THE OUR FATHER (The value of the Lord’s Prayer) – PART III

DRE, Ibadan Archdiocese

Faith Series, Episode 123

 

  1. Who art in heaven

The Biblical expression ‘in heaven’ does not refer to a place but to God’s way of being, His majesty. Christians affirm that through Jesus, God lives in the hearts of the just. When we invoke the Father, we profess that we are His people who are in union with Christ in heaven. At the same time, we await the day when our heavenly reward will be fully ours.

  1. Hallowed be thy name

When we pray in Jesus’ that God’s name should be hallowed, we enter into the Father’s plan by praying that everyone on earth will regard him as holy (as he is in heaven). The Father is the source of all holiness, of all that is good, of all love. We make the Father’s name holy when we believe in God’s love and act on it by taking on the identity of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we live up to the name Christian, others will come to know and praise the Father because they can see his image in us.

  1. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

With the coming of Jesus Christ, the Father’s kingship (also kingdom or reign) – firmly established in heaven – has broken into our world. Jesus has inaugurated this reign through his own ministry. He preached the gospel to the poor, brought liberty to captives, wholeness to the broken, healing and salvation to everyone (Isaiah 61, Luke 4:18ffg). Thus God’s kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. When we pray ‘thy kingdom come’ we petition primarily for Christ’s return, the final coming of God’s kingdom.

However, we are to live, experience and work for God’s kingdom right now, though it will not be fully established until the end of time. Then there will be full righteousness, peace and joy. The Father wills that his reign of peace, justice, truth and service advance in our world. To pray for the coming of this kingdom means to join Jesus in his work;

  1. To feed the hungry
  2. To give drink to the thirsty
  3. To welcome the stranger to respond to the need of all those who come into our lives, especially those Jesus called ‘least of these’ – Matt. 25:35ffg
  4. To clothe the naked
  5. To visit the sick
  6. To visit the imprisoned,
  7. To bury the dead