Notes for a talk.

Matt 6:9b-13:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be dome, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.

Luke 11:2-4:

Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom fome. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.

Today’s version of the Our Father:

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, now and forever, Amen.

How often do we pray this prayer? But how often do we actually think about what those phrases mean?

Our Father. Collective.

Hallowed be thy name. Two meanings: 1) may your name be held as holy here on this earth, and 2) may you come, show your glory, and make it be held as holy. This second one relates to…

Thy kingdom come. May the second coming, the time of the end be soon. Bring your kingdom to fulfillment.

Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. May We do your will. May your will be done in our lives.

Give us this day, our daily bread. Two possible meanings. 1) Give us the bread we need to sustain us today. Give us what we need to survive… grace, provisions, food, companionship, etc. 2) Give us our future bread. Give us the bread of the wedding feast of the lamb. Bring us to the future kingdom.

And now for the real kicker: and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. The first clause is very bold of us. We’re asking the lawgiver to forgive us our transgressions against His holy law. The laws he put down for our own good, which we have broken. But not only that, we are called to forgive each other as well. As much as we forgive, will be forgiven us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. This phrasing isn’t found in the scriptural accounts of the Lords Prayer. Or if it is, it has a very different sense… “Do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one” is in Matthew, and “and do not subject us to the final test” is in Luke. The end of time is promised to be a crazy time of tribulation. These lurid descriptions can be found in revelations. The end of this prayer is asking us to be spared this trial. The current sense has a lot of insight in it as well. Asking that we might be lead AWAY from temptation, and asking that evil might not befall us.

Note still, this is a communal phrasing. All the pronouns are ‘us’ and ‘our’. Lead all of us from evil, give all of us our daily bread. Thy will be done on ALL the earth.

Some interesting quotes from St. John Chrysostom.

“An understood god is no god”

“We religious leaders need to look very much more deeply. We can so easily have talks with people, and they can say we have helped, write us grateful letters, even stand steady for a time till the juice we have put into them runs out; but, we may have brought them no hunger for God — because that hunger is no ache in our own heart — nor brought them anywhere near to the end of self.”

“Consider how august a privilege it is, when angels are present, and archangels throng around, when cherubim and seraphim encircle with their blaze the throne, that a mortal may approach with unrestrained confidence, and converse with heaven’s dread Sovereign! O, what honor was ever conferred like this?”

“Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God’s mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.”

“Consider how [Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally, for the whole world. For he did not say “thy will be done in me or in us,” but “on earth,” the whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from heaven.”

“If you say, “Would there were no wine” because of the drunkards, then you must say, going on by degrees, “Would there were no steel,” because of the murderers, “Would there were no night,” because of the thieves, “Would there were no light,” because of the informers, and “Would there were no women,” because of adultery.”

“Feeding the hungry is a greater work than raising the dead.”

“It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop, … while buying or selling, … or even while cooking.”