Dear beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,

 

At Martha and Mary’s dinner party last Sunday, Jesus instructed us that we are to spend time with him in prayer. Like the “sit and talk” time after dinner, we sit and talk with the Lord after communion and in daily prayer.

 

This Sunday, Jesus instructs us how to pray. He teaches us to say, “Our Father, who art in heaven….”Clear enough, we think, until we look at the first reading for Sunday.

 

The first scripture reading on Sunday always informs our understanding of the gospel. It is the James Webb telescope to view the gospel story. The Sunday first reading picks up last Sunday’s story. After hosting the three angels with a feast, Abraham walks with them as they continue on their way to destroy the city of Sodom.

 

Before Las Vegas, there was Sodom and Gomorrah. Whatever happened in Sodom stayed in Sodom. Abraham pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah. “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it?”

 

The Lord considered Abraham’s argument. “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

 

Persisting six times, Abraham asked the Lord for mercy upon the inhabitants of the city. Six times the Lord consented to spare Sodom. Each time, Abraham bargained for fewer people. Finally, “For the sake of ten,” the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it.” Ten it was. The fate of Sodom hung upon ten righteous people. The Lord departed, and Abraham returned home.

 

Ten was the number of men needed to form a minyan. A minyan was a quorum of ten men required for traditional Jewish public worship. In other words, the survival of Sodom depended on the existence of a tiny faith community worshipping the Lord and living a righteous life. Worship and right living made the difference between life and death not only for the righteous but for their neighbors and fellow citizens!

 

A vibrant church, like ten righteous people in Sodom, can make such a difference to its community. The size does not matter. A small group of believers worshipping the Lord faithfully and living their faith daily can protect and redeem everyone around even if they are as wicked as Sodom. Isn’t this amazing?

 

When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we plead like Abraham before the Lord on matters of life and death. For example, “Give us each day our daily bread!” was not a general way to acknowledge God’s providence. For disciples on the road, it was the heartfelt difference between going to bed hungry versus eating another day.

 

Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am with them, interceding for them at the right hand of the Father.” With Father Abraham of old, we are not two or three or ten, but the people of the Church of the Nativity. What power of intercession the Lord has given to us when we dare to say, “Our Father…!”

 

In Christ,

Father David