paravanes:meditations

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Does God really lead anyone into temptation? The answer is no. In the translation of this text, the word "temptation" is the same as "test" or "trial." This sentence is a request for protection and a promise of obedience to God's guidance. When we walk in obedience to God, God can refine us and make us better without allowing unnecessary pain and suffering (tests or trials) in our experience. Like any good parent, God does not like to see his children suffer. Suffering is not always educational. Sometimes, suffering is just painful. We don't learn anything useful.  There are no spiritual insights, great or small. We just suffer. Like any good parent, God would prefer we learn from His instr...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. What is our daily bread? Consider this prayer poem about "daily bread." God, I thank you all good gifts come from you. Directly from you. Directly from you through people. Directly from you through the natural world. Directly from you through institutions and organizations. Directly from you through memory and history and wisdom from times past. Give us today Breath, breath, and more breath... Courage Words Actions Breath, breath, and more breath Peace Purpose Focus Energy Breath, breath, and more breath Determination Curiosity Community Connection Commitment Understanding Life. Breath, breath, and more breath. Give us today the courage to speak truth to power. Give us...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Right now, let's focus on the phrase about God's will that says "on earth as it is in heaven." We are still inviting God more deeply into our experience and also into the environment in which we live. We are inviting God's rulership again, but now we are inviting God to rule in our world. We are asking for God's rule on eatrth as God rules in heaven. This is an expansion of the request "your kingdom come." We are asking for God's will to be done immediately and without question. This begins with me, not with others. God's will is what I do, not what I impose. We are asking for God's will to be understood and known to be good. In heaven, God's will is unques...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. It may seem as if "your kingdom come" and "your will be done" are duplicates or repetitions. What are the differences? Imagine this: a ruler may be in charge of a kingdom and still meet opposition or objection to to her or his rulership. Isn't it true today thay many can't or don't accept or believe in God or in God's right to rule what God has created? "Your will be done" can be understood to mean "your will happen." (From the Greek lexicon in the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NIV), edited by Spiros Zodhiates,1996). When we pray "your will be done", we are saying "your will happen." We may begin thinking of ourselves and t...

Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. "your kingdom come..." is an invitation for God to rule as King: absolute and unchallengeable, good and loving. But, you may say, isn't God already in charge? Think about how often you have not lived up to God's standards and you will see the need for this part of the prayer. This invitation for God to rule begins and ends like this: Rule in me. Rule in my thoughts, speech, and actions. Rule where I am and where I go. Rule in community life, political life, economic life, and social life. Rule in my priorities of care and concern for all life. Finally: Rule in visible, loving power over all creatures and all creation. How many of these words will you include in your prayers? How many ...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Today we take another look at the well known phrase "Hallowed be your name."  What does "hallowed" mean?  The English word hallowed comes to us from the Greek word "hagiazo." The most important thing to know here is that this word is a verb ( an action word), not an adjective (a descriptive word). This means hallowing God's name (or reputation, will and purpose, or presentation and character) is something we actually do. It's an action word, not an informational or descriptive word. There is a descriptive form of the word, but that form doesn't appear in this prayer. Hallowed means these things: consecrated, made holy, honored blessed sanctified admired respect...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  "...in heaven" Why does it matter when we refer to God as "Our Father in heaven" ? God is present, powerful, and invisible. Should this make it harder for us to believe in a loving, present God, a God who is concerned and personally involved in what happens on this planet? Would it be easier to believe in a visible God? Maybe. But think of how often all of us have been deceived by what we saw.  Or what we thought we saw. Think about how often a job or business opportunity,  a relationship or marriage, a selection of a school or new home was based on what we could "see", on what could be measured. Then, think about how many times our senses have misled or deceived us. Think a...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13, New International Version) Jesus told his disciples to begin their prayers by addressing God as "Our Father." Why might Jesus have said this?  The power of any prayer is based on the person to whom the prayer is addressed. Jesus teaches us to pray to God the Father: our orginator, our source, our sustainer, and eventually, our final and eternal home. God the Father provides everything we need. Often God works through other people, through events (planned and unplanned), or through circumstances. Everything in creation is at God's disposal. God created us to be vehicles, or demonstrators, of God's love, greatness, goodness, and power. In return, God wants our love, h...