"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. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)
This passage, which we call “The Lord’s Prayer”, is maybe one of the most well known passages of scripture in the whole Bible. Throughout this year, at various times, we are going to spend some time looking at each part of this prayer. Today I want to concentrate on just the first two words; “Our Father”. If we only had those first two words, we would have a lot.
The word that is translated “Father” comes from a Greek word whose meaning is closer to “Daddy” than it is to “Sir”. In other words, when Jesus teaches us to pray, he teaches us to address God with a closeness and a recognition of love and relationship. God is not “far off” and completely unaware of your circumstances. Rather, he is like a loving father who cares, is nearby and who loves you. In fact, he knows you so well and loves you so much that we are told, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). The first teaching of this prayer is that God is near and that he knows you well.
Now, think for a moment about the fact that he is addressed as “Our” father. In fact, note that every pronoun in the prayer is plural. It is “Our father”, not “my father”. He says, “Give us… our daily bread”, not “Give me”. “Forgive our debts” and “Lead us not into temptation”. Our culture teaches us to keep people at arm’s length. The church, though, is a place where faith is lived in community. It is a place where we help one another and look after one another. The “Lone Ranger” was a good story, but it is not a good way to live. We need to be, and should be, connected to one another.
“Our father”… sometimes two little words can say a lot.
This passage, which we call “The Lord’s Prayer”, is maybe one of the most well known passages of scripture in the whole Bible. Throughout this year, at various times, we are going to spend some time looking at each part of this prayer. Today I want to concentrate on just the first two words; “Our Father”. If we only had those first two words, we would have a lot.
The word that is translated “Father” comes from a Greek word whose meaning is closer to “Daddy” than it is to “Sir”. In other words, when Jesus teaches us to pray, he teaches us to address God with a closeness and a recognition of love and relationship. God is not “far off” and completely unaware of your circumstances. Rather, he is like a loving father who cares, is nearby and who loves you. In fact, he knows you so well and loves you so much that we are told, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). The first teaching of this prayer is that God is near and that he knows you well.
Now, think for a moment about the fact that he is addressed as “Our” father. In fact, note that every pronoun in the prayer is plural. It is “Our father”, not “my father”. He says, “Give us… our daily bread”, not “Give me”. “Forgive our debts” and “Lead us not into temptation”. Our culture teaches us to keep people at arm’s length. The church, though, is a place where faith is lived in community. It is a place where we help one another and look after one another. The “Lone Ranger” was a good story, but it is not a good way to live. We need to be, and should be, connected to one another.
“Our father”… sometimes two little words can say a lot.
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