lord of the Dance.

So you could sense when Tuck preached on Prayer, his theology is sensitive, sacramental and a quest to understand the mystery of God, the three-in-one. He likens it to our yearning to be grasped and to grasp, something or someone deep down, is knocking and knocking and knocking at the door of our heart, beckoning us to join in His dance.

World 2 – the Warrior
In Psalm 23 the warrior focused on the table “prepared before me in the presence of my enemies”. His goal is “committed action”. Keeping current is urgent. Constantly seeking a global perspective – he can never know enough about what’s going on. Like his God, his commitment is to take sides, the side of the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed. He is preoccupied with identifying problems and asking, “Are we doing all that we can?”.

Somehow, conflict seems to be at the heart of his theology. At one level or another he keeps getting pushed into being a warrior or a victim. Reaction is often one of anger, even rage. Reform is urgent, even rebellion. He believes God is calling him to complete his kingdom on earth, and it is a task worth dying for. I do not need to tell you that out of this world can come our crusaders and extremists.

World 3 – the Orphan
She takes comfort in Psalm 23’s assurance that “I shall not want” and the promise that “my cup overflows”. Although her favourite subject is the self, she is uneasy about sharing deeply of herself. She believes it is better to keep quiet and be accepted than open her mouth and be rejected. Her theology is gentle, comfortable and inviting. She offers unconditional affirmation for each person, for she knows that to love is to be loved.

Her theology is focused on self-discovery, self-realisation and self-growth. Her God is not distant but experienced as present as a true friend.

World 4 – the Fugitive
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”! is the line from Psalm 23 that speaks to him. To him, content has priority over process. He has a great need to repeatedly “tell the story”. Those who can speak with authority concerning scripture has his immediate attention. He needs structure and clarity in the “givens” of faith and then requires disciplined obedience to them. He makes a clear distinction between believer and non-believer. He often breeds a private fear of not measuring up and as such ongoing confession of sin is important. Although emphasis is on the self it is on of self-denial. His goal in life is to live and witness daily in scriptural obedience.

His theology is characterized by the struggle with temptation and sin, a deep sense of guilt evoked by fear of judgment. He feels like a fugitive. Not that he sins, but its built into his inner disposition. The good I want to do, I don’t do; and what I shouldn’t do is precisely what I end up doing. Since I cannot break out of this, resolution comes only through God’s intervention. I repent. And in His grace, God forgives.

Okay, so this is the reality, we all live in different worlds. Is one world better than another? Is one world more Christian than another? Is one world truer than another? No, because each world has seeds leading to oppression, and each has resources for freedom. So, can we really permit all these alternative theological worlds to exist in our church? I say Yes, provided we each can identify clearly our needs, feel deeply our aches, and face honestly the questions in our world, as long as we keep the faithfulness by which we live in our world and by which we permit others to a world as sacred to them as mine is to me.

As a church we will strive to nurture and help in the spiritual formation of our members, within a community of alternatives worlds, holding each other accountable, with steadfastness and with love. Just as I hold Gary accountable for his sermon, he holds me accountable for mine. And you as listeners must also be discerning and hold us accountable, with questions … like,

“Gary, last Sunday you challenged my Devotion to God, and my Diligence and self-Denial in seeking Him. You accuse me of only seeking Him when I need Him, of not loving Him for who He is, of not spending more time with Him. But, how do I seek Him and show my love for Him? He told me how. To seek out and show love for my neighbour. Who is my neighbour? Well, he can certainly be my roller-blading buddy. She can certainly be my new partner. I can show my love for God by spending time with them and loving them, or by being devoted to my job, by doing it well. In fact, I find I can show more love for Him outside of church than within it, by caring for his creation, by not denying but rather looking after my body and health, through volunteer work, by speaking up for others, giving voice to the voiceless, etc, etc. You cannot judge my devotion and diligence by the hours I spend on my knees in prayer and the extent of my serving in church.”

And if I put myself in Gary’s shoes this morning, he might turn around and challenge me … “Susan, all this talk about different worlds, have you ever wondered why there aren’t more diverse churches around? I think many people just want a plain old church, one that they can love and invite their friends to without having them take a theological world test. My friends love their churches because their questions are answered, they trust that what the scriptures say is generally true, and their pastor can be trusted to speak from that truth. These are real places where faith is strong, the spirit is real and people are called to do great things for God, and for each other. Places where they are called to hope in Christ because in Him there is victory and the courage to witness the good news that brings joy and abundant life!!

And I will answer, yes Gary, you are right, I am often guilty of being stuck in the miry clay of theological debate, which is often quite joyless. The joy and abundant life in your world often eludes me. And once in a while I should stop trying to trying to save the world and instead perhaps engage in some slow dancing with the Lord.

And this is precisely it. The challenge is whether our Christian vow of love is deep enough for us to exist as a church of alternative worlds, without attacking each other but rather commit to the creative tension. And perhaps even try on each other’s worlds for size. I say we can and we must. And as Chairperson I offer that it starts with me. I humbly confess that a spirit-filled charismatic who shouts One Way Jesus at the top of his lungs, who actually enjoys hours and hours of endless Hillsongs and who Praises the Lord in every other breath he takes – such a person might just make it into the kingdom before me.

Let’s now turn to the sermon theme today --

The Significant Prayer
Continuing our sermon series, we are now embarking on the different languages of prayer and my theme today is the significant prayer, that is, what lends my prayer significance. I want to know what kind of prayer language really moves the heart and hand of God. There's so much I want that is of utmost significance to me -- healed bodies, restored relationships, safe travel, a new partner or job, changed circumstances, a whole new world while you’re at it God!! We often limit our prayers to these kinds of requests, never getting to the heart of the matter. We rarely pray for spiritual needs. But prayer is spiritual work toward a spiritual end. God wants to rub off our rough edges and clean up our character. Don’t you think we need to move our prayers a level up to the significant? Should we not be asking God to do no less than a deep, transforming work in our life and in the lives of those for whom we are praying?

As I struggled with this sermon theme, I was drawn to pare away all the prayer theories, methods & techniques, from all the reknown prayer experts and spiritual guides. And my thinking was distilled down to just 3 attributes of significant prayer.

The first is quite obvious so I won’t say much about it. The significant prayer is one of humility and honesty. In prayer we admit we are in the wrong, we bring down our defenses, we open ourselves up, if only for that moment. It is not as easy as it sounds because most of the time we are defending ourselves. Our instinctive reaction is to blame others or to find some excuse to explain our wrong away. But we have to adopt this language of humility and honesty if we want our prayer and God, to help us think at a deeper level than the rational, to teach us about openness, trust vulnerability and transformation.

The second attribute of significant prayer, which God revealed to me is that the significant prayer is the prayer of common sense.

When we think of God we often image Him as all-powerful & all-knowing, yes loving, but also demanding and unpredictable, holy & distant. We hardly ever describe God as sensible, and as having common sense. It doesn’t help that the famous OT reference in Isaiah 55:8-9 has Him announcing that, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways … the heavens are as high above the earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.” He is by far, not common like us. But we forget the context of this claim, given in the preceding verses 6 & 7, the Lord is calling for the wicked to forsake their evil ways and repent, and He will richly forgive them – this is where His thoughts and ways are above ours. He is not vindictive, grudge-bearing nor unwilling to forgive, His heart is so much more open than ours can ever be.

Recall King Solomon who asked the Lord for understanding, for good sense to enable him to discern good from evil. He admitted he is lacking wisdom, like a child. The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request and gladly granted it. Throughout the Old Testament times, we see the search for wisdom, and it is often practical wisdom – how to speak & act, how to deal with trials, how to behave, how to face challenges. Much of biblical wisdom such as in Proverbs, deals with maxims of conduct and practical, sensible solutions to the problems of life.

When we come to the New Testament, we see Jesus often praising the common sense and good judgment of a true disciple. That’s why he often used common, everyday ordinary parables in his teachings – the Kingdom of God is like a householder .. a woman searching for a lost coin … a father and a prodigal son… a planter sowing seed … a Samaritan on a journey. His parables were understandable because they appealed to our good sense! And there are particular passages where Jesus praises the man or woman with good sense. In Matt 7:24 he likens those who listen and act on his words to the sensible man who builds his house on rock … but those that listen and do not act, to the man who, lacking in good sense, builds his house upon the sand.

And we all know the story of the wise and foolish bridesmaids who fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom who was late in coming. The wise ones remembering to take oil along with their lamps went in to the banquet with him while the foolish ones were delayed trying to buy oil and were shut out. The lesson is clear from the last line of the parable: “Keep awake, for you do not know the day or the hour.” In other words, be alert and use your good sense to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom, while there is still time.

This good sense, discernment and wisdom, are seen as God’s gifs to us. However, we often do not realise them. As long as we do not see sensibly or clearly, God’s ways may well appear demanding, arbitrary and unpredictable. The problem is not God’s ways but our distorted vision. A distorted view which poses many problems, at least to me --- Do I believe God demands that we pray at 7.14pm for 714 minutes on the 14th of July? Do I believe God is going to take away my illness when he turns an entirely deaf ear to millions of starving children in Africa? Do I believe God is not going to let it rain on my parade and instead send the torrential rain off to create havoc in northern Thailand? If he did this, He would be to me a God of non-sense. But don’t you see it is us who have the non-sense, and it is we who make him demanding, arbitrary and unpredictable.

I actually cannot blame those that pray this way. It has been part of the church’s teachings sadly. Even though we know better, many of us find it hard to do away with ideas of God as the white-bearded old man in the sky. We see God a lot like he was explained to us as children. As a father figure, who is just but who can get angry at us. You will reward us when we are good, punish us when we are bad. We know this isn't the truest picture, but it's the only one we’ve got. Reinforced in Sunday School, when we hear stuff like: “God always answers your prayers, but sometimes his answer is No.” Or, “God could have healed your daddy but He has His reasons for not doing so.” You can easily see the image of God building up in the child’s mind. Maybe we should instead encourage children to pray for good sense, for being sensible kids --- not for things they want to be given, but for what they want to become. Just as Tuck showed in his analogy of God as the therapist, not giving answers but leading us to self-awareness. So if we pray for clarity of understanding, strength of purpose and a better self I suspect there will be a higher chance of an answered prayer!

So I cannot leave you all hanging here -- if God is not this old man in the sky, who or what is He? To be honest, I cannot answer that question fully because I myself have not arrived at an answer that fully satisfies me. Maybe I never will. To Tuck, he is an immediate presence, a “Here I am”. To Gary, he’s the loving heavenly father, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, the “3-in-1”.
To me, I am tending more and more to picture him neither as a person nor a thing, having neither shape nor form, which means he is a totally different order of reality than we are, not just bigger or better, higher or further away – but completely different. I realise I will be contradicting myself now – having described God very much as a person throughout my message, a person with common sense, etc. There is no completely accurate word to describe him except perhaps the word, “God”. And I am more likely to attach that word to qualities; qualities like, the curiosity to discover, the impulse to love and share, the yearning to be loved, the process of learning and growing, the striving for justice, the search for truth, hospitality, generosity, mercy, love – are these not the qualities we need to be called men and women made in God’s image? To me then. God seems to be that power or that soulforce that awakens in us these qualities. It doesn’t make him any less real. In fact it makes Him more real because if He is indeed these, I can say I have encountered him face to face many times!
In fact, this idea leads very nicely to the 3rd and last attribute of significant prayer. A significant prayer is one that it leads to practical compassion. Because we see that divine soulforce or God in every human being, because we recognise each other as co-dancers in the dance of God, we cannot but reach out to others in mutual love and compassion. And this is true in many of the world’s religions. Hindus in greeting one another, clasp their hands and bow to acknowledge the divine in the other. The core message of the Koran is that it is wrong to build up a private fortune but good to share your wealth, creating a just and decent society where poor people are treated with dignity. The Buddha said that after a man has achieved enlightenment, he must come down from the mountaintop. He must not sit luxuriating in the religious experience. He must return to the marketplace and practise compassion for all living beings. The New Testament is filled with such tests of true spirituality. “I can have faith that moves mountains,” say St Paul, “but if I lack charity, it is worth nothing.” When we meet God he will not say, “Come ye to the kingdom prepared for you because your doctrine and theology was correct” but “because I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, naked, sick and in prison and you visited me.” Because you see God in others, you have been saved.

If we are committed to becoming more and more like Him, we will begin to reflect His light and His love more and more, and truly live up to being created in His image. So the significant prayer must start from a place of humility and honesty, it must be a prayer of common sense, the common sense of God, and it must necessarily lead to lives filled with compassion, the compassion of God.

Prayer
Listen as God speaks to us ---

My creation, my child, my image
I AM your God
I have known you from all eternity, from the day you were conceived in my mind
and from the day you were conceived in your mother’s womb
Do not be anxious about me
Do not be anxious about others and what you imagine they are saying and thinking
It is enough for you to listen to me, for
Each day I will come to you
You do not need to read books for language and images
You do not need to conjure up something to write
You do not need to strain to hear my words
Its not about words that you can imagine or write
But about me
Think of me as Presence
I am Presence with you, in you, around you
I am Presence here, there, everywhere
Presence that liberates your mind and imagination.
Presence that is personal, like nothing you have ever known
Presence that is pervasive, fluid, unbounded and intimate
It is beyond your reach, and yet it reaches you!
I AM. I say it again. I AM your God
I am simple Presence
Come to me in humility and honesty
With all your good senses, all your love and compassion
Be still and know that I AM God
Be still and know that I AM
Be still and know
Be still
Be