Writer Anne Lamott has some interesting friends. One of her very bright friends experiences God as a low seated easy chair with very long and upholstered arms that will actually hold her. Another friend is a Ph.D. who goes to a church based on Star Wars, and says, “May the Force be with you” to everyone. And when one of her friends found sobriety, he began praying to a local mountain. She adds, “But you know what? When he and my other friends and I have run out of good ideas on how to fix the unfixable, when we finally stop trying to heal our own sick, stressed minds with our sick, stressed minds, when we are truly at the end of our rope and just done, we say the same prayer. We say, “Help.”
They ask for help. They ask. As Jesus says, “Ask and you shall receive.” There may be all sorts of reasons why asking is difficult for us. Perhaps we think we should be able to fix things all on our own. Maybe we have asked and don’t think we have gotten results. Maybe we are not sure what to ask. But one of the core competencies of Christian faith is learning to practice the art of the ask.
The Gospel of Mark tells a story about a man named Bartimaeus who could not see, and who sat on the outskirts of Jericho asking for money. But when Jesus walked by one day, Bartimaeus shouted out, asking for mercy. Jesus then asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And Bartimaeus said, “Let me see again.” And Jesus responded, “Your faith has made you well.” Or perhaps better, “Your faith has saved you.”
We’ll talk about this “art of the ask” in the sermon on Sunday, which is titled, “Take the Next Step: Bartimaeus, a Failed Stewardship Campaign, and the Big Ask.” The sermon arises from Mark 10:36-42, which will be read by Gene McClain. The Sanctuary Singers, with Matthew Wachtman accompanying, will present, “I Will Go On My Way.” We will have a moment for children, a stewardship moment, prayers and hymns.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the live stream at www.smumc.church at 10:30am Sunday morning!