Good morning
We’ve reflected on The Prayer before; and so, as we continue in our reflections on the prayers of Jesus, we will only take some highlights. Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
““Therefore, pray in this way: ‘Our Father in heaven, sanctified be Your name.”
Matthew 6:9 TLV … “Then Yeshua said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, sanctified be Your Name, Your kingdom come.” Luke 11:2 TLV
Although the ordering of the events are different, Jesus’ core formula for prayer is the same: Prayer begins with the recognition of God’s identity. This is worth exploring as our understanding of God’s persona is somewhat connected to our understanding of our own selves.
For Jesus, prayer is grounded in relationship: hence the opening ‘Father’. There are those who may be challenged by the notion of God as ‘father’, but let’s not forget Context. In most societies, especially when Jesus spoke, the father was the main decision-maker in the household. And it was through him the the one received an inheritance. Thus, Father implies a relationship with biological, social and economic implications and expectations.
As our ‘Father’, we note that God’s genes is in our DNA And the little Bio I retained suggests that it means there are things our system are naturally disposed to as it has passed down through our lineage. In short, we resemble God. Can we begin to see God Within us – genetically unmodified, no trying to hide the relationship? It’s kinda nice to know we look like our heavenly Father. Now to live that reality.
But God isn’t just ANY dad. God, though with us here, is also in Heaven, as per Matthew. That insertion may be intended to assure us of God’s distinctiveness from the other fathers and to underscore God’s holiness. Hence even God’s name is to be reverenced. We set the name of God apart (in Jewish traditions, the term G-d is used, as it reminds us the name ought not be used casually).
A quick reflection on Moses’s encounter by the burning bush (Exodus 3), reminds us that Moses took even his shoes off when in God’s presence. It’s not about the shoes per se; it’s the attitude of reverence that ushers us into God’s presence. In sanctifying or hallowing God’s name, we seek to honor God as the One Who provided the critical intervention for our very existence, Who takes us out of slavery AND supplies our needs. That combination ought to be worth our respect, even amidst the familiarity of our family ties.
I close the reflection with one parting thought: if we carry God’s DNA, could the call to holiness in Leviticus 11; be a reminder of what our true gene pool ought to be? May we be mindful today, that God’s holiness also rests within us.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
