by
Bob Hansel and
Renée Miller
also
available in audio
(you will need the free
real player to listen.)
Prev
Page 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8
Bob:
In previous sermons we've looked at all of the intercessions so
the only thing remaining is the very last sentence, "For
the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever."
What's that all about? Clearly it isn't part of the original Biblical
text. If you look either in Matthew's Gospel or in Luke's, you
won't find these words at all. The prayer that Jesus taught his
followers ends with the intercession about being protected from
evil. So, where does this come from and why is it in our prayerbook
at the end of both versions of The Lord's Prayer?
The
phrase, "For yours is the Kingdom and the power and glory
forever and ever. Amen." is probably
the oldest piece of Christian writing after the New Testament
itself.
It
reflects the fact that after the events of Christ's resurrection,
the joy and excitement of that first Easter Day, the early Christians
wanted a way to celebrate and express their confidence in the
God who could overcome all things—even death itself. This
phrase of affirmation and faith was a little doxology of the sort
that we sing during the offertory each Sunday. It's sort of a
compressed Creed that we now traditionally use to capture all
of the confidence and trust that is ours as the children of the
God in whom all things are possible.
Renée:
Say, Bob, have you noticed how often in our lives we focus on
that which stands out and claims our attention, but miss the really
important things that are often small, simple, subtle, and even
sublime? Two little words in this doxology are like that. The
first of those words is the word 'for'—"For the kingdom,
the power, and the glory are yours."
'For' may actually be the most important word of the entire prayer
because it is the word that sets forth the intent of the heart—the
word that sets in motion the faith we say we have. It is the word
that declares who we are and who God is. We are able to pray all
the other words of The Lord's Prayer precisely because of the
word 'for.' That little word reminds us of the simple yet sublime
truth that it is God's Kingdom, God's power, God's glory that
make faith real and prayer possible.
Bob:
Well, what's the second little word?
Renée:
I don't think I'm going to tell you just yet!
Bob:
Ok, we can wait, and in the meantime, I've thought of something
else I wanted to say about all our prayers—not just The
Lord's Prayer. It's important
for us to be reminded that The Lord's Prayer, however powerful
and practical is not some sort of magical incantation. The
prayer brings us into immediate contact with God and with God's
purposes for us. That relationship is one of partnership in which
we align ourselves as co-creators with God, allowing God to enter
and work through us to accomplish the Divine Will.
God's gifts are given actually and immediately but they are resources
which we, as God's stewards, must put to work in our own lives
if they are to bear fruit. I have heard people complaining that,
for them, prayer just has no meaning. It can't really change anything.
Well, my experience is that the most important thing that prayer
changes is me! It opens my heart to God's presence. It reminds
me of a little song I remember learning in Sunday School as a
young boy.
Renée:
Well, since I'm used to singing in my sermons and you're not,
maybe I should help you sing it.
Bob:
Good idea! Let's try it.
Bob
and Renée sing:
Into
my heart, into my heart,
Come into my heart Lord Jesus.
Come in to day, come in to stay,
Come into my heart Lord Jesus.
Bob:
As we have said time and again over the past weeks as we have
engaged in our annual fund campaign, it all comes down to stewardship:
"Everything we are and all that we have are gifts from God.
What we do with all that is our way of saying thanks."
Renée:
In a way, what you're talking about is symbolized in the liturgy.
During the time of the offertory we offer ourselves, and at communion
God gives us back God's Self. Perhaps, that's what makes the offering
of money so important.
I
was at an airport recently—
Bob:
No kidding! You're always at airports. They're your home away
from home these days!
Renée:
That's true. Actually, I'm thinking of beginning a new ministry
to all those travelers who are less than amused at having to endure
yet one more screening of their luggage or themselves!
Anyway,
I was talking with a friend of mine who is a businessman. He was
saying that money itself is a symbol and really has no life of
its own, but is really nothing more than a medium of exchange.
I didn't find anything particularly revelatory in that description
about money. But his next words were the ones that shocked me.
He said, "But we show our love with our money."
We
show our love with our money. Ah, that puts the offertory
in a much higher category in the service—the money we offer
is the way we show our love. And then we show our desire to share
that love when we take those steps toward the altar to receive
communion. Like the little word 'for,' those steps toward the
altar set in motion the offering of our lives, but even more they
set in motion our hunger, our desire, our yearning to receive
God into ourselves.
By
the way, I've heard that you've had some comments about the fact
that I don't wear shoes in church.
Bob:
Well, yes, I have as a matter of fact.
Renée:
If you remember the story of Moses and the burning bush, you'll
remember that God told Moses to take off his shoes because he
was standing on holy ground. That's why I take off my shoes in
church. It is not as though the church is the only place that
is holy ground, but taking my shoes off here reminds me of the
holy ground all around me. (So I give you all permission to take
off your shoes in church!) And as we take those steps on holy
ground toward the altar to receive communion we are declaring
that we need and want God. You're right Bob that we are showing
our thanks, and even more, we are giving and receiving love.
Bob:
The Lord's Prayer, I think, is like all prayer. There's good news
and bad news. The good news is that God's blessings and God's
resources are there in abundance. Nothing is lacking—love,
skill, caring, money. God has promised all that to the church.
The bad news is that it's in our hearts and in our wallets. We
have to be ready to give and to share. And, your friend was right,
Renée. We do show our love with our money.
But,
let's get back to the text of the closing doxology itself: "For
the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever."
Maybe we need to think a bit about each of those things that we're
so confident God has to give and wants us to share.
Renée:
I think I'm 'good to go' in telling you that second little word
I mentioned earlier. The word comes near the end of the doxology.
The word is 'now.' It seems that in contemporary culture we want
instantaneous everything and in that sense we are focused on the
'now', but when it comes to the fulfillment of God's promises,
we focus on 'later,' on 'forever,' on 'eternity,' on 'beyond'
what we know now. Yet the prayer ends, "For the kingdom,
the power and glory are yours, now and for ever."
God's
Kingdom is now. God's power is now. God's glory is now.
If we simply think it's somewhere up in heaven we live as
if it is outside of our daily experience. Waiting until we die
to experience God's kingdom, God's power, God's glory leaves us
with little eagerness or enthusiasm for the present life. The
word Kingdom is diminished if we do not see and believe
that the Kingdom is here, all around us, as near to us as our
own steady breath. The word power is diminished if we do
not see and believe that God's power is here, all around us, as
near to us as the life-beat of our heart. The word glory
is diminished if we do not see and believe that God's glory is
here, all around us, as near to us as our own tender humanity.
Iraneus,
one of the early Church Fathers, once said, "The glory of
God is a human being fully alive." Participation in God's
kingdom, power and glory is not a future reward based on a good
or bad performance here on earth. It is active belief that wherever
and whenever and however God is present in human life, there is
where we experience the kingdom, the power, and the glory.
Bob:
And so we come to the end of our sermon series on The Lord's Prayer,
celebrating twin truths—God's eternal Kingship and our own
role as witnesses in the world, called to live lives worthy of
such love. Ours is a challenge to match God's trustworthiness
with our own commitment to thanks-living every single day. As
Christians we have discovered that the daily use of this beautifully
simple prayer that has been given to us by Christ himself is a
proven source of guidance and resolve. May God bless each of us
every time we pray the prayer that Jesus gave us.
Copyright
2002 Calvary Episcopal Church. This series was first presented
at Calvary Episcopal Church, Memphis, TN.
Prev
| Page 1 | 2
| 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8