Matthew 6:5-14
We all know the Lord’s Prayer.
We pray it at worship, funerals, even weddings. It is universal because we all know it. In fact, we know it so well that sometimes we forget what we are talking about when we pray. Let’s spend a few minutes this morning getting reacquainted with this familiar friend.
The first thing to notice is one you likely already are aware of. This is a corporate prayer. Every personal pronoun in it is plural. Our Father, give us, lead us, deliver us.
It is designed to be a reminder that we are not alone in our worship, we are a part of the family of God.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven:
At the opening of every prayer, like the opening of a letter, we address the person we are speaking to. Jesus teaches his disciples that it is good to call God, Father. Next week is Father’s Day, and we all have fathers on earth. We also have a creator and father in heaven. In fact, the word Jesus used often for God is Abba, the Hebrew word that children called their Daddy.
So, Jesus tells us that we need to come to God in the same uncomplicated way that we go to the one here on earth who loves us and protects us.
Holy is your Name …
One of the things that most saddens me in the world today is the total disregard we have for the name of God. While there are rude words we have been known to use, it is the time when we simply and casually use God’s name as a curse that defines who we are. I must admit, even my Dad, during his Air Force Years might use strong language, but out of respect did not use the Lord's Name. And, just so you know, adding the initial H to the name of Jesus does not change it.
Followers of God respect that every time we use God’s name we are praying. Use it wisely, do not call upon God unless you are serious.
The best way to do this is to realize that every time you use God's name is a prayer to God. What are you saying to God when you call out his name?
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, here on earth as it is in heaven.
Have you ever pondered these words? What does it mean that God’s Kingdom and will be done here, just as it is already done in heaven? What is heaven like, anyway?
When we look at the end time prophesies, we see that Heaven is a place where God is. And in the light of God’s presence we see that everything is illuminated. Sin, which is the opposite of light, is glaringly exposed. There is no sin in heaven.
And because there is no sin, there are no more tears, or sorrow, or separation from the ones we love.
Asking for God’s will on earth as it is in heaven is to ask, among other things, for the return of Jesus when all things are put right.
Some people deny this part of the prayer. It happens when they say that everyone should be in heaven. How could God discriminate. BUT, if those who continue to do evil are in Heaven, how is that different from the world we live in today? They are really saying, let heaven become what we have here on earth, not the other way around.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
You do notice the daily part of this? Back when Jesus hung out on earth, there were no refrigerators. Come to think of it, there was no electricity. Each person made their bread for the day, every single day.
But this passage talks about more than just bread. It asks for “this day.”
It reminds us that each day is a gift of God. Back when I was a teen, during the Jesus Movement, we often used the phrase, “My Father makes each day new.” On our worst day, we can remember that tomorrow isn't today. God creates it anew.
Going back to the taking God’s name in vain, another common expression was that we could wake up each morning and say “Good God, Morning.” Or “Good morning, God.”
I confess, that many mornings I fail to be reminded that today is a gift. I fail to say, “Good morning, God.”
That is why it can be so effective to do our Bible reading and Prayer time in the morning. It sets up the entire day. It lets us see God in every moment of time.
Ralph Spaulding Cushman wrote a poem that says it well. He talks about life as a sea. And when he meets God in the morning, God is with him through the day. [Not sure of copyright, so I did not include poem, even though I read it in my sermon. First line is " I met God in the morning, when my day was at its best."]
Our most important daily bread is the bread of Life from Jesus.
Now to the very heart of the matter. This is so important Jesus referred to it after the prayer as well.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
We are like sponges [Used sponge to illustrate concept during children's sermon]. If we are full of unforgiveness, we cannot receive forgiveness.
I want to tell you a very personal story that I have not shared before. Many years ago, I met a woman in a church I attended who was very rich. She was also a vicious gossip and had no real friends, since as soon as they were out of her sight, she gossiped about them.
This woman caused a turning point in my own life. It is a long story, but there came a moment in time when I managed to offend her by telling the truth in a situation where she had been spreading lies. I did not know that she was the source, and I am not certain if I would have been silent if I knew.
She came up to me and glaring into my face, she said, “You called me a liar!” Like I said, I didn’t know she was the source of the gossip, so I had a “Huh” moment? She then told me what I had said that offended her, that a particular statement about someone was untrue.
Still feeling strange, since I knew for a fact that I had merely defended truth, I did not want her hurt by words that I had said, and I said that calling her a liar wasn’t my intention. I only wanted to correct the record. I asked her forgiveness for the way it had happened.
She glared up at me, and said these words, “I will never forgive you!”
I remember looking at her as she stormed away and feeling a deep sense of sadness. She was so arrogant, and so lonely, and I knew that her unforgiveness towards me was a rock she would carry. It did not hurt me, it hurt her.
That is what unforgiveness does. It hurts the us. That is why God wants us to forgive others, so that we can be forgiven.
Finally, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
I love the passage in First Peter 5:8-10
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
The devil is the enemy. God is our friend. And, as Peter says, the God of all grace is the one who restores us, makes us strong and steadfast.
As it adds in the Hallelujah at the end of the Lord’s Prayer – to him be the glory and power forever. Amen
