July 24, 2016

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus teaches us the prayer which we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” As an example of all prayer, let’s look closely at this prayer and think about it. I want to read it slowly. After each section, I want to read from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism about that section and then give my own personal comments on what it means to me and what goes through my mind and heart when I pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Martin Luther, The Small Catechism

The Introduction

Our Father who art in heaven.

What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.

“Our Father, who art in heaven.” These words first of all remind us of to whom we are praying. Many of our prayers begin with words like “Almighty God.” This is good because it reminds us that God can do anything, he can hear and grant my requests. But at the same time, the words “God Almighty” seem to put God way up in heaven beyond my reach, whereas the word “Father” makes God very personal. God can put a personal touch to my requests. As a loving father, he knows what is best for me. God is my father; his Son who is Jesus Christ is my brother and friend. In Baptism I am baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And so I know with confidence that God hears my prayers and wants to take care of me. Not only me, but for all the other people for whom we pray when we say “Our Father.” Sometimes this is called a “family prayer” because we are praying for our whole family in Christ. And so sometimes, when I do not know how to pray for a certain person, I can pray this prayer thinking, “Give HIM this day his daily bread.” Or, “Lead HER not into temptation.” Or, “Deliver us ALL from evil.” Amen.

The First Petition

Hallowed be Thy name.

What does this mean? God’s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.

How is God’s name kept holy? God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!

“Hallowed be thy name.” The word “hallow” means to make holy. It reminds me of the liturgical hymn that we sing during Communion. “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.” When I say the words “hallowed by thy name,” usually my thoughts and feelings are like, “Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna!” But I also know that God’s name is like his reputation. So I pray that nothing in my life or behavior would bring shame to the Family Name, rather that my life and behavior would proclaim the fame of the Holy Name! I pray it for me, this church, and for all Christendom. It is a prayer that there be no scandals or false doctrine that make the people of the world mistrust and hate the church and the Lord of the church. It is a prayer that we all might lead our lives as good Christians, as good children of our Heavenly Father.

The Second Petition

Thy kingdom come.

What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

“Thy Kingdom come.” This is a prayer about evangelism: That the mission of the church would spread the Kingdom of God throughout the word. We pray that God would bless the work of our church. That he would be the King and Ruler of my heart and life. That he would come into the hearts of certain people I know that they too might live in his Kingdom. And it is also a prayer that Christ would return in all his Kingly Power at the End of the World. It is a statement of faith in the Nicene Creed that he will “come again to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” And when I look at the condition of the world, I see the war and poverty and oppression and disease and disasters and sadness, I pray that God would hasten that Last Day. Or that God would come now in power to put things right in this world through his reign.

Sometimes it can take a long time to pray this section of the Lord’s Prayer. I can think of a number of people who need to hear and believe the words of Jesus when he spoke, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Or, I pray for the evangelism mission of this congregation. When we pray this prayer in the hospital with someone who is very sick and in pain and dying, it can even give confidence that in death one will come to the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. It is a prayer of trusting our Heavenly Father and King.

The Third Petition

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.

How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Of course God our Almighty Father can do and will do whatever he wants to do both on earth and in heaven. I pray that I would know what the will of God is, what God wants me to do in my life. Sometimes we have no idea what the plan of God is for us, either individually or as a family or as a church. And so this prayer is a request that God would make known his plan, so that we can plan our work. Jesus knew the plan of God, yet in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done,” Luke 22:42. Following the will of God led Jesus to the cross. There he died to forgive the sin of the world, even the sin of all those who do not do the will of God. That prayer of Jesus led Jesus to his sacrifice, likewise, what sacrifice would this prayer lead me to do? Jesus sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane as he prayed about doing the will of God. Likewise, perhaps there should always be a bit of fear and trembling in our prayers (Phil.2:12). When we really think of what the will of God is for our lives, we might be afraid to follow that plan. Think about the Prophet Jonah! But the Lord was with him always in order to do the will of God. And so the Lord’s Prayer is also a prayer for courage and strength so that we might always be faithful to God our Father, just as he has promised in our Baptism to be faithful to us!

The Fourth Petition

Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther reminds us “daily bread” means everything we need each day to keep alive. Luther lists about 22 things, like “food, drink, clothing…..devout spouse, devote children, good government, good weather, self control, good friends and the like.” And as we pray we think about those things that we personally need today. A new car, peace in my life, good grades, that my aches and pains will go away, and as a pastor, I pray that I would be given inspiration for a good sermon.  Often times I find myself changing the words slightly: “Thank you, Father, for giving me my daily bread.” And let’s not forget, it is “OUR” daily bread. We pray for the needs and health and happiness of our family, our friends, our nation, and this morning our church.

As a pastor, when I lead other people in praying the Lord’s Prayer, I always like to have the prayer written out in front of me. Oh, I can remember the words, but often my mind wanders when I think about the specific things on my shopping list of daily bread. When I think about those who do not have enough to eat, when I pray for a cure of cancer, when I think about the church potluck…… Often my mind cannot work fast enough to keep up with speaking the words and I lose my place. The words “daily bread” include about a million things! So sometimes I just think about a couple of things and put the rest in God’s hands and think, “Thank you, Father, for giving all of us our daily bread. Amen.”

The Fifth Petition

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

What does this mean? We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is a dangerous prayer. It means that since I as a sinner have not completely forgiven other people, then God need not completely forgive me either. Ouch! And so, as Luther suggests, in my mind I change the words like this, “Father, as your Son died on the cross to forgive me all my sins, give me the grace to forgive others who do bad things to me, and also the grace to do good to them.” As a family or as a congregation, we pray, “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This also means mutual forgiveness within the congregation or family who pray the Lord’s Prayer together. It is a willingness to forgive old grudges. It is asking God to help us overcome our differences. It is asking the Holy Spirit to guide our fellowship.

It is also a prayer of confession of sins and receiving the forgiveness of sins. It is just being a Christian. It believes that the work of Christ on the cross forgives the sins of the world to all believers. As Christians, we want to forgive others, even if they do not deserve it, because we know that before God we do not deserve forgiveness either. Forgiveness breaks down walls. Another word for that is “love.” Forgiveness is hard. If it were not hard, then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross to forgive sin. Forgiveness is hard, and so we need the next two sections of the Lord’s Prayer.

The Sixth Petition

And lead us not into temptation.

What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

“And lead us not into temptation.” We are surrounded by temptations to sin. We pray that we might be strong in the face of temptations lest we sin. But even better, we pray that we are not led into temptation, that is, we pray that we will not have to face temptation and tests of our faith. Because I am weak, I will probably fail the test, so I pray that there will be no test at all! I pray that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature will not put our faith to the test. I pray this for myself and those of my family and the church, too. And when tested, I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me strength, courage, and confidence to resist and to overcome the temptations of evil.

But, I know my weakness and my past failures, and so when I fail, the next section of the Lord’s Prayer is very important.

The Seventh Petition

But deliver us from evil.

What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

“But deliver us from evil.” I have always thought it strange that this phrase begins with the word “but.” I guess Jesus knew that when temptations come we usually fall into the temptation and sin. And so we pray that when we fall into the temptation that no evil comes. Even when sinning, we pray that we might be protected from evil. Luther listed a number of evils: false belief, despair, shame, vice, evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and the devil and hell. We thank our heavenly Father for delivering us this far in our lives from great evil, and thank God that finally when our last hour comes, that we have a blessed end and graciously be taken from this evil valley of sorrow to our Father in Heaven. That is, it is a prayer of confidence that when we die we will go to heaven. Meanwhile, we pray that we and our loved ones will be delivered from evil, spared from evil: that evil might not come to us, and if it does, that we might be rescued from the jaws of death and danger and sickness and turmoil and fighting and all the bad things of this life.

The Conclusion

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

What does this mean? This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means “yes, yes, it shall be so.”

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.” This is a doxology of praise. It is also the confidence and joy we have that God can and will answer our prayer. He can do that because he has the eternal glorious powerful kingdom.

Amen! Amen! Yes, yes, it shall be so! Not just the end of our prayer, but the beginning and continuation of our daily walk in prayer with our heavenly Father.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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