I was talking to a friend this week who is a Muslim, I asked him about the second pillar of Islam, prayer. I’ve always been intrigued and impressed at the devotion of Muslims, praying five times a day, usually without exception or excuse. This led me to reflect on prayer in Christianity, how do we view prayer, and how is prayer viewed in our culture. When I look at our popular media, we see Christian prayer expressed in comedies like “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAUI_0knfk) when Will Ferrell’s character prays to baby Jesus, thanking him for his “smoking hot wife” and asking him to win more races. Or “Meet the Parents” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DlNF_ukr0I) when Ben Stiller’s character stumbles through grace before dinner. And just recently, I watched an old episode of Glee, I know embarrassing, when Finn has an existential experience when he believes he sees the face of Jesus in his grilled cheese sandwich, which, of course, prompts him to pray to this “Grilled Cheesus."
Treating it much like a genie, asking to win a football game, to get to second base with his girlfriend, and reclaiming his position as starting quarterback.
When did prayer become such a joke… if these jokes are just exaggerated projections of people’s perceptions on prayer, then we have come a long way from Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. But are we any different than the disciples? Much like us, they knew what prayer was, but yet when they see Jesus praying they see something different, so different, that they ask Jesus “teach us how to pray,” they see something different in the way that Jesus prays, and realize that "we must not be doing this right." When I look at popular media, and see the perceptions of prayer, I can’t help but think, we must not be doing this right.
When did prayer become such a joke… if these jokes are just exaggerated projections of people’s perceptions on prayer, then we have come a long way from Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. But are we any different than the disciples? Much like us, they knew what prayer was, but yet when they see Jesus praying they see something different, so different, that they ask Jesus “teach us how to pray,” they see something different in the way that Jesus prays, and realize that "we must not be doing this right." When I look at popular media, and see the perceptions of prayer, I can’t help but think, we must not be doing this right.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
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