I started this, however, not so that I could monologue, but dialogue. Therefore, PLEASE add your comments, thoughts, ideas, objections, whatever. The beauty of the web is that it is communal and wordwide. This means the distance from Oaxaca, MX to Portland, OR is just about nothing (assuming a computer and internet connection.)
"Lord, teach us to pray..."
I started my current topic of study (the Lord's Prayer) when I endeavored to teach my Sunday school class about prayer. What I already knew to be true - that teaching is one of the best ways to learn - continues to be evidently so with this class. I'm pretty sure I'm learning more than my kids are. Part of that is simply age and part of that is the structural limitations in which I have to work. How do you take a vast topic and teach it in 30 minutes? To 3rd grade boys? who would much rather play than listen? That is a challenge indeed.
What tends to happen is I end up having a vast store of knowledge and understanding that I can only partially impart. The good thing is that it continues to flow out and a person who IS a teacher (as opposed to a person who teaches...) can't help but find ways to teach. I'm not sure if I AM a teacher or am just teaching, but there is a good deal of wisdom, knowledge and understanding that I have found in the process and this is just one more way to communicate it.
So what are my mediations and contemplations so far? Here are a few to get us started:
I have found the first part of the Lord's Prayer to be a deep (if not bottomless) well in which I can dip my bucket and pull out another drink of spiritual truth. Of course, I also have found (and this should be obvious) is that one must not simply study the Lord's Prayer, but pray it. And by pray it, I don't mean recite it by rote, but dig in and spend time in each element, "Our Father", "Hallowed be your name", etc. Learning to pray is much more than memorizing incantations. So, here are a few of my thoughts to get us started:
a) Our Father in Heaven – We have a relationship to God. It is the relationship of a child to a parent. God is our father, we are adopted children. A father’s love is unconditional, a father cares for his children, a father wants the very best for them.
b) Hallowed be your name – Our attitude toward the Father is one of reverence. His name is set apart and holy – it is not to be taken lightly. We are to come to Him with hearts of worship, we are to “offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and set apart [consecrated].”
The FIRST thing we do when praying is to properly align ourselves to the Father. We are first and foremost sons and daughters. We come to the father in that relationship. As sons and daughters we come to the Father respecting and revering Him (“fear of God”). This is the beginning of wisdom and the beginning of prayer.
c) Your kingdom come – Our longing is for the coming of the King - To see Him face to face. God is first our Father and next our King. The first defines our relationship to Him and the second His positional authority or role. And if God is our Father and king, then we are His children and princes – heirs to the inheritance of the king.
d) Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven – In Heaven, God’s will is done perfectly (Psalm 103), our desire is that God’s will is done on Earth as well. But why isn’t God’s will done on Earth? It begins with us. Are we doing God’s will? If not, why? The prayer is a submission to the will of the Father (“Not your will but mine be done.”) When we ask for God’s will to be done, what we are really saying is “I seek to do your will on Earth. I want to hear your voice and obey your word.” It is being able to stand in the place of “Take this cup from me” and say “But not my will, but yours be done.”
”The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 9) and it is also the beginning of prayer. In order to pray effectively, Jesus teaches us that we must first come to the FATHER in reverence, desiring His return and submitting ourselves to His will. Once our relationship and attitude is properly aligned, we are able to present our requests humbly and accurately before the Father.
That's all I've got for today. Hopefully, I'll be writing several times a week, but we'll see. It's pretty easy to publish using this system and your comments will "spur me on to good works" or at least moderately interesting observations. I'll try to stay on topic but thoughts do wander...
4 comments:
Great website and observations, Ant. I liked your comments. I would add two thoughts.
First, our relationship with God is a communal relationship since He is "our" Father, not just "my" Father. I am a member of the body of Christ and have obligations and privileges in that body. In an increasing individualistic society I need to be in community with other believers for my own growth and witness.
Secondly, as I pray the Lord's prayer I also need to sort out who my real father is - the one in heaven. There is much my earthly dad has given me that contradicts God's values and attitudes towards me and I need to be consistently sorting out who's voiced am I listening/reacting to.
Great work!
Spot on! I'm glad for the contribution. Anything I write will absolutely be incomplete given the nature of the subject which is why we need many voices...
1) OUR is very much a key word in the prayer.
2) Fatherhood is KEY. Expect to see more on this topic.
I must admit I edited myself somewhat here. I'm going to try to write in more bite-sized chunks - which is difficult for me.
I'm sure that fatherhood has given you more insight into the heart of God. Being a mother has been leading me to a greater understanding of God's feelings and desires for me. I could probably write much more about that some other time. Knowing that God loves me unconditionally and always intends the best for me has led me to want to be the kind of parent He is. When I find myself losing patience with Avi I try to think of the vast ocean of patience my heavenly Father has for me. When I correct him I try to think of the way that God's correction is an expression of His love. "Our Father" is a fact I will need to meditate on for a lifetime.
Yes! I believe my fatherhood is just one more way God has chosen to reveal Himself to me(us). There is definitely a duality that I am learning, which is being both an earthly father and son (both earthly and heavenly). I think my next entry will focus on fatherhood...
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