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“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
For several weeks during the spring, our confirmands studied and reflected upon the Lord’s Prayer as found in the sixth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. Having listened to our students and their reflections upon what Jesus is teaching us; I would like to offer reflection on three of the petitions contained in the prayer our Lord has taught us.
The introduction and first petition of the prayer is “Our Father, hallowed be your name.” Jesus teaches us to pray in this way, not because God’s name isn’t holy or glorified on its own, but that we would recognize the holiness of God’s name and glorify Him in the way we live our life each day. As we recognize the holiness of God’s name we are most likely to honor and keep the second Commandment, not taking God’s name in vain. Honoring and glorifying God’s name is the precursor to living the Christian life.
The second petition I’d like to discuss is “Your Kingdom come.” God’s kingdom refers to His way of ordering things. Through the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus, we have a clear picture of what God’s kingdom is to look like. Throughout his earthly life and ministry, Jesus exemplified the greatest commandments to love God and love neighbor. Following his example, we strive to live as people belonging to the kingdom of God here on earth. We are to strive for peace, healing broken relationships, and caring for those whom society turns away.
And finally, the third petition I’d offer for reflection is “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is a most difficult petition to live up to, for we are all sinners in need of God’s grace. Central to the teaching of Jesus is forgiveness. This is important because central to the suffering of our world, in all walks of life, is the reluctance to forgive. We do well to recall the words Jesus speaks following His teaching the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15 ESV).
Forgiveness and reconciliation are paramount to living as citizens of God’s kingdom. There is no room for sinners to live in the blessed peace of God’s forever kingdom. That is why he sent his Son Jesus into the world. God loved the world so much that all who believe that Jesus is indeed Lord and Savior would have their sins forgiven. Therefore, it is to be our thankful response to demonstrate this same love for our neighbor. For if we do not, God will not forgive us. We can’t pick and choose who we will forgive or not forgive, just as God would not pick and choose one believer over another. After all, any person who has sinned against another is also someone whom Jesus came to die for.
Each week we pray this prayer that Jesus taught us. It is a prayer central to our life together as God’s people. In reflection and study of the Lord’s Prayer, I asked our confirmands, as I always do, to write the Lord’s prayer putting it into their own words. There will be occasion in the future when I will use their prayers as a part of our liturgy. Until such time, let us strive to earnestly contemplate the words Jesus taught us, and focus on living as kingdom people saved by the grace of our loving and merciful God.
Heavenly Father, help us bring you glory by keeping your name holy in all we say and do. Lead us to do the work of your kingdom, and to forgive others as you have forgiven us. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila