Over the past couple of days, we’ve been looking at the Lord’s Prayer, reflecting on how each line in and of itself might be a resource. We continue those reflections today.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus begins the prayer, our Father… in heaven. 

Our Father, who is above and bigger than all that is, but who is as close and intimate as a parent – as near as your next breath. Hallowed be your name. 

In Hebrew thought a person’s name was their character, their identity.  To say that something is holy or sacred is to say it is not mundane but other. I always think of this as adoration – to begin our prayer by recognizing that God is awesome and holy, beyond anything we can imagine. 

You are merciful, loving, generous, good. 

To me, this phrase sets things in perspective. This is simply a reminder that I’m drawing close to God who is far beyond me, so much bigger than all of my issues and struggles.  Even though I know that God will not always answer my prayers when and how I want, I trust that God is good. 

You are holy. Hallowed be your name.

The next line is: “Your kingdom come.”  

God set things right. 

This is a recognition that things are not the way God wants them to be. There’s still pain, and war, and hunger, and broken relationships.  You can think of this phrase as an invitation to pray for the world. 

What’s broken…? What’s hurting…? What needs tending…? In here? In your family? In your church? In your community? And in the world?

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus adds, “Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.”  The idea here is that we would begin to pray, “God help us to care about what you care about, help us to want what you want. That’s not an easy prayer.  But it is a prayer that relieves us of the burden of believing the weight of the world rests on our shoulders.

Let’s pray today with that in mind. Let us pray:  You are holy and majestic and good, O God. May your kingdom come, and your will be done, in our hearts, in our lives, in our families, and in the world. Help us respond to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

 How do you want me to respond, O God? 

When you read the gospels, you see fairly quickly how Jesus steeps his life and ministry in prayer. We find that he continues to break away from the crowds, break away from the teaching and healing to spend time apart with God.

There is no doubt that prayer is a source of renewal, and strength, and hope.

But I also realize that sometimes prayer doesn’t come easy for us. Maybe there are seasons for us when we find we don’t have the words. Or we struggle to know what to say or struggle to know if we’re praying the right thing.  Even Jesus’ disciples struggled. 

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 11 (1-4), they ask Jesus, Lord teach us to pray.

Jesus responded, when you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial…

Very simple. Very direct. The gospel of Matthew gives us a little expanded version. And the early Church shaped this into the Lord’s prayer that Christians all over the world still say today.

Many of us still pray this prayer in the old English Version.  Of course, it wasn’t written that way, but we hold on to the tradition because tradition can become a resource for us – especially during difficult times. It’s familiar and comforting. It’s there in our hearts.

In fact, many years ago, we had two foster children ages 4 and 6, come and stay with our family for several months. You can imagine the trauma of being removed from your home and mother at that age. I remember clearly, on the first night with us, I could hear them in their bedroom praying this prayer, the Lord’s prayer.  

Somewhere along the way, someone had taught them this prayer. It became a huge resource, a lifeline, for them. Just as it is for us.

Today, I invite you to say this prayer with me. 

Let us pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Once, when John the Baptist was in jail, he asked his followers to go and find Jesus and to ask him, “Are you the one we were expecting, or should we look for someone else?” Remember John was a man of deep faith. And yet, even he has a moment of doubt. Even he had questions. 

It’s interesting, I’ve actually heard other Christians say that there is no room for doubt in faith.  I once went to a Bible study where I asked a pressing question and I was made to feel like I was in danger of the fires of hell, simply because I asked the question. I was told that if I would just go get my relationship with Jesus straight, then I wouldn’t have the questions in the first place.

But if that’s true, why is it that some of the people who have the deepest faith are some of the same people who have also wrestled intensely with doubt? Why is it that doubt and pressing questions are found all throughout our scripture? 

Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. “

Let us pray: Thank you, God, for your awesome love for us. Thank you for coming to us, even when we doubt, even when we struggle, even when we are not sure what to believe.  We come before you in all humility this day, realizing that we are flesh and blood. We don’t have all the answers, we don’t know all there is to know. But, we simply ask that you would keep us open to moments of mystery and holiness. Keep us open to you. Amen.

Over the past couple of days we’ve been reflecting on Psalm 98: Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth! Break forth into songs and sing praises!

Sometime back I heard the Benedictine monk, David Steindl-Rast speak in an interview. And I went back to listen to his TED Talk, “Want to be Happy? Be Grateful.” You don’t usually think about a monk giving TED talks, but his talk has had more than 9 million views.  It’s powerful.

In any case, he says while we can’t be grateful for all things, we can be grateful through all things. And he spoke about the word “spirituality,” which comes from the Latin, “spiritus”, meaning “life,” “breath,” “aliveness.” He said that spirituality is aliveness on all levels. It has to start with our bodily aliveness – being alert and aware of all that is around us.  He continued: 

“… of course, when we say ‘spirituality,’ we also mean aliveness to our relationships with others, aliveness to our confrontation with that great divine mystery with which we are confronted as human beings, and which we can look away from, or forget, or be dead to. We come alive to it. And all this coming alive — that is spirituality. And what science has discovered is that when people are grateful, they come alive.” 

It really is no wonder the community of faith held on to this ancient song. It’s really no wonder that it became so valuable as to find its way into the heart of our scriptures, to be sung and prayed and chanted for thousands of years. And sung, and prayed and chanted, not only in times when things were going well but also and even through the dark passages of history. 

We praise you, O God, for we know that you hold us close, even when we don’t feel it.  We remember how you have carried us through in past times, how you have walked with us through the wilderness and carried us through the desert. You are a God of salvation, a God who saves. Hear us as we make a joyful noise to you along with all creation. Hear us as we break forth into joyous songs of praise. 

May it be so. Amen.

Psalm 98 declares: Sing to the Lord a new song! Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth! Break forth into songs and sing praises!

There are times in our lives when our hearts naturally burst with praise… at the birth of a child, or perhaps at your own wedding. Or maybe you’ve felt this at a time when you’ve seen or experienced an act of bravery or kindness during a moment of great need. These moments can be so touching, so moving that our hearts overflow.

At other moments we may feel it simply by experiencing the beauty of creation; maybe while watching a sunset after a storm, when the sky opens in color in all of its glory. Or, it could happen while coming around the corner of a mountain road only to catch a breathtaking glimpse of majestic snow-covered peaks; or perhaps while standing beside a waterfall so powerful that the ground shakes beneath you. 

In moments like these, our hearts want to break forth in songs of praise!

At the same time, I’m also reminded that there are other times when praise does not come so naturally. 

I think about the times in life when we get so busy – even frantic. We get hyper-focused on the to-do list, and we become weighted down with task after task. Or, we get sucked into our phones and find ourselves doom-scrolling; or playing the comparison game on social media. How do they have it so good? Why can’t we go on vacations like them? Why can’t I look like that? 

It is often in the midst of these times that our eyes are blinded – or we simply fail to stop and notice the beauty and the blessings on every side.

Today I pray that you would indeed take the time to pause. Reflect for just a few moments on the gifts that surround you – gifts you never could have earned. Notice the splendor and the beauty of creation, and the love and grace that encompass you. And allow your heart to sing in response. 

Let us pray: We praise you O God, for you are found even in the mundane details of life. We praise you for you for the gifts of friendship and love, and for the way in which you walk with us through the ups and downs of life. Open our eyes and our ears and our hearts that we would ever be attuned to your grace, and respond with all our souls. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.