Ask. Seek. Knock.
This exploration of Jesus' teaching on prayer challenges us to move beyond the vending machine approach to spirituality. When Jesus says 'ask, seek, knock,' we often hear a transactional promise—do this, get that. But the deeper translation reveals something more profound: 'keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.' Prayer isn't a one-time transaction but an ongoing process of engagement with the divine. The sermon unpacks how our prayers often mirror our consumer society, where we expect immediate results and feel disappointed when God doesn't deliver like Amazon Prime. Yet when we examine what we're actually praying for—from parking spots to perfect children—we discover something important: our prayers reveal who we are, what we value, and where we need to grow. The invitation isn't to pray less, but to pray more deeply, recognizing that prayer is both a mirror reflecting our own hearts and a quest that transforms us. We're encouraged to pray however we need to, getting our concerns out into the open, while also examining whether our language about God aligns with what we actually believe about divine love and presence.
To think about…
How does your approach to prayer reflect what you truly believe about God's nature and presence in the world?
When you examine your most frequent prayers, what do they reveal about your deepest values, fears, or desires?
In what ways might the community of faith around you be the answer to prayers you've been directing upward to God?
How does the concept of 'original blessing' rather than 'total depravity' change the way you see yourself and others?
What would it mean for you to 'wrestle with God' rather than simply ask God to fix your problems?
Are there prayers you've been praying that might actually be contrary to God's vision of shalom for all people?
How might recognizing God's constant presence everywhere change your understanding of miracles and divine intervention?
What would it look like to pray with your hands and feet rather than from your comfortable chair?
When has God felt like an adversary in your life, and could that have been an invitation to examine what you were truly asking for?
How can you shift from viewing prayer as a transaction with God to seeing it as participating in God's ongoing work of healing and wholeness?