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“Our Father …”

This weekend I’m teaching on the opening lines of the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”  A few random thoughts (and hopefully they won’t be so random this weekend):

  • The prayer begins with the word “our” and the community/relational aspect continues throughout the remainder of the prayer.  “Give us this day …”  “Deliver us from evil …”
  • The way Jesus teaches us to address God is a radical departure from the way the religious leaders of his day prayed.
  • Beyond the generic sense of “God created everyone” therefore he’s our Father, when we accept his gift of salvation we are “adopted” into his family.  He becomes our Father by choice, not by accident.
  • The word “hallowed” has survived in most English translations from the time of the King James (1611) through the New International Version (1970’s) even though it is not used much in common conversation.
  • The reason “hallowed” has survived is because it shapes for us one of the most basic questions of life: What do I believe about God?  Do I believe God is worthy and deserving of honor?