Lord’s Prayer:
A Fresh Application
A Fresh Application
The
Lord’s Prayer, literally rendered.
The Lord’s
Prayer Proper:
†Our Father in the heavens,
Sanctified! it was, Your Name; Came! she has, Your Kingdom; Born!
it was, Your Will: as in heaven, also on the earth. Our bread, the Epiousion[1], Gave!
us, You did, today. Forgave! us, You
have, our debts; as we [must] also forgive our debtors. Even though You did not lead us into peril;
even so, delivered! us, You have, from the evil.
For if you have forgiven men their trespasses, then your
heavenly Father will forgive you. Yet if
you have not forgiven men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.[2]
[Because Yours is the Kingdom, Power, and Glory, (of the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever and) unto the ages (of ages). Amen.] — The standard response of The Church.
[We Thank You, Father Ἀββᾶ! Jesus! Holy Ghost!] — My personal
response.
The
Focal Point of the Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s
Prayer is clearly about forgiveness. The
same Lord; the Lord Whose Name was decreed Pure; the Lord Whose Kingdom has arrived; the Lord whose sovereign will was birthed;
the Lord Who intends to convert earth
into the likeness of heaven, as the Heavenly City of His purity, kingdom, and
will descends upon us and overwhelms us. The same Lord,
Who has fed us heavenly manna, throughout the dismal darkness of our earthly
lives; this same Lord, has now freely
forgiven us all things.
We need not look far for further elaboration. The book of Matthew is all about what it
means to forgive. Both Matthew 18 and
Matthew 25 provide explicit examples.
Doubtless we could find many other verses illustrating what it means to
forgive.
The
Application
I owe no man anything, and no man owes me. Every day I meticulously search my heart and
mind to discover and forgive the slightest offense, the least debt. There is nothing left to forgive. Yet the genius of the Lord’s Prayer does not rest on these
sorts of things.
I now stand debt free, forgiven by the King of Kings. Absolved, of all financial burdens, and all
ethical and moral demands; free, even from sin and death. Moreover, as God has led me in the way, He
has helped me to pay back each of these earthly entanglements, He has showed me
how to seek forgiveness among men, He has dimmed the voice of temptation and
sin in my life. Even so, that roaring voice
flairs up every once in a while to remind me what it cost to put away our sin.
Yet, I am far from being alone in finding such wonderful forgiveness:
for I am a baptized Christian, a member of the body of Christ, and I have faded
from importance; we remain, we are the City of God. There is no I left remaining in body. Not that I have become a meaningless nothing
in a vast sea of spirituality. Far from
it; rather I have been made a contributing and partnering member of Life
Himself. We has outshined I: for my
accomplishments are now of infinitely greater value as part of the body, the
team, than they ever were in the service of selfish ambition.
Not only that, but we have been made into a hospital, where
we, banded and operating together, work to heal ourselves and others as we
continue to struggle with sin in this earthly life.
Where, then, is there any space left for further
application? Hasn’t everything been
accomplished? No! Yet one small thing is lacking.
We overthink things, missing the obvious. If God has seen fit that others have told me
about the freedom bringing forgiveness of Christ; then the obvious application is
that I should tell still others about this freedom bringing forgiveness of
Christ. Yes, there is a Kingdom, not far
away, where anyone and everyone is forgiven.
You are welcome to come there.
You are invited to join this hospital surgical team as well.
But isn’t this the same application that Jesus made in
Matthew 28?
Jesus came and spoke to
them, saying,
“All power is given
to Me in heaven and in earth. Therefore,
as you are coming and going, make disciples in every nation: baptizing them in
the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.”
Amen.
Forgiveness is most complete and effective, when we spread
it around, when we share it. The only
sin that cannot be forgiven is not believing the God who freely offers forgiveness
for every debt and trespass. Have you
heard about God’s great forgiveness today?
[1]
The Epiousion is Jesus Himself. This is
what He teaches in John 6 and several other places. That which is beyond (mere) substance, that
which is more than bodily food, is the true Manna of God, the hidden Manna,
which is elsewhere called angel’s bread or food, the bread of heaven, the
Eucharist. It is that which compels us
and empowers us to Christlikeness.
[2]
Because such forgiveness is impossible among men, we continually cry out for
God’s mercy, so that He would complete our forgiveness, and elevate it to His
Divine level. It is God like forgiveness
to which we aspire.
[3] These
liturgical responses are usually inserted between the Lord’s Prayer and its pointed explanation.
[4] If
you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost,
share, or use any of them as you wish.
No rights are reserved. They are
designed and intended for your free participation. They were freely received, and are freely
given. No other permission is required
for their use.
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