Sermon from July 16, 2006
For the next two Sundays we're going to learn about prayer by studying the Lord's Prayer. I will cover the first half of this prayer today and Pastor Bo will cover the second half next Sunday.

The Lord's Prayer is the most prayed prayer in the world. For 2000 years, people have prayed this prayer.

Luke tells us that Jesus gave this prayer to his disciples at the request of one of the disciples. The disciples lived with jesus. They watched him close up. They knew his character, compassion, wisdom, righteousness. They knew the pattern of his life and they saw his emphasis and dependence on prayer.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:  Father..." (Luke 11:1-2).

I believe that we can become better "pray-ers" if we ask Jesus, like the disciple did, to teach us to pray and then devote ourselves to learning to pray by immersing ourselves in the Lord's Prayer. This is an appropriate place to start. We must enroll as students in the school of prayer.

We find this version of this prayer in Matthew and Luke. Luke's version is more concise while Matthew's version is comparable to the prayer that we typically use.

Let's say this prayer in unison. We will use the one found in Matthe 6:9, but, we'll use the traditional phrasing.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliever us from evil.
For Thin is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

"Our Father"
When Jesus says, "Our Father, who art in heaven," he is not trying to give us proper prayer protocol. He is not trying to teach us the right "etiquette" in coming to God.

Jesus is helping us to understand the truth about God – that we come to God with the right understanding of who He is. Jesus tells us that we are talking to a person. When we pray, we need to understand that God is as real as the person sitting next to us. We are not just talking to ourselves or thinking out loud. We are speaking to another person.

Jesus informs us that this person to whom we are praying is our Father.

The Scriptures align with this when they state that by virtue of the new birth, God is our Father; that in Christ we are the children of God.

If God is my Father, He will teach me like a father teaches a child. He will pick me up when I fall. He will care for me and provide for my needs. He will guide me and go before me to show me the way.

When Jesus tells us that God is our Father, He is giving a glimpse of God's heart toward us. God is relational. God is caring. Therefore, He is always quick to listen to His children. This is helpful to remember when we pray because there are many things that distract and deter us from prayer. God is all about the relationship and in the context of the relationship, He will speak, instruct, comfort, correct and so forth.

The beginning of prayer is remembering that prayer is about a "who."

"Who art in heaven"
For some of us, this phrase about heaven can seem disconnected from the idea of a personal God whose desire is for us to be in his presence. It's hard not to think of heaven as some place far away – out beyond the clouds and stars. If heaven (in our thinking) is "out there," then God can seem distant and somewhat detached.

But the word "heaven" is used several ways in the Gospels and New Testament. It's used to describe celestial space which contains the sun, moon, and stars. It's used to refer to the atmosphere and sky above us. It's also used to refer to the air around us.

Many scholars and churchmen understand the "in heaven" phrase as a reference to God's perfect rule which is in heaven. It is an attempt to speak of God's power and authority. But I think it could also mean that God is in the atmosphere all around us. He's not a long distance, detached God. He is right here, right now. He is as close as the air we breathe.

When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are affirming that we are never apart from the presence of God. We are never alone.

"Hallowed be Thy Name"
This is the first petition of the Lord's Prayer.

"Hallowed" is a word not often used. When was the last time you heard someone say they "hallowed" something?

In the Bible, a name is never just a label. A name stands for the person who bears it and tells something of his or her character, activity, and purposes. A person's name represents that person.

When we pray that God's name be hallowed we desire that it be treated as holy. "Holy" means to be set apart for special recognition or use.

In life, we attach value to things – especially financial worth.

Sometimes we encounter things that are of great value but we notice that appropriate value hasn't been assigned to it. People don't recognize its worth.

The name of God, which represents his person, character, plans and purposes is not recognized and given its proper worth in our world.

But to pray this request is to recognize and desire that His name is to be given its rightful worth in my life, in this church, in the world. "May people realize how worthy you are, God."

That's what our vision for this church's future is about: that in ever increasing numbers, men, women, and children will come to know and love God through Jesus Christ, giving God first place in their lives.

"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done"
The second petition requests, "Thy kingdom come."

The first and third petitions explain what takes place in the kingdom: the kingdom where God's name is hallowed and where God's will is followed.

Jesus taught that in his life and ministry the kingdom of God, the full rule and reign of God had broken into this world. When people saw Jesus they saw a life lived in which what God desired was always chosen. The kingdom of God is that realm in which whatever God desires is what happens.

One day, the kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. But until then, Christ's disciples are to pray for that kingdom to come; that the will of God will be done in our individual lives, our church, and world.

This is a dangerous prayer because much of what God wants to accomplish in our lives and in the world runs contrary to what our culture values and to what I value.

Karl Barth wrote, "[If we pray] 'Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,' we place ourselves at God's side, nothing less than that. God invites us to join his designs and his actions. We can live with God only when we are in agreement with His designs, with his cause..."

We need to ask ourselves, "What would it mean for God's will to be done in my life? What would it mean for God's will to be done in my life relationally or financially or vocationally?"

Last Thursday night, BVBC took a vote to move forward in the next steps of Phase 3. We are looking at one of the biggest financial challenges of our lives. But if we are praying, "God, Your will be done in my finances," then we will see miracles; we will achieve what God has placed before us.

I think that some of our reluctance or resistance comes from a misunderstanding of "the will of God" as something that is restrictive or dreary or burdensome.

But the Apostle Paul understood that the will of God is "good, acceptable, and perfect" (Romans 12:2) because it is the will of the Father who is infinite in knowledge, love, and power. And it is true folly to resist his good and perfect will and it is true wisdom to desire, discern, and do it.

My challenge to you is for you to start by praying today and over the upcoming weeks,
     "God, may your kingdom come in my life."
     "God, may your kingdom come to the people I know."
     "God, may your kingdom come to this nation and this world."

To pray the Lord's Prayer is to be a part of a group of people who are living and loving counter to our culture's values but in alignment with what Jesus values. To pray the Lord's Prayer with sincerity is to truly desire to be a Christian.