A sermon on 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16, 16:1-2
Lead Summary
By
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By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
St. Mary Catholic Church
and St. Benignus Catholic Church
I observed one the cutest things recently at Ponderosa Restaurant. A little boy and his grandmother approached the salad bar. He was every bit of 4 years old, sporting a mohawk haircut, dressed in little boy shorts, flowered shirt and flip-flop sandals. You would think he was going to a Jimmy Buffet concert.
He stood at one side of the salad bar. Grandma walked around to the other side. He was so short he couldn’t see Grandma, but she had a close eye on him.
The boy started to become nervous. Exasperated, he yelled out, “Mee-maw, where are you? You are my mee-maw! Come here. I’ll let you hold my hand. You can take me to the ice cream where I’ll let you make me an ice cream cone.”
Grandma immediately put down her plate and went to her little grandson. The next time I looked up there was the boy struggling to hold his big ice cream cone piled high with big vanilla scoops. Grandma was smiling as she led the boy to their table, clopping in his flip-flops. I have no doubt that he owned her heart in an even bigger way than that ice cream cone.
This cute incident gave me a new understanding and appreciation of prayer. When the Apostles asked Jesus in Luke 11:1 to teach us to pray, they would never have used the word “prayer” as we understand it.
The Apostles and Jesus spoke Aramaic. Even Jesus never used the word prayer which is our English translation. They would use the Aramaic word “Slotha” to denote what prayer is. What does the word slotha mean? Slotha is a hunting term meaning “to set a trap.”
Jesus is teaching the Apostles how to set a trap for God. Jesus understood prayer as spiritually capturing God’s Heart, just like the boy captured his mee-maw’s heart.
The wonderful thing about God is that He wants you to trap Him. It pleases God tremendously when you care enough to want Him in your life. God said in Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”
God also said, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2) God looks down on His children everyday hoping to get trapped in someone’s heart. Do you realize how joyful you make God joyful every time you pray? It’s as if God is telling anyone who will listen, “Trap me in your heart. I’m all yours!”
God will always let you find Him. That is what prayer does.
When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary, what was she doing? Praying. Mary’s faith and her prayers were so strong she captured God’s only Son in her womb. At the end of her life, God captured her. He took her completely to Heaven. What did Jesus do to prepare for the Cross? Did He preach? No. Did He work miracles? No. He prayed. He prayed for Himself, the disciples, and future believers – you and me. Jesus captured us for eternal life while hanging on His Cross. He trapped us in Love.
A preacher was preaching about the evils of drinking. With great expression he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” With even greater emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”
With the highest emotions, he ended by saying, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” He sat down exhausted. The song leader then stood and announced with a smile, “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn No. 365: “Shall We Gather at the River.”
We gather in church today to capture God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts. Like the little boy, God will let you do that.
St. Mary Catholic Church
and St. Benignus Catholic Church
I observed one the cutest things recently at Ponderosa Restaurant. A little boy and his grandmother approached the salad bar. He was every bit of 4 years old, sporting a mohawk haircut, dressed in little boy shorts, flowered shirt and flip-flop sandals. You would think he was going to a Jimmy Buffet concert.
He stood at one side of the salad bar. Grandma walked around to the other side. He was so short he couldn’t see Grandma, but she had a close eye on him.
The boy started to become nervous. Exasperated, he yelled out, “Mee-maw, where are you? You are my mee-maw! Come here. I’ll let you hold my hand. You can take me to the ice cream where I’ll let you make me an ice cream cone.”
Grandma immediately put down her plate and went to her little grandson. The next time I looked up there was the boy struggling to hold his big ice cream cone piled high with big vanilla scoops. Grandma was smiling as she led the boy to their table, clopping in his flip-flops. I have no doubt that he owned her heart in an even bigger way than that ice cream cone.
This cute incident gave me a new understanding and appreciation of prayer. When the Apostles asked Jesus in Luke 11:1 to teach us to pray, they would never have used the word “prayer” as we understand it.
The Apostles and Jesus spoke Aramaic. Even Jesus never used the word prayer which is our English translation. They would use the Aramaic word “Slotha” to denote what prayer is. What does the word slotha mean? Slotha is a hunting term meaning “to set a trap.”
Jesus is teaching the Apostles how to set a trap for God. Jesus understood prayer as spiritually capturing God’s Heart, just like the boy captured his mee-maw’s heart.
The wonderful thing about God is that He wants you to trap Him. It pleases God tremendously when you care enough to want Him in your life. God said in Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”
God also said, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2) God looks down on His children everyday hoping to get trapped in someone’s heart. Do you realize how joyful you make God joyful every time you pray? It’s as if God is telling anyone who will listen, “Trap me in your heart. I’m all yours!”
God will always let you find Him. That is what prayer does.
When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary, what was she doing? Praying. Mary’s faith and her prayers were so strong she captured God’s only Son in her womb. At the end of her life, God captured her. He took her completely to Heaven. What did Jesus do to prepare for the Cross? Did He preach? No. Did He work miracles? No. He prayed. He prayed for Himself, the disciples, and future believers – you and me. Jesus captured us for eternal life while hanging on His Cross. He trapped us in Love.
A preacher was preaching about the evils of drinking. With great expression he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” With even greater emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”
With the highest emotions, he ended by saying, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” He sat down exhausted. The song leader then stood and announced with a smile, “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn No. 365: “Shall We Gather at the River.”
We gather in church today to capture God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts. Like the little boy, God will let you do that.