It comes down to this. Our time together is up. Of all the possible things to say, what should the last thing, the last word, be?

It turns out that some habits are hard to break. In this case, it is the habit of preaching the scriptures, no matter what they are. The last thing this pastor will say must come from there, and nowhere else.

So here we are. With Abraham and several of God’s messengers as they walked away from Abraham’s encampment, chatting companionably, one assumes. Abraham wasn’t going far, just making sure the men got a good start as any proper host would do.

The men soon parted company headed toward Sodom, at which point God started speaking directly to Abraham about doing a righteousness audit on Sodom and a sister city. God was hearing people crying out there. God had debated including Abraham in this matter, but decided that it was an opportunity for the future patriarch of the nations to learn the importance of confronting injustice and unrighteousness.

What was it that the cities had done? We find insight into God’s judgment in the book of Ezekiel. Sodom and her “sister” cities “had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and needy. They put on airs and did idolatrous things before me.” (Ezekiel 16:48-49). Bad as all this sounds, Ezekiel was telling his own audience that they had done worse things than Sodom and her sisters.

But let’s return to Abraham. This story takes a strange turn. Instead of obediently taking God’s lesson on board, Abraham started to bargain with God. Now, to be certain, he was very polite about the whole thing. There’s a whole world of etiquette in the conversation.

Surely you won’t punish them indiscriminately, the good with the wicked. Not you O just Judge! Not for fifty righteous ones? So, I’m just dust and ashes God, but 45? Okay, 40? Don’t be angry if I ask for 30! Just a little ask, how about 20? So this is my final, final request, if there are 10?

Turns out, God was good all the way down to ten. And maybe it’s just a coincidence, but to this day ten people is the minimum number for traditional Jewish public worship. But perhaps more importantly we learn, along with Abraham and all the people who cried out, that God listens.

So if God listens to us, how are we at listening to God? This is at least one question that the letter to the Colossians seems to beg. Supposing that we have heard Jesus speak in our hearts, and we have welcomed Jesus right into ourselves, to renew us and fill us with his Spirit which is God’s Spirit, right? What then is Jesus saying to us and through us?

Because there was a whole lot going on around Colossae’s Christian sisters and brothers that was plainly and simply unspiritual garbage. Forgiven people were living unforgivingly, criticizing and condemning left, right, and center. The old demands of law and religious authority were being restored, replacing God’s reign of generosity, grace, and love as enacted by Jesus.

Let’s review. We received Jesus too. Are we better at listening to Jesus? Are we on the Jesus thread? Rocking the Galilean’s podcast? Can we actually say with confidence that we’re totally not like those Colossian Christians? Hmm.

Jesus knew it was going to be like this. Knew it when his disciples said, teach us to pray, like John did with his students. Jesus knew that they were going to need a prayer so simple, so obvious, that they could not mess it up. A prayer to remind them of the essentials.

And so they got a lovely little prayer. Humble. Direct. Not in fancy, churchy words but in their own working class Jewish dialect. A prayer that reminded them to keep God’s name holy, and asked for daily food, forgiveness, and deliverance.

All those times that Jesus went to pray? Seems like these are mostly the things he was asking too. He lived what he taught, you know. Every day. Jesus was all about the personal example.

And he told his disciples to be persistent. God does hear. And God loves us with such deep, wise, parenting love that God absolutely cannot give us anything less than what is best for us. Even when it is not what we think is good or best. Is there any better teaching to give than this?

This was not the last teaching Jesus gave in his mortal life, of course. That last thing was, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. Which is a good last word. Let us commend our spirits to God as well, and trust that we will always be in community with one another in this life and in the life that is to come. Amen.