Our father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
For years these words have been proclaimed boldly in meeting halls, whispered under breaths, even sung along to a puffling old organ in a darkened church. In school assembly this was part of our daily recital and we'd giggle at the line, 'give us this day our 'taty bread' (that's potato bread in case you didn't know). I knew it was a prayer to God, but I had little idea what it was about other than asking for food and forgiveness.
I'd very much missed the point.
Surely it’s obvious - we're asking God to do some stuff in our life, forgive others and have our slates wiped clean.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth. As it is. In Heaven.
Take a look at the world around us. This definitely isn't heaven. According to http://slaveryfootprint.org there are 27 million slaves in the world, contributing to the economic wealth of the world's richest countries. That's the equivalent to roughly half the population of the UK and, having just taken the survey it came as a nasty surprise that I have 29 working for me.
The tantalum in my mobile phone. The cotton picked in fields by school children in central Asia . Cosmetics, fruit, jewellery... somewhere along the production line, labour is cheap. But far from free. And that's to say nothing of the shocking trade in human trafficking; the greatest outrage of our days. It's appalling that this should happen to anyone in the 21st century, but that 99% of victims never escape is unforgiveable.
I think when Jesus gave his disciples this prayer, he was doing much more than introducing a monological recital to smooth our walk with God. He was giving us a way to overcome the powerlessness that we can feel from facing our biggest issues.
This prayer - is an empowerment to the pray-er. Because, yes, these very words speak of God's supremacy: we acknowledge that God is God, God is great. But I think Jesus was teaching us more. Jesus summed it up like this. Love God, love your neighbour. Nothing else really matters (Matthew 22: 34-40).
This matters to God because - this - is - bringing Heaven to earth.
I love this prayer that I came across:
Lord, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
the courage to change the one I can,
and the wisdom to know its me!
[The Plan Be Serenity Prayer]
Do one thing
Can we change the lives of 27 million people? I think we can. For anyone who now feels overwhelmed, angry, or shocked by any of these news articles, know that you can be part of the answer to your prayer. Go make a difference here: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
If you're not convinced you can be the answer to your prayer, I recommend watching this film clip which demonstrates the power of heart-felt, desperate prayer, which changed a nation. Pray the devil back to hell.
If you want your ordinary everyday life to be transformed in answer to this prayer, if you want to get others along with you, I recommend this website: Www.wecan.be
We can. Be the answer.
