Today’s sermon is something new for me:  it is based upon today’s Old Testament reading from 1 Kings.  Normally, I preach on the New Testament passage and more specifically, I almost always preach from the gospel, as opposed to the epistle reading.  A combination of factors came together to cause this change.  First, and perhaps foremost is the fact that, last week, I chose to expand the lectionary reading from the Gospel of Matthew beyond the parable of the wheat and the weeds and the subsequent explanation of that parable.  Last week I added the section that falls in between the parable and its explanation and which includes the short parables about the woman with the leaven and the one about the mustard seed.  Lo and behold, I looked at the lectionary for this week and it has those two parables that I had added last week.  I did not wish to repeat.  That was one reason.  Another reason is that I really love the passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans that was our epistle reading this morning.  I didn’t want to see that go by without getting a chance to at least READ it to you, even if I was not sure about whether or not I would preach about it.  The final reason was that the passage from 1 Kings I found really thought provoking. 

As is my practice, I went back several chapters before the lectionary reading to refresh my memory on the storyline and to put the reading in its proper context.  I will admit that it had been many, many years since I had read extensively from 1 Kings and I had, quite frankly, forgotten how much that historical drama reminded me of the screenplay from the movie, “The Godfather”.  As David lays on his deathbed, he calls his younger son Solomon – borne of Bathsheba who is the star in an R rated story out of the soap operas all by herself – and David basically tells Solomon to whack a bunch of his enemies for him when he is gone.  Literally.  David names off a bunch of folks who had dishonored his throne during the later years of his rule, and he directs Solomon to have them, in Mafia parlance, “sleep with the fishes”,  so to speak.  The actual euphemistic phrase that David uses is, “Now you must act wisely and not permit his grey head to go down to the grave peacefully”.   

And, immediately after David’s death, Solomon obeys.  In rapid succession, Solomon sends his hitman, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada  and whacks Adonijah, his half brother and David’s son with his first wife Haggith…he whacks Joab, the son of Zeruiah… Joab being the priest who had supported Adonijah… he whacks Shimei, the son of Gera simply because he had sworn at his father, King David  once… and then, after all that apparently necessary bloodletting, he went off to Gibeon, a sleepy  little town about five miles north of Jerusalem where there was a great high place…and he made thousands of burnt offerings to God and he spent the night there in prayer… and God appeared to him in his dream and basically gave him carte blanche to ask for whatever it was that he wanted. 

And Solomon…young Solomon, still new to this king business, asked God in his dream simply for an observant mind.  That is how the New Revised Standard Version puts it, in any case.  There are many different translations of that phrase in Hebrew.  Some versions say understanding heart, some say understanding mind, some say discerning heart.  I actually happen to like the ones with “heart” in them more than I do the ones with “mind” primarily because I think it more accurately reflects the Hebrew meaning of “heart” as the center of thought and will.    But whatever version you like better, it really boils down to a synonym for WISDOM .  Solomon asked only for WISDOM.  And what was God’s reply?  “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.”And the standard lectionary reading ends there…but the story takes on another twist.  As you heard earlier, God THEN says in the succeeding verses which follow the lectionary text and which I added for your benefit this morning, “I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.” Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being, and provided a feast for all his servants.” 

And God DID give Solomon wisdom along with riches and honor and long life.  And he used it.  The very first story out of the box about Solomon’s wisdom is not part of the lectionary reading this morning… but, even though it is familiar, I want to read it to you now:  Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. The one woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us were in the house. Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead; but when I looked at him closely in the morning, clearly it was not the son I had borne.” But the other woman said, “No, the living son is mine, and the dead son is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead son is yours, and the living son is mine.” So they argued before the king. Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; while the other says, ‘Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought a sword before the king. The king said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one, and half to the other.” But the woman whose son was alive said to the king—because compassion for her son burned within her—“Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” The other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.” Then the king responded: “Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.” All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.   Solomon used the gift of wisdom given to him by God to brilliantly determine the truth of the matter between these two women.  Solomon used the gifts of God that he had prayed for and received to try to be a good king to his people and to do God’s will.    

I think that this story of Solomon’s dream is an excellent primer that might guide us to learning how to more effectively pray, and a reading we might use as a model for what we should pray for…and how God responds to our prayers.  Remember that Solomon only asked for wisdom but God gave him much more.  It makes me think of those Rolling Stones lyrics:  You can’t always get what you want.  You can’t always get what you want.  You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well you just might find… You get what you need.  Solomon did not pray for what he wanted, he prayed for what he truly needed.  And again:  BECAUSE Solomon only asked for the tools he needed, God was so pleased at his humility and his selflessness, God gave him a boatload of other stuff as well.  Why would we think that God will deal with selfless prayers from us any differently?

Think about what YOU pray for.   My guess is that most of us don’t pray for what we need as much as we pray for what we want.  We pray for good health, we pray for the health of our friends and family.  We pray for peace.  We pray for good weather.  We pray for God to miraculously cure our banana slice on the golf course.  We pray for good grades or a new job.  We pray for a raise.  We pray that our children get scholarships.  We pray for a winning megabucks ticket.  We pray for THINGS.  We pray that God will GIVE us THINGS or FIX THINGS or DO THINGS for us and for our friends and family and even for our community and for our nation and for our world, but nonetheless, we pray for God to do it for us…on our behalf.   If WE are hungry, we pray for God to give us a fish.  Conversely… If Solomon had been hungry, he would have prayed that God teach him HOW to fish.  We pray for results.  Solomon prayed for tools so that he could use them to achieve results. We pray that God may cause his will to be done here on earth.  Solomon prayed to God to give him the WISDOM so that HE could be an effective instrument OF God’s will here on earth.    We pray for what we want.  Solomon prayed for what he NEEDED to be a good king and a good servant of the Lord. Do you see the difference? 

I have this sneaking suspicion that, if all of you are anything like me, there is a lot less praying going on each week than there really ought to be.  And if you all are anything like me, there are a lot of prayers for results and not very many prayers for the tools for us to achieve results.  Instead of praying for God to bring about world peace, try praying for COMPASSION so that you can BE an instrument of peace all by yourself.  Instead of praying for God to bring health for you and for others, pray for ENERGY and FOCUS and ASSERTIVENESS so that you might work on your own diet and exercise regimen and then be a strong advocate for healthy living to those around you.  Instead of praying for God to bring social justice to our nation, pray for COURAGE to stand up to social injustice yourself.  Instead of praying for God to end world hunger, pray for COMMITMENT so that you can reprioritize you life a bit and find the time to work on community suppers or  volunteer at soup kitchens and food banks  and actually help to end hunger in our community.  Instead of praying for God to PLEASE make those whiny little brats sitting in the pew behind you be quiet, try praying for PATIENCE so that you can hear their voices as the bubbling streams that are the headwaters of this church’s revival – PATIENCE so that you might even consider serving as a Sunday School teacher to make sure those bubbling streams of youthful energy are channeled in the right direction like you promised you’d do for them when they were baptized. 

Those are just a few examples to whet your appetite and get your own creative juices flowing.  God said to Solomon:  Ask what I should give to you.  Solomon asked for a discerning heart so that he might be a wise king and do God’s will.  Consider what tools YOU are lacking or what tools YOU have that could stand a little “divine sharpening”.  Pray for THOSE tools.  I believe that God will give us the tools we need to be able to better bring about his Kingdom here on earth, and I also believe that God will reward us for our selfless devotion to the tasks those tools should be used for by giving us many other blessings.  He’s been doing just that for a long, long time.  Just as God gave Solomon what HE needed when HE asked for it and much, much more, God will give YOU what YOU need if you ask for it, and your whole life will be richer just for the asking. 

Amen. 

I wrote this over in Craigslist a few minutes ago and I thought it was pretty good.

When I read these posts, I can’t help but be shocked at how naive people truly are. So many people are wrapped up in their own cultural perceptions that they don’t allow themselves to see reality as it is. They don’t see their place in this world, nor their true relationship to others.

It’s all about themselves. Reality has to be what they see reality is. And if something happens that they don’t like or if things don’t work out the way they expect, they don’t stop and ask themselves what was wrong with their viewpoint. Instead they whine, and moan, and complain about how life’s not fair. It’s someone elses fault their life sucks. It’s someone elses fault there is so much evil in the world. It’s someone elses fault.

Right now it seems a lot of blame is going to President Bush. The man is far from perfect, but if your life is screwed up, it’s not his fault. If some hurricane destroys your city, it’s not his fault. If some earthquake happens causing a tsunami, it’s not his fault. He is only one man, a man is a position of power, but he isn’t God. He doesnt have more power and control over your life than you do. I am sure if Senator McCain or Obama get elected, people will sit around complaining about them as well.

But no. It’s everyone else’s fault. Everyone else is wrong. The world has to go our way or else someone or something is trying to screw us over. I know truth is such a foreign concept to so many people. We live in a culture that denies the existance of truth. People don’t want to see the world as it really is because they are afraid of it. They are quite comfortable in their little world getting fat, complaining about their family, whining about how their leaders are screwing their lives. But they won’t lift a figure to do something about it.

I am not sure whether it’s more because they are lazy. Or because they are truly so self centered that the world must evolve around them. They think the world owes them something.

Well, it doesn’t. The world doesn’t owe you anything. In fact, it doesn’t even owe you a single breath after you are born. Every second you live has to be earned. You have to breath each breath. You have to work for sustanance. And yes, sometimes you have to fight and kill to defend yourself. That is the reality of this world. We live in a world governed by force. Whether violent force or just the force it takes for us to move.

Our entire society is an artificial construct. It’s a brilliant construct, but it’s still artificial. This is not our natural state of existance. Our natural state of existance is not order. It’s Chaos/Anarchy. And in our purely natural state, we would completely destroy each other. That is why we create rules, norms, order, etc. The only thing that keeps us from destroying one another is our collective effort.

And if people remain naive of this truth or refuse to accept it. Or act contrary to it, we will see society devolve faster than you can imagine and massive casualties overnight. It’s happened before. It will happen again. Learn from it, or else you are going to die because of your ignorance.