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’. 