As we open our splendid scripture lesson today, we see the story of two men who go to the same synagogue. They go to the synagogue for the same reason--to pray--yet they experience such different results. One goes to pray to God, and the other goes and hopes God overhears his litany of how good he is. I believe these two characters represent in a very real way our approach to prayer. We, too, shift gears from talking to God to the posture of talking at God.

Despite the fact that the secular media of television, magazines, and newspapers are not always very positive in their coverage and images they portray about the religious dimension of life in America, I was surprised to see that the January 6, 1992 issue of Newsweek magazine featured a front cover in gold, no less, with the headline, …