Do Pray-Part 1 (Matt. 6:5-15)
Mel Brooks is one of seven entertainers to earn the Tony, the Emmy, the Grammy and the Oscar. Last year Forbes asked Brooks to describe the “American Dream.”[1] The “American Dream” is the vision that Americans have of life. It is what they believe life in America is all about. Here is how Brooks responded: “When I was a little kid 50 years ago, in 1946, I had just got out of the Army after two years fighting in the war. The American Dream was a house and a car. Today, the American Dream is winning American Idol. It’s changed slightly. In another 50 years from now, when the economy collapses and everything is in threads and torn, the American Dream then, in 20-whatever, will be a house and a car.” With tongue-in-cheek, Brooks describes the American dream as the pursuit of possessions or prominence. Sometimes the American Dream is the pursuit of possessions, like a house and a car. At other times that dream is the pursuit of prominence, like winning American Idol. This vision of possessions or prominence is something which many dream about.