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Lord's Prayer

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, forever and ever.

Prayer of Submission

Dear Lord, I give you my hands to do your work; I give you my feet to go your way; I give you my eyes to see as you see; I give you my tongue to speak your words; I give you my mind that you may think in me; I give you my spirit that you may pray in me. Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in me. I give you my whole self, Lord, that you may grow in me, so that it is you who lives, works and prays in me.

Prayer to Grow Closer to God

Dear Lord, I am trying to do better and better each day; I am trying to walk with you and do your will, but sometimes it seems like I am slipping backwards no matter how hard I try. And I get confused sometimes; even if I want to do the right thing, I don't always know what it is.

So this is my prayer, heavenly Lord, for your help in straightening out my mind and straightening out my life. Lead me, Lord, and let your Holy Spirit guide me. Even if the correction is painful, help me to keep my mind open to your truth. Let me do your will in my every action, and know your will, that I might do it. Help me not be deceived by false assertions or glib intelligence, by those who would excuse or promote sinful actions, by those who simply do not know; and above all, help me not to deceive myself. Guide me away from excuses and rationalizations when I have sinned, but into your holy truth, that I might know my sin, and correct what I can, and ask forgiveness for what I cannot. By the grace and mercy of holy Christ, I ask this,

by Mason Barge 7/13

Benediction

And now, as a little child, let me abide in you all this day, oh Christ, so that when you appear I may have confidence and not shrink from you in shame at your coming. For I know that you are righteous, and I am sure that I will be made righteous only by my life in you.

God be with you 'til we meet again.

What’s in a Word?

Matthew 6:9 (KJV)

Sermon on the Mount - Lord’s Prayer [3]

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Notes on the Scripture

Having given us the comfort of knowing that God is our Father, Christ now asks us to recollect how different God is from us. We are not equipped to actually understand God as He is; we cannot comprehend His existence. So Christ tells us how to comprehend him within the framework of our mind and experience.

The word “hallowed” we understand to mean holy, something to be revered, which is accurate. It is an acknowledgment that we approach God in total reverence.

But more specifically, the term “hallowed” comes from a root word meaning “separate” or “different”. We were made in God's image, but we are not God, or gods. There is evil within us and, thus, evil in our world. God is different.

So we celebrate and respect that God is different from us and hold his “name” holy. But what does this mean, the name of God? It means something more than simply the word by which we identify someone.

Consider a random use of the word name by the Hebrews: “Those who know your name put their trust in you.” (“Psalm 9:10”) Or here's another good one: “Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord. ” (Psalm 20:7) The psalmists are not claiming that everyone knowing the word “Yahweh” puts their trust in God, or that a word is similar to a horse. Rather, “name” connotes that we know something about the nature and character of the being identified. It is a symbol.

Carl Jung defined a symbol as an object that stands for something that cannot be made clear or precise, and which may have layers of complexity. God's name does not refer simply to a word. It is a testimony to His existence. It is an invocation of His holiness.

But what actual word do we use for the name of God? Most of us understand the word “God” as the name of God (and also Jesus Christ, which is an actual name). Keeping them separate from all other words, as symbols of a holiness we can understand only dimly, acknowledges our duty under the Second Commandment: so, the Lord's Prayer reminds and reinforces our commitment not to use the words God or Christ in any abased sense, notably, not as swear words.

Some Christians, like people of most religions, sometimes surround themselves with all sorts of symbols and then revere them, while others reject the practice as idolatrous. But one thing is certain: Christianity is a religion of belief in the Word, and it is appropriate that a word is the one thing Christ requires us to treat as separate and holy.

“The Wings of the Morning”, from Angels Still Fly by Velva Barnes.

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