Hallowed is His name
We started looking at the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 in the light of Easter and the Resurrection. We got as far as the first two words, “Our Father,” to discover just how completely surprising that was to the Jewish people of the day. God had never been thought of as that approachable.
In fact, scholars tell us that the word, abba, as it was normally used in Christ’s Earthly time was more akin to saying, “Daddy.”
The translators working for King James II kept to the more formal usage of their own day and used the word, father. Seems we still can’t quite accept the deep level of intimacy that God really wants to have with us.
Next, we finish the sentence. “Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be your name.”
Today we usually gloss over that sentiment by starting off with the words, “Heavenly Father,” before jumping into what we really want from God when we pray.
Thing is, we don’t quite grasp the fact that Heaven, God’s primary residence, is inhabited by Him in all His absolute love, justice and holiness.
The gates of Heaven remained closed because a holy God would not suffer the presence of unholiness caused by humanity’s sin. Every righteous person who died before Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection had to wait for Jesus to come and conduct them to the gates He had just then opened.
That sentence remarking upon Heaven and holiness is there to remind us of some things. Just because we have been granted full access to God does not mean that we should take Him for granted. The child who can come right up to his father and call him daddy still must acknowledge the experience, wisdom, teaching and status of his father and pay him the proper respect.
The same is true for us when it comes to God. We must still acknowledge His holiness and pay the proper respect. We do that by hallowing His name. That means that first of all we honor Him for
Who He is, the Creator and Sustainer of all creation and the God who loved us so much that He allowed His son Jesus to pay the price for our unholiness.
Put another way, in acknowledging our own flawed status that has been remedied by Jesus, we give the Father praise.
Please notice as well that the whole first sentence, taken together, establishes the kind of relationship we have with God and the order of importance of the different facets of it.
First, we show that we now understand that we are in an intimate relationship with God.
Second, we show that we know who is in charge of the relationship.
Third, we show that we understand that our home is not really here in this world but in Heaven.
That last may seem like a stretch, but there are numerous references to that fact, direct and indirect. One of the most immediate occurs a little later in Matthew, Chapter six.
Christ talks about what is the proper way to pray, fast and conduct our lives in support of the new relationship with the
Father. He says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:1921)
Real relationships do not last if one or both of the people in it do not put their hearts into it.
That first sentence in the Lord’s Prayer is an open invitation to a relationship made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection. It sets the tone and terms of the relationship. It also shows us that God has already put His heart into it. He invites us to do the same.
The question is, are you willing?
(Philip Severi, a former Bishop resident, previously wrote a weekly column for The Inyo Register. He contributes to this page from his home in Twain Harte.)
A blessed Easter season to you. Easter Sunday was March 31st, but the season of Easter continues through Sunday May12th. There are seven Sundays in the season of Easter after Easter Sunday.
The Christian message of a resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, is a message we share year-round in the church. Romans10:9
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” He has Risen, He has Risen indeed!
Hallelujah! Jesus Christ defeated sin, death, and the devil for all of creation. This message is not limited to Easter Sunday or an Easter season, this is a proclamation we as Christian’s believe and share every day.
Matthew28:5-6: “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Because He has risen, you too will rise and live eternally. This is the good news contained in the Bible. Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to depend on people.” Trust in the Lord this Easter season and every day.
Proclaim the good news of a Risen Savior, who loves you, and who paid the ransom for your sins on the cross. The saints at Grace Lutheran Church wish you a blessed Easter Season.
Firmly in His Grip
(Pastor Tim Homan serves both Grace Lutheran and Mammoth Lakes Lutheran churches. Grace Lutheran Church is located at 711 N. Fowler St. Bishop. Sunday services are at 10:45 a.m. Mammoth Lakes Lutheran Church is located at 379 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth. Sunday service us at 8:45 a.m. For more information, call (760) 872-9791.)