THE LORD'S PRAYER

"Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name"

A Fresh Look at the Perfect Prayer

Luke 11.1-4; Matthew 6: 9-13

January 30, 2000

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, Lord God Almighty!  That is what happens in the Lord's Prayer after we say, "Our Father."  We declare the One who supports and delights in us, who calls us His through Jesus His Son- HOLY!

We come to the second part of the Lord's Prayer:  "Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name."   The first thing that startled me was this seeming contradiction-  a paradox...holding two contrasting views at the same time about God.  Recall Moses removed his shoes when he was in the presence of God.  Yet, this same God came to us as a baby in a Bethlehem manger.  C.S. Lewis gave us Aslan the lion in "The Chronicles of Narnia."  Children loved to play with him in the meadow.  But when he roared, everyone became silent before him. 

I hold two pictures of Jesus at almost the same time.  He welcomed children to be with Him.  This same Man cleared the Temple of those who made the house of prayer a robber's den.  Both pictures are correct.  Both pictures are be held by us who want to approach God in prayer.  There is a time to keep silent before our Lord.  

Some of you might be involved with the Kerygma Bible Study.  In the section on prayer, you discover true prayer is "that approach to our Creator in which God does not cease to be God and we do not cease to be human.. it is a dialogue with the Holy One of Israel...not a chat over the back fence with a neighbor...God is nearer than our breath...but He does not live next door."   So, we come to the second phrase in the perfect prayer.

FIRST, LET US FIND HIS HOME!

Here is where we have to stretch toward Him.  This is hard stuff!  We like to "reduce God to manageable terms." (Tozer)  But when we declare where God is, many seem to get lost.  We declare God the Father is in heaven.  A better translation could be:  "Our Father, who art HIGH ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL THE HEAVENS, HALLOWED, OR SACRED IS YOUR NAME!  Even heaven for all its appeal cannot contain God.  It is precisely at this point we find ourselves struggling with the second picture. 

Too many of us  have forgotten that we cannot be casual with God.  Many of us have lost the reverence and awe which God deserves.  I love golf.  One of the great tournaments takes place in Augusta, Georgia- The Master's.  If you weren't sure what the event was, you would almost be convinced that it was some religious shrine.  Those entering the course to play or to watch, move almost like it is sacred ground.  One announcer was kept from his job, because tournament officials thought his humor was too disrespectful. 

I've visited the shrines in Washington D.C., as boy, and later as a man.  Both times I remember the feelings of reverence and awe at such places as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Lincoln Memorial.  But when we come into our various churches, what happens to us? 

So many of us forget.  We enter the place where we say we are going to meet God.  How did you come into the sanctuary today?  Were your thoughts turned toward the living Lord Jesus?  I am afraid our culture of TV and video and piped-in music, has ruined us to prepare to meet God.  You see, there is some work involved...BY EACH OF US!  Yes, the worship can be some great entertainment, but that is not why we came.  I believe the reason worship is dull and boring to so many is our own lack of preparation to come into His presence.  When we are ready - WOW!

How precious it is to come into the place of worship and prepare.  How? Read the Scriptures for the day.  Pray for the choir and the organist to bring us into His presence today.  Pray for me to bring you bread from heaven. 

How did you come into this place to meet God - TODAY?  It is a fair question.  If you are uncomfortable with the question, you might want to take it up with God.  He can show you a new way to enter His house!

GOD IS HIGH ABOVE ALL...YET HE IS HERE IN JESUS CHRIST! THAT IS GOOD NEWS IN A BAD-NEWS WORLD!

All of us become overwhelmed with reports of crime.  Many have asked the question aloud to me:  "Pastor, have we lost our sense of decency?  Is there nothing sacred anymore?"  We have to take this seriously.  I think of that funny comedian Rodney Dangerfield with his line: "I don't get no respect." So in life, "neither does anyone else in the world where God's name is not hallowed." (Killinger, "The God Named Hallowed")

When we fail to honor God, the name of God, the house of God, there is little chance anything sacred will be found in our lives.  We "exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man... and worshiped the creature rather than the creator." (Romans 1)

SECOND, LET US HALLOW HIS NAME!

What is the name of God?  Too many of us answer like the child, who piped up, "Harold! Our father who art in heaven, Harold be thy name!"  His name is above all names.  The faithful Jew was careful with the name of God.  It became prohibited to say his name.  Instead they would say, Almighty, the Holy One, and especially, LORD!  Then along came Jesus!

"If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father, for I and the Father are one"... "Before Abraham was born, I AM."  The leaders exploded, for they knew Jesus was taking the name of the Lord God for himself...Blasphemy, they cried...and used that as the excuse to crucify him.  But they did not count on Easter.  Thomas demanded to touch and feel Jesus, or he would not believe.  The week after Easter, Jesus appeared to all and Thomas and invited him to touch.  Thomas only answer:  MY LORD, MY GOD!

"We must love God before we can be holy at all...loving God is the root of all holiness." (J Wesley)  That becomes the question, doesn't it?  If we say we love Him, the sense of holiness will be reflected in our lives. 

At the end of our prayers we all say the Lord's Prayer to finish.  Begin to think differently from today!  Think of the Lord's Prayer as the starting line for your week.  Watch your prayers become answered!    If you see this prayer launching you into the week, how much better will it be for you!

It is here that the desire to be HOLY is placed in our hearts and minds. Then, we can BE HIS HOLY ONES at the games and in the work place.  Imagine the great glow that is out there each day...we reflect the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!

This is not legalism.  "You have to be holy!"  We get it mixed up.  Some begin to think so.  We become impossible to live with.  We begin to stink!

I was away for these past few days.  I wanted to sense again this holiness of our Lord.  I came away from that brief time with a fresh commitment to love God without any hooks, or conditions! (I'll love You, Lord, if You give me...)  I revisited a marvelous prayer taught by a friend, Bob Mumford.  Simply enter into the presence of God and declare, I LOVE YOU, FATHER, WITH ALL MY HEART, WITH ALL MY MIND, WITH ALL MY SOUL, WITH ALL MY STRENGTH;  I TAKE YOUR YOKE UPON ME FOR THIS DAY TO PLEASE YOU....AMEN.  I have to tell you, the sense of the holy was overwhelming at times!  I encourage you to try this prayer.  And the wonder of it all, GOD CLEANSES US AND FILLS US TO OVERFLOWING WITH FRESH SPRINGS .. LIKE FRESH WATER, TO PRAISE HIM, AND LIVE FOR HIM.

We must take responsibility for this part of the prayer.  We make His name sacred, or we do not.  In one particular village near some mountains, the city council was trying to figure ways for cutting the costs of their town budget.   One of those present looked at the line marked, "Keeper of the Springs," and the amount of money paid to him. They asked the water department manager what this man did.  "He cleans the springs and the little creeks leading to the great river, where we eventually get our water."  They decided to cut this man and save money.   It wasn't long before the water became cloudy.  In the second year, even with treatment plants, it was close to undrinkable. The third year, a plague broke out.  When the city leaders traced the source of the problem (at huge expense), they discovered that no one had routinely taken the time to clean the springs.

The town council agreed: "Let's go find the keeper of the springs, and re-employ him.  We can't live here without him." 

We call God Father, LET US SEEK HIM OUT.  And when we do, LET US HALLOW HIS NAME!  THE ONE WE CALL - HOLY!