CMLC 2025-07-27 Sermon

So when I was little, I remember there was this

older man in church. The elders would lead the

worship. They'd be praying or reading scriptures

or giving short sermons. And there was this one

man that whenever he went up, I knew that that

prayer, was going to be at least 10 minutes long

and oh my word the prayers were just so long

and I remember as a as a kid I'm like you know

eight nine years old and I remember thinking

if I put my elbows right here on the pew lean

forward in a very devout and holy way and put

my forehead onto my hands in a nice holy gesture

then I can get a nice little nap in And it's

like, oh, yes, thank you, Jesus. Very, very grateful.

Oh, man. And then once I heard that there was

no more talking for a little while, I was like,

OK, I think we're done. And it just made me think

so much about it. Is this what praying really

is? Is this what it means that we have to make

sure we've quoted all these scriptures and that

we've gone into all the things about how terrible

the world is and all the problems that we think

that we see? How much of this is what it is that

God wants? Does God have these expectations to

pray the right way and make sure to go into all

these things enough? And it made me wonder, when

will I be able to pray like that? When would

I be at this point? whenever we're young and

and even later in life we oftentimes pick up

on certain rhythms or assumptions and you know

we see prayer often as a kind of formula saying

the right thing and then maybe God will finally

listen and do what it is that we want. Do I need

to make sure I have plenty of scriptures I can

quote? Do I need to make sure that I'm telling

God about how terrible the world is? Do I need

to make sure that I have expounded on anything

and everything that was on my mind with God and

used some big, six -syllable vocabulary words?

The thing is that in my mind, I'm thinking, what

is the right way to pray? Did I even pray hard

enough? to make it count with God. You know,

we pick up on certain rhythms, certain assumptions,

certain formulas that we follow, things that

we click with. And oftentimes though, we may

feel guilty because our prayers don't match what

it is that we think God would want to hear from

us. And then sometimes, even when we pray earnestly

and things don't work the way we thought, then

we wonder, maybe my prayers were broken. Maybe

God isn't actually listening to someone like

me. And we wonder, what would actually get God

to listen in the first place? What are the things

that we have believed? And what do we still believe,

even when we should know better? What we believed

and what we still do, it leads us to think about

some of the claims, the beliefs, and the philosophies

that have been widely accepted throughout history.

Things that people believed that were later proven

to be false but with tragic consequences. Let

me talk a bit about some of the claims that have

happened and some of the beliefs and then some

of the philosophies. See, some of the claims

that used to exist, one of them was smoking was

once targeted as healthy with ads saying it sued

the throat. helped digestion and reduced stress.

Now, we know that smoking causes cancer, heart

disease, and countless other illnesses, but tobacco

companies had funded misleading studies, used

doctors and ads, and suppressed negative evidence.

People genuinely believed smoking was good for

you until it was finally proven otherwise. Or

even in much of the 20th century, There were

many doctors who believed that infants couldn't

feel pain the same way that adults do. In reality,

infants do feel pain. Now, many people, though,

would try to have the surgeries on infants without

anesthesia. A misunderstanding of neurology and

also the desire to avoid the complications of

anesthesia actually caused people to hold to

an assumption. because it made them feel better

about their decisions. They were so sincere about

not wanting to hurt the infants, but what they

held to was very, very wrong. And that gives

us pause as we look at our third example, because

for centuries, bloodletting or draining the blood

from people was believed to cure fevers, infections,

and even mental illness. Makes you grateful for

ibuprofen today. But bloodletting often weakened

the patients for obvious reasons and sometimes

even hastened the process of death. There was

this ancient belief about four humors that existed

and you're trying to get rid of one of them to

help the others, but it persisted because of

a lack of anything else for them to believe.

But as we can see, even when everyone's trying

their best, the old frameworks can oftentimes

lead us down the wrong path. If those generations

were wrong about things that were so basic, what

are we missing now? Are there voices today that

we ridicule or ignore just like others did before?

How do we know when it's time to rethink what

we've always assumed? But what about some of

the previous beliefs that existed? In the ancient

world, people looked at the universe and saw

it as full and overflowing with unseen powers

in their daily lives. And it wasn't just the

Hellenistic idea of the Greeks and the Romans

with their multitude of gods and demigods. Even

in Judaism, there were strong traditions of mysticism.

Visions of angels and cosmic battles and heavenly

intermediaries and the sense that divine beings

were somehow controlling the events behind reality.

In the book of Daniel you start to see hints

of this, but in other apocalyptic writings it

talks even more about the Prince of Persia and

Michael the Archangel waging war in heaven, spirits

and angels and forces and elemental principles.

The average person didn't think of the divine

as one clear person. So people did what people

always do, they hedged their bets. They tried

to tap into a little bit of this God and a little

bit of that power. They looked for the rituals

and the prayers and the knowledge and the secret

forces that could give them an edge in dealing

with life. And if we're honest, not a lot has

actually changed today. Now, today we're less

likely to call things gods. But we still search

for some kind of greater power that's behind

everything. Sometimes, It's spiritual. We have

the crystals around our neck. We make sure that

we're talking to our guardian angels and we look

at our horoscopes. Sometimes it's social or political

with the deep state and the system and big tech

and big pharma, all of the days that are larger

than life. And sometimes it's even a moral war

where everyone who disagrees with us is demonic

and everyone that's on our side is righteous,

heroic. superhuman. And sometimes the conspiracy

theories we chase are not because of wanting

to solve puzzles or finding truth, but because

deep down we want to believe that there's something

bigger that must be at work. Something hidden

that must be pulling all the strings. The idea

that life is just ordinary or broken in mundane

ways, it's just not very satisfying. We create

grand unseen enemies or saviors We turn our flawed

politicians into messiahs and our annoying co

-workers into demons. We need it to be more.

And so we inflate everything into cosmic terms.

But the truth is, our enemies aren't demons and

our friends aren't superheroes. They're just

people. Real power doesn't lie in outmaneuvering

secret elites or reciting the right slogans.

We want to believe there's a bigger force at

work, because if there's a super villain, then

maybe we can be a hero. We turn everyday human

problems into epic cosmic battles, not because

we're evil at it, but because we're hungry for

meaning. But when that hunger isn't grounded

in Christ, it becomes paranoia and division.

In Colossians, Paul makes a bold claim. See to

it that no one takes you captive through hollow

and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human

tradition. In Christ, all the fullness of God

dwells bodily. In other words, everything people

were searching for, the presence, the power,

the closeness of God, it's already in Jesus.

Completely. And if you belong to Him, that fullness

is already yours. Even prayer isn't about trying

to reach God or convince God to listen. It's

not about climbing some spiritual ladder. It's

about growing into the fullness that you already

have in Christ. See, prayer becomes less about

spiritual anxiety and more about abiding in a

relationship that's already secure. See, today

we don't talk about elemental or spiritual forces,

but we do follow ideas that act like spiritual

forces in our lives, our own personal mantras.

I've just got to look out for myself. Everything

happens for a reason. Good vibes only. I make

my own destiny. The universe is testing me. as

long as it makes you happy. These feel empowering

and practical. They offer a kind of emotional

support and control, a way of simplifying a chaotic

world. But believe it or not, those are actually

not in the Bible. Don't bother looking. See,

when they don't come from Christ, they're detached

from grace. They're disconnected from community.

They're grounded in self -effort and wishful

control, but we live by them. There's a scene

in The Chosen, where Mary pours out expensive

perfume on Jesus' feet. And one of the Pharisees

is furious. He clings to a principle and says,

this should have been given to the poor. Which

sounds very righteous, right? And it's a wise

idea, but he cannot see past it to realize that

Jesus is giving Mary dignity. in that moment,

acceptance, grace, personal connection, not trying

to shame her for making a poor decision. The

law, when it's twisted into a mantra, it blinds

us oftentimes to love. See, each of these philosophies,

it's a subtle way of saying to God, if I think

or believe the right thing, I can make the world

work for me. It's a form of control. But Paul

says these ideas actually take us captive. Why

well first they can make us miss what actually

matters if the mantra is working and life is

going smoothly We can just ignore our pain and

injustice and suffering of others Because it

doesn't fit the vibe We lose our compassion our

awareness sometimes even our calling because

the mantra has trained us to filter out anything

inconvenient or uncomfortable That doesn't fit.

Oh they're having trouble they must not be following

the mantra right they just need to follow it

better and then they'd be okay I don't need to

bother or second sometimes they make us blame

ourselves when life breaks down when the mantra

fails when a relationship ends or an illness

comes along or a dream we had dies we don't question

the mantra we question ourselves We feel shame.

We didn't try hard enough. We didn't believe

hard enough. We didn't think positively enough.

We didn't control the variables properly. It's

not the mantra's fault, it's ours. Or third,

they can lead us to worship the wrong people.

Because we find someone who seems to embody the

mantra. They look strong, successful, fearless,

at peace. So we give them our allegiance with

our TikTok subscription and our YouTube enrollments.

But when they lead us to dismiss mercy, humility,

truth, we don't speak up because we've made them

the measuring stick instead of Jesus. Instead

of asking, is this Christ -like, we're too busy

asking, does this fit the brand? Paul invites

us to something more real, though. Just as you

received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live

your lives in Him, rooted and built up. It's

not a mantra. It's a relationship. It's not about

self -protection or self -promotion. It's about

becoming someone whose life is shaped by the

crucified and risen Christ, who suffered, loved,

forgave, and set captives free. Because in Christ,

His fullness, the fullness of God, changes it

all. See, Christ doesn't give us clever slogans.

He gives us Himself. His fullness is what changes

things. He doesn't promise control. He offers

union, fullness, freedom. In Christ, you don't

have to manipulate the universe. You already

walk with the Creator. You don't have to pretend

to be happy. You can bring your real self, the

broken one, the one that's still loved anyway.

You don't need a mantra to survive the day. You

have a Lord. who holds all things together. You

don't have to chase the conspiracy or the slogans.

You don't need the vague energies or the comforting

cliches. You don't have to inflate your enemies

or idolize your allies. You don't need anything

more than Christ. You only need more of Christ.

So the real question becomes, does this belief

I'm holding reflect the character of Christ?

Or is it an empty echo that I picked up from

the world? See, that's something we all share.

Even as adults, followers of Christ, we can get

caught up in all kinds of sayings and spiritual

mantras. Everything happens for a reason. Let

go and let God. God won't give you more than

you can handle. And we even attach power to specific

words and habits. Like if we just say the Lord's

Prayer every day, we should be good. Right? The

Lord's Prayer. Now, looking at the two Gospels,

Luke and Matthew, they're not exactly the same.

Luke is a little more concise and a little more

streamlined. Matthew's has a little fuller wording

that many of us recite from memory, and then

of course our version has a blessing at the end.

There's a very good chance that Jesus was asked

this sort of thing more than once, and so each

time was spoken depending on what the audience

needed that time. But they both carry the same

heartbeat. Whether it's short or long, formal

or conversational, the essential gestures are

all there of trust, surrender, grace, humility,

hope. But let's be clear. Jesus didn't give us

the Lord's Prayer so we could chant it like a

magic spell. As if saying the exact words in

the exact order is what makes it holy. It's not

like the volume of our prayers gets louder because

we added thy kingdom come. And yet, to be honest,

if we ever stopped praying the Lord's Prayer

during worship, I know there are a lot of you

who'd go looking for another Lutheran church,

let's be honest. Some of us though, saying the

Lord's Prayer, sometimes we act like it's almost

more essential than the sermon. Those are pretty

boring anyway. But maybe that's okay, as long

as we remember it's not about being recited,

but rather that it's about being lived. Our Father

who art in heaven, We don't live alone. We're

part of a family rooted in God's care. Thy kingdom

come, thy will be done. We don't chase our own

agenda. We open our hands and say, God, use me

for your purpose. Give us this day our daily

bread. Fullness doesn't mean excess. It means

enough for me and for others. Forgive us our

trespasses as we forgive. Fullness makes room

for mercy. For releasing others from the debts

we hold over them. Lead us not into temptation.

We're not just surviving this world. We're becoming

more like Christ, resisting the easy shortcuts

that would rob us of who we're meant to be. Deliver

us from evil. Because there is a struggle. But

the enemy is not each other. It's anything that

tries to pull us out of love, out of peace, out

of Christ. You want to know what fullness looks

like? It's this. It's a life that's not just

packed full of busyness or religion or opinions,

but one that's grounded in Christ, open to others,

and at peace with God. See, the fullness in Christ,

it's not abstract. It has a body. It's human.

It's real. Jesus didn't float above the world

and every once in a while just spit out some

nice sayings. He entered the dirt, the tears,

the blood, the bread. Any fullness that tries

to bypass needs and suffering. is false. Prayer

that avoids the real world isn't full. It's hollow.

That's where Jesus steps in. When the disciples

ask Him how to pray, He doesn't give them a secret

password. He's showing them the shape of a relationship

with Him. Jesus invites us into something relational,

not ritualistic. And then He reminds us who the

Father is. The one whose name is holy, whose

kingdom is coming. The one who gives us what

we need daily, who forgives, who rescues, who

listens. Jesus ends the section with a beautiful

promise that if you are, if you who are flawed

and inconsistent know how to give good gifts

to your children, how much more will your Heavenly

Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?

I know it's hard to believe, parents. You are

flawed and inconsistent. But, even so, That's

not what we see in God. So how much more will

He give us good gifts? Not just stuff, not just

outcomes, not just answers that go the way we

want, but His Spirit, His presence, His life,

the real gift. That's what Jesus wants us to

know. Because here's the thing though, you will

never fully grasp that unless you're reading

all of Scripture. If you just try to take little

pieces of Jesus like He's in a vacuum and hold

onto this one piece, you're going to misunderstand

who He is. Because every story, every covenant,

every psalm, every prophecy, they point to and

culminate in Him. We miss the magnitude of who

He really is, the fullness of God, if all we

want to engage with is a few lines that make

us feel comfortable. So what have you been praying

for? How have you been praying? Or maybe you've

been holding back. Maybe you're afraid that your

words aren't eloquent enough. Maybe your life

isn't holy enough. Maybe your faith isn't strong

enough. Maybe you've been repeating the same

phrases and you hope that something will finally

stick. But here's the invitation. It's not to

focus so much on praying perfectly, but rather

to pray honestly. Instead of obsessing over the

outcome, Focus on the presence, not the performance.

When you ask, seek, and knock, you're not just

rattling off a list to God. You're drawing near

to your Father who already knows your needs and

loves to give you Himself. Maybe it's time we

stop chasing the spiritual techniques and start

resting in Christ. Because the real gift God

wants to give isn't always the thing that we

wrote down. But it's the Spirit that transforms

and leads us. Because let's be honest. We've

all clung to a few slogans, a few traditions,

a few favorite scriptures that we put on the

wall or on the pillows, and we hope that they're

enough. But God's inviting us to something deeper.

A life in Christ that's full, not because it

gives us everything we want, but because it gives

us what we need the most. Living in the fullness

of Christ is what brings. Life. We're not promised

a magic formula. We're promised a faithful God.

We're not promised instant results. We're promised

daily bread. We're not promised worldly power.

We're promised the Holy Spirit. Because when

Jesus finishes His teaching in Luke 11, He doesn't

promise that every prayer will be answered the

way we expect. He doesn't promise that we'll

gain some victory or an inner calm because of

the mantra we've chased. He says that God, who

is better than even the best earthly parent,

will give what is truly good, the presence of

Christ, the connection to the Kingdom. That's

the fish, not the snake. It's the egg, not the

scorpion. It may not look flashy, it may not

be the next viral video, or satisfy our craving

as we're driving down the street, but it's the

fullness that we're made for, rooted in Christ,

not... philosophy or conspiracy not tossed aside

by desires and phrases, but instead living in

the prayer of who Christ is and who we are called

to be. So may this morning we die to the old,

the mantras, the phrases, the heroes, the slogans,

the philosophies, the transactions that we thought

we were making with God. And instead, may we

rise into the fullness of Christ. the one who

embodies all of God, who meets us in our asking

and fills us with what we didn't even know we

needed in the first place. Thanks be to God.