You know that scene in “The Sound of Music” when Maria is teaching the Captain’s children about music and they sing “Doe, a Deer”? And Maria’s explaining that do-re-mi-fa-so and so on are just building blocks upon which we make music? Now, church, that is what today’s sermon is about in regards to the Lord’s Prayer. Sort of.
I mean, that whole story about a friend who needs three loaves of bread and comes to you at night asking for them and you’re already closed down for the night and the lesson isn’t “love will lead you to provide for your loving friend.” No, the lesson here is, “if you keep bugging God, God will provide. Because God will finally get tired of you asking.” Ah… I don’t know about that. Maybe…? That’s what it says (unless I missed something). But, really, what my ultimate goal is for this sermon, is to look at the Lord’s prayer as an instruction on how we can or should live our lives.
Without getting too pedantic …
Whaddya mean “too late”?
So,
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” and also “For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory”: In these parts of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells us to Praise and Honor God.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread”: These words heed us to Proclaim our trust in God.
“And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”: These words advise us to be sure that our actions to others are in line with how we would want others to act towards us.
You see, through Praying in the way that Jesus tells us to pray, we focus on the Relationship between ourselves and our God. Through prayer it is possible, and I am telling you that it’s probable that we can align our will with God’s will.
When we petition God in prayer, it can be transformative. Not necessarily in a way that, if we ask God long enough, hard enough, consistently enough, and with enough faith, we will finally get God out of bed and God will change their mind and finally give us what we want. No. I don’t think so. But through this act of praying and petitioning, we will be changed and transformed and become instruments of God's will in the world – seeking the fulfillment of God's glory, kingdom, and purpose, by transforming our personal requests into something ultimately more important, more meaningful, more profound to our world than our own needs and wants. Our petitions are transformed into the broader desires of God’s will in our lives. And so, we grow in faith and focus by God redirecting our personal – possibly selfish – petitions to ones that are more God-focused.
And so, by:
Addressing God directly,
Honoring God in others, and
Representing God in our daily activities
Our lives become the prayer, or as Jesus says, God’s will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
We become the prayer. Imagine.