Lord's Prayer: For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, the Glory

Since the beginning of June, we’ve been ‘unpacking’ each line of the Lord’s Prayer. We have explored heaven (June 18) and asked for our daily bread (July 16). We’ve looked at how to ‘hallow’ God’s name (June 25) and offered ourselves to bring God’s will to earth (July 9). We’ve seen that God’s Kingdom (July 2) comes partly through our ability to forgive and receive forgiveness (July 23, 30). The past couple of weeks have been devoted to praying for protection from temptation and evil.

Today we consider the final phrase of the prayer “For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever”. It is a summary of all the rest of the lines of the Lord’s Prayer. As some commentators note, it is a doxology of praise. In this last section, we return to praising God, as at the start. We acknowledge that God alone has the Power and Glory. Only God can accomplish all that we have asked. It is interesting to note that in the Luke version of the prayer (Luke 11:2-4) this phrase is absent. In some translations of the Matthew citation (Matthew 6:9-13) it is also absent with the note that this doxology was added early on by the church. Likely the early church fathers thought that the prayer should have some nice and tidy way to end.

Enter the Presence: This ending Doxology is a good reminder that to God do belong the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. Saint Irenaeus, a second century bishop, wrote: “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”

We are reminded in the Old Testament that “the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.” (Exodus 24:17) The New Testament encourages us to participate in that glory. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul says “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) The Philippians are urged to have “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:11) Our every action is to be a doxology of its own-a hymn of praise in action to God.

Of course, as Paul tells the Roman community “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Still, the Colossians are encouraged because we are those “to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) Because Christ is in each of us, we can in fact be human beings, fully alive.

Stand In Awe: How awesome to think that we are, as Saint Irenaeus said, “the glory of God”, and we are to live and confess God in that Glory. Take a moment to think about what it means to have the glory of God in you. Look around you, sit in your garden and listen, smell, hear, see all around the glory of God in birds, grass, flowers, sky, sound. Everything proclaims the glory of God, if we pause to see it.

Barbara Brown Taylor talks about this in her book An Altar in the World. She notes, “the last place most people look [for God] is right under their feet, in the everyday activities, accidents, and encounters of their lives.” She suggests letting yourself get lost and get out of the daily routines of the same routes. When you do, you “agree to become aware of each step you take, tuning all of your senses to exactly where you are and exactly what you are doing.”

Involve your Heart: “Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory” says the Lord’s Prayer doxology. Take some time to be really aware of God all around you. Get off the normal, beaten path, and try a new route, or a new prayer routine, or a new version of the Bible.

Write the word ‘Glory’ or ‘Power’ or ‘Kingdom’ in the center of a paper. Add words or images that come to mind when you think of that word.

Color the tree of life image from Pinterest in this blog, or find your own image, and think about what being the Glory of God means to you.

This week focus on “Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever”. Next week, we will take a quick look at ‘Amen’.

God Incarnate in Routine

How do we find God in the day-to-day routines of life? Life falls into a series of routines that put us on auto pilot. It doesn’t take long for a new school experience, a new job, a new life experience to become commonplace and routine. We forget what Jeremiah says: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) Like the clouds, routines can block out the newness of God's love and mercy.

Madeline L’Engle and Barbara Brown Taylor suggest that God can be found “in the work” and “under our feet.”* God is present, incarnate in everything around us and everything we do. The Creator of All is ‘new every morning’ but we can forget that as we go about our daily tasks. We often think that what we do can’t be important or part of the ‘big picture’ of God’s plan, because it isn’t ‘religious’. Taylor says that it doesn’t “matter whether or not our work is considered secular or sacred.” L’Engle teaches us that “qualifications don’t matter”. As long as we are obedient and serve our work with humility, we become co-creators with God.

Jesus tells us to become as children in order to enter the Kingdom. “And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). Children naturally are incarnational. A child doesn’t like to fit into a routine. Try to get a toddler to quite playing just to accomodate your schedule and you will hear a wail of distress. He doesn’t care if you are ready to leave; he is in the middle of bringing the imaginary to life. Without knowing it, the toddler is serving the work and making it an incarnational experience.

The little ones are closer to their true nature and less constrained by ‘getting it right’ or ‘being on time’. L’Engle points out that we are “either creators, or as participators, we are helped to remember some of the glorious things we have forgotten.” She insists children haven’t forgotten what it is like to walk on water.

L’Engle says, “If Jesus of Nazareth was God become truly man for us, as I believe he was, then we should be able to walk on water, heal the sick…” St. Iranaeus of Lyons (c. 125-210) agrees. He reminds us, “The tender flesh itself will be found one day…to be capable of receiving…capable of embracing-the searing energies of God…for even at the beginning its humble clay received God’s art…” (Capable Flesh as translated by Scott Cairns in An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor)

How can you and I become more aware of God and less bound by routine. As I start, list everything you do in a day. How many of them are the same every day? The same route to work, the same way of starting the day, the same place for lunch…?

What difference would it make if you actively lived as if these words of the hymn by John Keble were true?

New every morning is the love

our wakening and uprising prove;

through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.

Would it make a difference in how I live if I remember that God’s love is really ‘new every morning’ and that I have been ‘restored to life and power and thought’?

Maybe for the next week I will try to remember that verse each day and see if it makes a difference.

Next week, we’ll take a look at how to be intentional about how we ‘walk on the earth’ as a way to make our lives more aware and less full of blind routine.

* Quotations from Walking on Water, L’Engle and An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor, unless otherwise noted.