Intimacy and Mystery: The Lord's Prayer

November 21, 2010
Matthew 6:9-13
Word studies in the Lord's Prayer

The Lord's prayer is used in many settings. Many sports teams pray it before their games. Our church says it together weekly, and has done so for years in the former Word and Table service. At least some Alcoholics Anonymous meetings use the Lord's prayer as part of recognizing a higher power.

The Lord's prayer has a wealth of meaning for disciples. But it is possible for anyone, even Christ-followers, to pray the words without thinking of the meaning. In that case, we could be accused of "babbling," as Jesus said the pagans did: reciting the words like a good-luck charm, without recognizing their meaning or allowing them to affect us.

This prayer is intended for disciples--those who've committed themselves to Jesus. Naturally, we need to know what we're saying. This knowledge grows through the years as we continue to follow. Luke chapter 11 describes another time when Jesus taught this prayer. It was when the disciples became aware that their own prayers were not as effective as they could be.

The class mentioned some of the notable elements in the Lord's prayer:

• "Give us our daily bread"--Trust God regularly and constantly. The burden is not ours alone; we can trust.
• "Reveal who you are"--The Message uses that phrase to capture the meaning behind "Hallowed be thy name"
• "Forgive as we forgive"--These go together. In case anyone missed it from the prayer itself, Jesus made it very plain in the next two verses.
• "Trespasses" or "Debts"--Both deal with shortcomings. Some of us prefer the concept behind debts. Trespasses may suggest deliberate offenses, while debts are debts whether we recognize what we've done or not. God offers to forgive all our offenses, and we need to do the same for those who've done wrong to us.
• "If God wills"--We discussed this concept earlier, and find it in the Lord's prayer as "Thy will" in "Thy kingdom"
• "Lead us not into temptation"--Would God ever lead us into temptation? Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted. But this is different from God actually tempting us. God does not tempt us (James 1:13-15), but we are drawn away by our own desires. The Message puts this as "Keep us safe from ourselves and the devil."
• "Our Father"--We are to be part of a community.
• There is no "In the name of Jesus" at the end of this prayer.

Overview

We looked at the order of thoughts in the prayer, and David mentioned the order of words in the Greek language. In Greek, the first word is "Father." The way to get the same sense in English is awkward: "Father of ours." The word Father recognizes a relationship between us and God, an intimate relationship.

"Hallowed by your name" suggests mystery. There is a balance to be struck between intimacy and mystery. "If I can explain God in all things, I don't need Him." A similar truth is found in other relationships. Total equality among human family members undermines parental responsibility and authority. In marriage, couples keep dating who recognize that there are still things they don't know about their partners. ("There's no mystery any more" is not usually a good description of a growing marriage.)

"Thy kingdom . . . Thy will" is an invitation for God to function as God in this world. This is more our recognition of who God really is, rather than an urging to a reluctant God to come down here and help us. God's concerns are top priority. When He is given proper place, we can move on to our requests and needs. (Speaking of "our needs" led us to recognize that US Christians are discussing issues the rest of the world doesn't have the luxury of worrying about. Most of the world is worried about survival. We often try to explain God completely.)

When evil circumstances hit us, we wonder if we're being hit by God. The mystery of God is not supposed to be fear-filled. It should be positive expectation, "What will God do next?" Parents try to help their children grow, which involves allowing the child to experience reality. That can be painful. But the parents still want the best for their children. Of course, this is idealized: Human parents are not perfect, and some are not the examples they should have been.

Father

The Old Testament compared God to a parent fourteen times. Some of these passages are Isaiah 49:15, 63:16; Jeremiah 3:4-5, 31:20. Jesus used "Father" to indicate love and trust. Disciples who find this intimacy in their God-relationship describe new freedom in their lives.

Our

The second word in Greek is "Our." The Lord's prayer is a community prayer, to be prayed by groups of disciples. It becomes a model for private prayers, and the "our" reminds us that we belong to a community. And the "our" includes Jesus, who prays with us, since we are His body. Sin isolates people. Trusting in Christ gives us a place of belonging.

Is "Thy Will Be Done" a Prayer of Faith?

November 14, 2010

Two weeks ago, someone asked if some of us use "Thy will be done" as a way of hedging our requests to God. Rather than really asking for something, perhaps we are just making suggestions.

We opened this week's look at prayer by considering this question.

First, we have to acknowledge that we humans may be misdirected in our prayers. We have limited understanding. "Thy will be done" can simply be an attempt to align ourselves with God. The attitude of the person who is praying determines whether the phrase is faith or humility--or doubt.

Sometimes, we find ourselves praying "This is what I want, so please approve it." By recalling "Thy will be done," we can keep ourselves from becoming so arrogant.

Prayer doesn't change God, but it changes us. "Lord willing" (the phrase used in James's letter to emphasize God's authority) can signal our openness to participate in God's image.

It was suggested that some things, such as healing, are always in God's will. But there are circumstances when His will is not carried out. The Bible (2 Corinthians 12) specifically mentions a healing that did not take place. Only God knows the future, so when we're praying we try to be aware that God's larger purposes may not include what we're now praying for.

Some people report being checked when trying to pray for something. At that time, we are again changed. Our attitude becomes, "Not what I want, but what God says is best." Trusting God completely, releasing everything to Him, sometimes allows God to answer the whole prayer. (Brandon gave us an example in his life, when his mother had to stop praying as though his healing were more important than trusting God. Once she released Brandon completely to God, trusting Him to do what was best, Brandon was in fact healed.)

Ruth Haley Barton's book, Sacred Rhythms, was mentioned. She shared the image of a pansy that has become rootbound. When the pansy is removed from the little pot, its roots are extending out, reaching for nutrients. In the same way, we need to be at least open to, even reaching out for, new approaches to God. "We long for something more."

Prayer should not be so much "so I can be forgiven and avoid Hell," but more "make me like You." Our prayers need to evolve as we mature in God's Kingdom. "Thy will be done" is a key part of such growth. We need to learn to trust God and to submit to His wisdom.

While Matthew gives us the Lord's prayer as part of a larger sermon, Luke's account (chapter 11) puts it in the context of the disciples asking for instruction. They weren't satisfied with the way that they had been praying. The Lord's prayer is the answer.

1) Why do we pray?

We want to communicate with our Creator, building a relationship (sometimes called communion). We reach the point where we want the time with God to be more than a "laundry list" of requests for God to fill. Some shared that as they have drawn closer to God, the time they spend in prayer has expanded naturally.

2) What is the purpose of prayer?

We want to be transformed into God's likeness. We want to tap into intimacy with God. (An example was given by a couple who have learned to be comfortable in each other's presence. They don't have to talk constantly, but they do enjoy being together.) Psalm 131:1-2 was given as an example of such a prayer.

Jesus taught His disciples how to experience intimacy with God. It is risky, because we need to expose ourselves. In our early prayers, we may have been seeking a way to control our lives ("Here's what I need today, Lord"). We need to move to surrender ("God, I trust that your way is best for me") instead of control.

Patterns of intimacy with others will affect our ability to be intimate with God. "Our Father" should open up such channels: relationship, intimacy, surrender. Of course, the word "Father" creates hangups for some people. We were reminded of Romans 8:26--the Spirit helps us in our weakness. When the imagery is inadequate, when our thoughts are not clear, the Spirit intervenes. "Thy will be done" reminds us to get back to God's meaning and purposes.

Next week, we will begin looking at other specific words found in the Lord's prayer. As an example, Jesus used the word "our" in front of Father. While it is certainly acceptable to pray in private (part of the passage even encourages this), we must remind ourselves that we are part of the Kingdom and that God is not just "mine."

Unwanted Answers to Prayer

November 7, 2010

Rather than focus on a specific scripture passage, the class worked through the concept of unanswered prayer. Actually, all prayers are answered, so we are really dealing with answers we don't want. To keep the perspective clear, two families were mentioned. Each family had lost a twenty-eight-year-0ld young adult in the past week or two. How do we reconcile such events with a God who invites us to ask largely, and who is known as a God of love?

The class discussions ranged widely, with many perspectives offered.

God is unpredictable, but not unreliable. Still, God's unpredictability raises questions. Those questions often do not have answers, at least in this world.

Christianity is a relationship theology, not an answer theology. That is, we are encouraged to become children of God, to talk with Him, to respond to His Spirit. We are not promised that we will understand everything that happens. We are to depend on God's presence, not His explanations.

Spirituality for the Road, by David J. Bosch, examines this topic, and David Wilson recommends it. Bosch calls some people "hawkers." They sell a "happy-ending" religion, which answers all our questions and solves all difficulties. But "a god who provides all the answers becomes an explicable god, but ceases to be God."

Too often, in their zeal to encourage people to trust Jesus, some Christians have suggested that God will answer all life's questions. The book of Job, as one example, clearly teaches otherwise.

Albert Schweitzer [a German doctor/theologian of the twentieth century who was a "Mother Teresa" in Africa] pointed out that "Christianity does not explain everything."

A note was found in the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw following the second world war. "I believe in you," wrote a Jewish man to God, "even if you've tried to dissuade me." He could not understand (any better than we can) why God allowed the persecution. But he did understand that God was not supporting the persecutors, and that God was still to be followed.

Augustine [a Christian at the time of the Roman Empire's collapse] wrote to God, "Better to find You and leave the questions unanswered than to find the answers without finding You."

A search for answers may be a search for control. When we understand something, or at least when we can explain it, we effectively put limits on it. We cannot put limits on God, so we might have guessed that we would not always understand Him or His actions.

At the same time, troubles shake any relationship. Can we trust that God really wants our best when we are in the middle of suffering? This depends somewhat on how close the relationship was before the difficulties arose.

Because we have a relationship with God, we know that He doesn't make bad things happen. We also know that He is troubled by things that are wrong. He is not impotent, but He doesn't always act.

We can be honest with God. [We might as well be; He already knows how we feel!] Even if we are angry, we can still trust that God is at work. God is not looking for passive partners; the Psalms, or Jeremiah 20, give us examples of people who do not like what is happening in their lives, but still believe that God is God. Even among humans, hiding our negative feelings does not build a stronger relationship; being honest may be the essence of communication.

Discussion with Pastor Brad

Pastor Brad Estep met with the class on November 7. He had sent us a discussion guide with four topics, and he invited comments on anything else of interest. The focus was on preparing the church for its next decade of service.

Mission/Outreach

Kathy Jones: In the past, the church specifically prayed that families with children would make Kansas City First their church home. We need to do this again.

Bill Schwarz: The church could host a vibrant scouting group. This has been a good community outreach method for other churches.

Margie Schwarz: Wednesday night programming, especially for the kids, should incorporate service activities. Focusing on helping others would be good discipleship.

Church Building and Grounds

Shane Chamberlin: The parking lot needs repair.

Pastor Brad: Many of the large-cost repairs are being done with legacy gifts, not out of current operating funds.

Financial/Debt/Endowments

David Wilson: It is one thing to ask for people to faithfully tithe. It is a different thing to teach good stewardship of the remaining 90%. We could help people learn to manage their finances, which would include the concept of legacy gifts.

Marlin Lutes: The church could offer short-term training sessions, such as Dave Ramsey's program. [Brandon Peterson is already a trained leader of Financial Peace University.]

Dale Jones: Some mainline congregations rely on endowments so that they do not have to respond to the wishes of the current congregation. This doesn't seem like a good thing for churches.

Pastor Brad: Endowments should be targeted for specific ministries or projects, rather than funding the normal, day-to-day operations of the church.

Ministerial Staff/Personnel

None of the class members had comments on this topic.

Other

Bill Schwarz: For 2020, we need to change expectations. At church, we think low expectations are acceptable, or even preferable. As one example, adults could be expected to serve one year as Sunday School teachers after spending five years learning.

Pastor Brad: Membership classes do include "expected commitments" for First Church members, but the expectations could be more widely shared.