The Lord’s Prayer #1

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 trespasses, 
as we forgive those
who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, 
and the power, and the glory, 
for ever and ever. Amen.

I assume that most of us, regardless of our various upbringings, are familiar with some version of the prayer known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” The above rendition is probably the most common. What is your experience with this famous prayer? Is it part of your prayer life? Did you memorize it as a child? What does it mean to you? We will spend three weeks diving deeply into this prayer that Jesus gave his followers as he taught them how to pray–it will form and teach us, if we let it.

On Sunday, Pastor John shared that this prayer defines and explains what Jesus has been saying throughout his sermon on the mount. We find it in Matthew 6:9-13, right after Jesus talks about what not to do when we pray. Here is that section again, to refresh our memories:

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matt. 6:5-8)

After talking through prayer practices that he does not endorse, Jesus says,

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-10)

These twenty-two words are the focus of this week’s message. The rest of the prayer will be covered over the next two weeks. I am grateful we’re taking it slowly through this section of the sermon on the mount. There is so much to explore, to discuss, to thoughtfully consider within these words. We have an opportunity to look more deeply into what might be very familiar to us, an opportunity to hear the words in a new way. If we lean in with open hearts and minds, seeking to learn and be transformed, we will not be disappointed with what we discover. It is my favorite thing about scripture, the way the Spirit comes into the words and brings them to life in fresh, new ways, revealing more than we had seen before.

On a personal note, this prayer has been a key part of my own prayer life for several years. Ever since the concept of “the kingdom” became a focal point of my journey with Jesus, praying “Your kingdom come…” has become an important part of my life. I don’t know that I thought much about it or what it meant when I was younger. It was actually Luanne who brought it to my attention. As she was captivated by this kingdom Jesus brought to earth, and began to share what she was learning, I was captivated also. If you read this blog often, it’s not news to you that both of us are still quite captivated by the kingdom and what kingdom living looks like for Jesus’ followers today–we write about it probably more than any other topic we cover.

Here’s the thing about what I just shared… Though this prayer has become a key daily component of my own prayer life, there is still more for me to discover in these five verses. There is more treasure to mine in these twenty-two words that Pastor John walked us through on Sunday. I love that. I never want any part of scripture to become stale or commonplace to me. I want to keep digging in, to continue to learn and ask for Holy Spirit revelation to breathe fresh, new life into ancient words. There is always more. As evidence to my point, I have wrestled with what to focus on in my portion of this week’s post. There are so many directions to go! One thing Pastor John highlighted stood out to me above the rest, though, so that’s where I’ll spend my time here.

Something I’ve been learning a lot about for the last couple of years is dualistic versus non-dualistic thinking. It’s especially intriguing to me when I look at the ways that dualism has slithered into western, evangelical Christianity, specifically here in the United States. I understand dualism to be either/or, black and white, this or that ways of thinking. It can lead to an us versus them mindset and often divides rather than unites.

Non-dualism, on the other hand, embraces the both/and, and that way of thinking and relating allows us to be comfortable living in the tension of the and. It allows us to think more broadly, more collectively. It connects rather than divides. But non-dualism leaves things a little undefined. To embrace non-dualistic ways of thinking, we have to learn to embrace mystery, to get comfortable with not having all the answers, to allow ourselves to be led beyond our comfort zones. Non-dualism asks us to consider ways of thinking that challenge our previous understanding. I believe breaking free of dualistic thinking is an essential part of growing in our walks with Jesus.

Pastor John introduced two concepts in this week’s passage where, in his words, “Jesus breaks the dualism.” 

The first is in our understanding of how prayer is meant to be handled. Jesus has just finished talking about prayer being something that ought to be done in private, between us and God, not for show… But this prayer focuses on “us”, right? So it’s not an individual prayer? But it’s meant to prayed as a private, individual prayer?

For those of us who have been raised in some version of westernized Christianity, it’s likely we have a very individualized approach to our faith and our prayers. Much of the teaching we grew up with probably focused on our personal relationships with God and our prayer lives probably reflect that.

What Jesus is teaching us in this passage is how to pray individually and collectively simultaneously. We can pray privately, but our focus is not on ourselves. We’ve written a lot about how early Christianity was communal in nature. We have moved so far away from that in our individualism that even praying the way Jesus teaches may not naturally make sense to us. Other cultures who embrace a more community-focused way of life probably aren’t challenged the same way some of us are when reading Jesus’ instructions. It’s so important that we notice and pay attention to the ways our either/or thinking invades even our study of scripture.

Jesus invites us–by beginning this “personal” prayer with the word “our”–to move away from dualism. He does so again in the way he presents God in his opening words. He says, “Our Father,” including all of us in his own father/son relationship with the God of the heavens,”the universe, the world, the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it” (Strong’s Greek Lexicon). He continues, “…hallowed is your name.” Hallowed means set apart, most holy, above all. 

So in the opening line of the prayer, Jesus identifies God as our collective, personal father, that we–along with Jesus–are in intimate relationship with, and identifies him also as entirely set apart, above all, distinctly holy. So, in which way do we relate to our God? The answer is: both. Right away, Jesus invites his listeners to enter into a new understanding of how to relate with God. Is he our father that we are intimately connected to, or is he altogether set apart, holy, different from all others? Yes. The answer is not an or, but an and.

It matters that Jesus addresses these things right away. It will serve us well to pay attention to what he is revealing. Our walk with God, including our prayer life, is individual and collective. We relate to God as Abba and as the Holy One, sovereign over all. Without a both/and understanding, without allowing Jesus to break into our understanding, we cannot see the bigger, more beautiful, kingdom-focused perspective that Jesus invites us into. This is where we begin. Before we can say “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” with any idea of what that might look like, we need to align ourselves with God and others Jesus’ way.

The entire sermon on the mount up to this point has been teaching us what it looks like to be kingdom-people, beginning with our hearts. In this prayer, Jesus moves our understanding further–beyond heart change and into a community-focused space, where our prayers are transformed as our hearts come into alignment with the kingdom he is introducing.

Where do the opening lines of this famous prayer find us? Where do Jesus’ words land in our minds and hearts? Have we prayed individually with a collective focus? What might Jesus be wanting to transform in the ways we’ve grown accustomed to praying? I look forward to following where Jesus is leading us together, as we continue to explore his words.

–Laura

As Laura wrote above,  I have been captivated by the kingdom of heaven coming to earth for years now. She and I were trying to remember how many years ago my obsession with The Kingdom here and now began–at least eight or nine. I can’t remember what sparked that flame, but even as I write about it now, my heart burns within me and my fingers tingle as I type. I believe that understanding God’s desire to establish his kingdom on earth, right here and right now, is the key to understanding what Christianity is all about.

Laura set us up beautifully for the Kingdom words Jesus taught us when she wrote: Our walk with God, including our prayer life, is individual and collective. We relate to God as Abba and as the Holy One, sovereign over all. Without a both/and understanding, without allowing Jesus to break into our understanding, we cannot see the bigger, more beautiful, kingdom-focused perspective that Jesus invites us into.

A both/and understanding is imperative. Pastor John pointed out that we waffle back and forth between God as our Abba–our daddy, our father and God as the Holy One, the Almighty who is powerful and therefore, (in our minds) sometimes scary. Jesus combines the two…God is close– intimacy with God is possible, and God is Almighty and Holy and completely “other”.

Once we have this understanding, the rest of the prayer makes more sense to us. So here we go. The next fourteen words say: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Full stop. Read it again. Pray it again. This is God’s desire for earth. 

I don’t know how we miss this, and I missed it for a lot of years; however, a close reading of the gospels shows us that Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God on earth more than any other subject. It was his priority, and he embodied what it looked like in the flesh. In the Sermon on the Mount he is teaching those willing to hear, what Kingdom people look like.

Quick recap: He saw the crowds, went up the mountain, sat down and began to teach.

He started with the beatitudes–this is what my people will look like: Compare the beatitudes to Philippians chapter 2…have this mind (attitude) in you which was also in Christ Jesus…) 

Next: My followers will be salt and light in the world.

Then a reinterpretation of the law that focuses on our hearts and our treatment of others: You’ve heard it said…but I say…  

And then the three when you statements: When you give… when you pray… when you fast…

Right in the middle of those statements, this private prayer, prayed from the position that “I” am part of the “we”, that focuses on God’s will for the entire earth, is taught.

What are we praying when we pray Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?

I was introduced to an expanded version of The Lord’s Prayer through Word of Life church in St. Joseph, Missouri, that clears it up. In that expanded version, this portion of The Lord’s Prayer says:

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Thy government come, thy politics be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Thy reign and rule come, thy plans and purposes be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

May we be an anticipation of the age to come.

May we embody the reign of Christ here and now.

This is the deep cry of my heart. God’s kingdom, not ours. God’s will, not ours. God’s government, not ours. God’s politics, not ours. God’s reign and rule, not ours. God’s plans and purposes, not ours. God is the only One who can establish God’s kingdom, yet it has everything to do with us and our understanding of God’s sovereignty and desire for intimacy with us.

God’s kingdom comes through us–through our relationship with God. God is here. Your will be done is what God’s kingdom coming looks like–it comes as we do God’s will.

This is where we struggle. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts as we ask ourselves am I aligning my life with God’s will?  In our individualistic thinking we ask God, what is your will for my life? That’s the wrong question. The right question is God, what is your will?  Period. And then we align ourselves with God’s will.

Jesus is the best example of this. How does Jesus relate to God? He models constant intimacy. Jesus never goes rogue…he does only what he sees the Father doing. (John 5:19). And he tells us to stay connected to him: I am the vine, you (all) are the branches, if you (all) remain in me and I in you (all); you (all) will bear much fruit. (John 15:5). All of those pronouns in the Greek are plural.

What fruit will we bear? The fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22)

We are a people who are to be known for those characteristics.

…you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation (a kingdom), God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

 Where is the kingdom? (Jesus) was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he gave them this reply: “The kingdom of God never comes by watching for it. Men cannot say, ‘Look, here it is’, or ‘there it is’, for the kingdom of God is inside you. (Luke 17:20-21 J.B. Phillips)

And to quote Jesus from this very sermon:  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”  (Mt. 5:14-15)

The light of the Kingdom of God is inside us. Are we giving light to everyone in the house? Do we look like Jesus? Do we act like Jesus? Do we prioritize who Jesus prioritized? Do we treat others as Jesus did? Do our lives bear His fruit? His kingdom will come and his will be done on earth through us. The world will know that God loves them deeply and unconditionally through us. 

To prioritize God’s kingdom ways comes through an intimate, connected to the vine type of relationship with almighty, Papa, God—our Father. It also comes with an acknowledgment that our allegiance is to his kingdom above all other kingdoms. In the New Testament we see that the Romans prioritized Rome, the Jews prioritized Israel, the Samaritans prioritized Samaria, etc. I’m a citizen of the USA, and I lived in Brazil for a decade. Should I prioritize those countries? If so, which one? No to all of this. When we follow Jesus, we become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Earthly kingdoms have to take a back seat to this.

The Apostle Paul understood this and he wrote:

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28)

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.  In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us...Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. (Col. 3: 10,11-13 NLT)

What categories do you suppose Paul might highlight if he were writing today? Think about it and repent where you need to. (I’m doing the same.)

Citizens of the kingdom of heaven, during the reign and rule of Rome, were beaten, imprisoned, persecuted, falsely accused, killed. They sang in prison, counted it joy to be persecuted for following Jesus, were scattered to other countries as a result of persecution and took the love of Jesus with them, they died in such a way (sometimes in arenas in front of crowds) that they created a holy curiosity about who Jesus was. Their priority was God’s kingdom, and sometimes they paid a high (earthly) price for living that way. Are we willing to pay a high earthly price to be like Jesus? We will be misunderstood. We will be labled as we get rid of labels and as we hunger and thirst for dikaiosynē (equity, justice, righteousness). It might cost us something. Are we willing?

N. T. Wright in his book “God and the Pandemic” writes: ...the Sermon on the Mount isn’t simply about ‘ethics’…it’s about mission….God’s kingdom is being launched on earth as in heaven, and the way it will happen is by God working through people of this sort….When people look out on the world and its disasters…they ask…why doesn’t he send a thunderbolt…and put things right?…God does send thunderbolts–human ones.  He sends in the poor in spirit, the meek, the mourners, the peacemakers, the hungry-for-justice people…They will use their initiative; they will see where the real needs are, and go to meet them. They will weep at the tombs of their friends. At the tombs of their enemies. Some of them will get hurt. Some may be killed. That is the story of Acts, all through. There will be problems…but God’s purpose will come through. These people, prayerful, humble, faithful, will be the answer…

Where, you may be asking, does personal salvation fit into all of this? Rich Villoda’s, in his soon to be published book The Deeply-Formed Life writes:

Eldon Ladd, in his short but seminal book on the gospel of the kingdom, wrote, “The gospel must not only offer a personal salvation in the future life to those who believe; it must also transform all of the relationship of life here and now and thus cause the Kingdom of God to prevail in all the world.” At the core of the gospel, then, is the “making right” of all things through Jesus. In Jesus’s death and resurrection, the world is set on a trajectory of renewal, but God graciously invites us to work toward this future. However, this work is not an individual enterprise; it is one orchestrated by the collected efforts of a new family…” (Emphasis mine)

A new family.

Our Father…Abba’s Kingdom…Abba’s will…on Earth…through us.

–Luanne

Colossians 3:12-14

Last week, we talked about “putting to death” and “taking off” our old selves (Colossians 3:5-9) so that we could “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (vs. 10). The “new self” begins on the inside. It’s a core change. One that we cannot effect on our own. As John said last week, this kind of change happens when we make “a choice to yield, not to do more”. We can’t “do” our way into the “new self”. It doesn’t happen by our striving or in our own strength. Ephesians 2:8-9 describes it this way:  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. The new self has its origin at the moment of salvation and continues to be made into the image of Christ through the lifelong process of sanctification, becoming like Him. When verse 10 admonishes us to “put on” the new self, the Greek word that is translated is “endyo”. The first definition given is “to sink into” as into a garment. Hang onto that for a minute…

This week’s sermon covered three verses. These verses detailed what we are to “clothe ourselves” with as we live from our new self, having taken off the old.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Confession… the words “clothe yourselves” in this passage tripped me up. A lot. I struggled with the wording and the feeling that I am weak in so many of these areas, especially as we explored what these 7 (or 8, depending on how you count them…) “garments” actually mean when applied as intended. Here’s the truth: I am weak in most-if not all-of the seven areas. Here’s what’s also true: I don’t have to do this by myself. None of us do.

The following is a mixture of facts I’ve learned as I’ve studied and thoughts that I absolutely can’t prove, but they make sense to me. I am no theologian and some of this is, admittedly, over my head. So I invite you to take this journey with me and also to comment with your own thoughts, insights and questions. I would love to learn from all of you!!

Okay, remember that Greek word, “endyo”, from last week’s passage? It’s the same word that is translated “clothe yourselves” in verse 12. When I use what I know to define “clothe yourselves”, it absolutely leads me to believe this is something I must do. In my own power. I wrestled with this, and came really close to shaming myself for my shortcomings all afternoon and evening after listening to the sermon. But if we look at the definition given for “endyo” being “to sink into” as into a garment, the whole passage lands a little differently…

First, we have to remember that, as John presented last week, neither salvation nor the sanctification process are things we “do” in our own strength. We do have to cooperate in the process, but it is through the sacrifice of Jesus that we are saved and by His Spirit working within us that we are continually changed and made into His image. This week’s passage is not a brand new thought, but rather a continuation and further explanation of what we explored last week. The moment we put off the old self and “put on” the new self, we are covered by the blood of Jesus. It is the blood of His sacrifice that identifies us “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (verse 12). This is our core identity. Everything we do flows out of this core of knowing who we are. This concept is foundational to our understanding of the next piece…

The “garments”–compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness,  patience, forbearing & forgiving, and love–are not articles of clothing we can manufacture on our own. Interestingly, five of these words share the exact same root word in the Greek as five of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and a strong case could be made connecting two more sets of the words. We know that these “fruits” are the outward production of work that the Holy Spirit is doing in our core as He transforms us into the image of Christ, piece by piece. That’s why they are fruits of the Spirit–not fruits of hard work, rule-following or righteous living. The fruit is not produced by our doing anything-other than cooperating with the movement of the Spirit within us. So it would make sense to me that these garments are also not things we can clothe ourselves with in our own power. Rather, I see it this way: Just as a parent would do for a small child, God has both provided and laid out for us an outfit that He has deemed appropriate. It is beautiful. It is the right size. When worn as intended, it’s not cumbersome. In fact, it’s an outfit that is so comfortable that, when it is worn correctly, we can sink into it. It feels good on-because it is royal clothing, made of the finest thread and highest quality materials. But we need help to put it on. It has many pieces and layers. And only the Designer knows how to put it on perfectly, with all of the pieces in place.

Like a toddler, we can choose to run away and refuse to dress in what has been provided. We always have the choice to cooperate with God’s work in us or not. He will not hold us down and dress us if we’re acting like rebellious toddlers. Nope. He’ll let us run around in our diapers making spectacles of ourselves. He doesn’t stop us from acting unruly or even from misrepresenting Him in what we choose to wear-or not wear. He will continue to hold in front of us the beautiful garments He has designed, always beckoning us back to Him and His way.

However, if we choose to yield–to allow the Designer to dress us in His perfect garments, outer manifestations of deep inner work–we will find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper into Jesus Himself. Because, what don’t you see when you’ve put on seven pieces of clothing and wrapped them all in a cloak…? You can’t really see you anymore, can you? That’s the picture I’m left with at the end of all of this…

If we cooperate with God to dress our new selves in the garments He has chosen for us–these attributes the Spirit has worked from the depth of our core outward–and we wrap our whole selves in a cloak of love, which “binds them all together”, then we don’t really look like ourselves anymore. Because we become hidden in the likeness of Jesus. It changes the way I read these two verses:

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 NIV

 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NLT

I want to wear the royal garments that come with being a holy and beloved child of God. I want to cooperate as He dresses me in His attributes. I don’t want to fight that process. And I am so thankful that I don’t have to do it on my own… That this daughter that can sometimes act like an unruly toddler has a Daddy who is willing to help her get dressed the right way–His way.

–Laura

Laura wrote: “This week’s passage is not a brand new thought, but rather a continuation and further explanation of what we explored last week. The moment we put off the old self and “put on” the new self, we are covered by the blood of Jesus. It is the blood of His sacrifice that identifies us “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (verse 12). This is our core identity. Everything we do flows out of this core of knowing who we are. 

I agree with Laura. When we are faced with the virtues that Paul is encouraging us to “put on”,  I am fully aware that in my own strength I can do some of them some of the time…all of them all of the time–not so much. That’s frustrating and defeating if all I choose to look at is how I continually fall short.  But here’s what’s true: my identity isn’t based on what I believe about myself. My identity is based on the completed work of Jesus, and on who He says I am.

In verse 12 Paul says that I am one of God’s chosen people, not in a superior way as if another is left out, but because I responded to His choosing by coming into a relationship with God through Christ.  Ephesians 3:6 in the NLT version states it like this: “And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children…”  Jesus made a way for us to become part of the chosen people of God. I am so grateful!

In verse 12, Paul says that I am holy. Again, this doesn’t indicate superiority to anyone in any way, because it too is a work of God through Christ. Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” (Verse 10).  So, we are holy. However, we also grow in holiness. The apostle Peter reminds us to “Be holy, because I (God) am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)  I think we have a tendency to mystify this word, but in its most simple form it means to be different. The definition means “set apart”. In a Bible study I participated in a few years ago, the teacher said that to be holy is to be “other”.  She referred to the holiness of God as the “otherness” of God. No one else is like Him. We who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit living in us, and He equips us to live differently. Just like Laura said above, as we surrender to the work that God wants to do in our lives, as we draw close to Jesus and let the Spirit have His way, the fruit that is produced is different from the fruit produced by our flesh. We are “different”, we are (and are becoming more) compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and loving as we let the Spirit have His way.

And in verse 12, Paul calls us dearly loved–beloved.  “Be” is a state of being, so when God says I’m beloved, loved is my state of being. We are loved. Period. And Paul lets us know in Romans 8 that nothing  will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)

In Romans 13:14 Paul tells us to “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

I truly believe that the key to all of the virtues that Paul is encouraging us to put on, the key to the fruit of the Spirit flowing organically out of our lives, is to respond to God’s love for us with deep love for Him. We must understand that Jesus is not only Savior, but He is Lord.  He is also our treasure. Once we get that figured out, being in love with Him, choosing to love Him becomes our desire. And then, we want others to experience it too. We want to leverage our lives so that others can know that they are chosen, holy, and dearly loved. It ALL starts with our true identity. Believing it, choosing to live from it, and staying connected to Christ. As we allow Him to do His work in us, He changes us. I don’t know how He does it, but He does. I know this because I’m not who I used to be. So…on this side of heaven we may not do it perfectly, but are we growing in Christ? Look back over your life. Are you different than you used to be? If so, you can know that Jesus is transforming you and His fruit is flowing out of you. It may not be a bumper crop yet, but persevere! He’s not finished yet!

–Luanne