Seventeenth Sunday of Year C                   July 25, 2010

 Genesis 18:20-32

Psalm 138

Colossians 2:12-14

Luke 11:1-13

 If I were to do my undergrad work over,  for my senior paper, I would  do an analysis of the dialog patterns of lovers, people who have an intimate relationship with one another.  It seems to me that there are five constitutive components in intimate conversation.

 1.         Lovers frequently acknowledge the importance, the goodness of the other.  "You are so wonderful, so good looking and caring."

 2.         People in love express that love for one another. “I love you very much.”

 3.         Individuals express their appreciation, their thankfulness.  "Thanks for being part of my life.  I appreciate all that you do and are for me."

 4.         Sometimes people offend, hurt each other.  Thus, expressing sorrow for what I have done is necessary.   “I am sorry that I was so inconsiderate and hurt you.”

 5.         Finally, we ask those we love to do something, or be someone for us.  "Would you please.....Could you please be there with me when....."

 Now if you take our Church prayer book, the book of the liturgy, the Sacramentary and analyze our prayers, you will see these same five elements present.  That should be no surprise.  The prayers of the Church reflect the dialog between two parties who are intimate and very much in love with one another.  God and us!

 Lord teach us to pray.  May I suggest that this week we focus upon our prayer life.  If those five elements are good for the prayer of the Church, then certainly they are good for our private prayer as well.

 And to help you remember them, I give you an acronym:  ALTAR

 1.         A  ACKNOWLEDGE who God is in your life.

2.         L  express your LOVE for Jesus

3.         T  THANK God for all of the divine blessings & gifts you have received.

4.         A ASK and you shall receive

5.         R  make RAPARATION for the sins of your life. Express your sorrow, your contrition

 During the course of this week, analyze HOW you pray.  And write a little.  Make notes at the end of each day as to how you prayed that day.  At the end of the week, you will have a self-assessment of your prayer and spiritual life. 

 About twenty years ago I started to actually write some of my prayers.    If they stood the test of time, i.e., after 6 or 12 months, I thought them good, I wrote them into a little journal.  Over the course of many years, I have written a prayerbook much like our ancestors-in-the-faith, the Jewish people did with the Book of Psalm.  Somedays when I find it difficult to pray, I get out my prayerbook and use words, which I have written in former days. 

 Lord teach us to pray. 

 This week, examine HOW you pray.    And remember ALTAR.

 Acknowledge who God is.

Love, express it.

Thanksgiving should be part of every prayer.

Ask and you shall receive

Reparation, express your sorrow for you sins.

Rev. Everett Hemann