Hallowed Be Thy Name

In my first post ever on this blog I was discussing what the phrase "hallowed be thy name" means. Two months later, I was writing again on this topic. Today, I find myself back in that same place with yet more thoughts on the topic.

My first true meditations on the topic came about because I was teaching the Lord's Prayer to my Sunday school class. I struggled with communicating the concept of "hallowed" to these grade school kids, but did the best I could. It wasn't until yesterday when I was talking with my friend Rick that I realized why I've continued to struggle with this concept - there is NOTHING HALLOWED in the USA anymore. How do you convey a concept for which we have no context?

As I was thinking about this, I had to redefine the word hallowed into its verb form - to hallow. OK, that didn't get me very far. The deconstruction continued: If hallow means to set apart, to keep something from the profane then there is an active effort on our part to PROTECT that which should be hallowed - The name of God (as well as the Sabbath among other things, see those pesky 10 commandments.)

In my mind to hallow is to draw a line around something across which no profane or unholy thing may enter. We build a wall and then protect what is inside. I think this is very much the idea behind using the Lord's name in vain as well. God is so sacred, so holy that even his very name should be set apart and not used lightly.

Again, this enlightened my thinking about another odd phrase - at least to my 21st century ears: Lift up the name of God (and similar constructions.) Ahhh - now I have a vision of this. We hold God above the profane, above the average, we protect it, metaphorically, from the things of a sinful world. Further, we elevate its stature beyond something mundane - it is important, it is beautiful, precious, valuable. We are not to approach the throne of God lightly.

So what does this mean practically? I think that it means we must not be passive about God. "Hallowed be thy name" is not simply a reverential phrase, it is a call to action. We are to actively protect, defend, exalt and proclaim the name of God. It is an act of worship. We must regain the sense of reverence that the very name of God should invoke.

In Jewish tradition, "God" is never spoken or written, instead G-d is often used in print and the Tetragrammaton ( י‎ (yodh) ה‎ (heh) ו‎ (vav) ה‎ (heh) or יהוה‎ - YHWH) is said "Adonai" or "Hashem" not Yahweh. While seemingly legalistic, it is a visceral reminder that the very name of God is set apart and not to be used in the same way as any other name. I wonder if it might not be time for Christians to begin to look more closely at this idea - not to add another rule, but rather a tradition. It may be time to reevaluate and bring back the sacred in a deeper and more meaningful way - at least it feels like that for me.