As we close out this study of the Lord’s Prayer, we come full circle to remember that even in our temptations and amid the evils of the world, God really does hold the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory! Our final part of this journey brings us to the place where we attempt to use the way we live to “point to the reality of the kingdom (the peaceable reign) of God, and we seek to embody the beloved community, where each person strives for and celebrates the dignity and flourishing of every beloved child of God as much as we do for ourselves.” (A Church That Looks and Acts Like Jesus – The Episcopal Church) Living the entirety of the Lord's Prayer helps us embody this community where we celebrate the dignity and rights of all.
In the Lord's Prayer we ask to be saved from temptation and delivered from evil. You can download the slides from this week.
Prayers of the Cosmos notes that ‘lead us not into temptation’ could and should be more fully translated as ‘don’t let us enter’ or ‘be seduced by the appearance of’ [what seems good]. “The prayer reminds us not to forget our origins in creation and the divine Breath, nor to “burn out” over all that needs to be done.” (pg. 35) In other words, “don’t let us be deluded by the surface of life, but neither let us become so inward and self-absorbed that we cannot act simply and humanly at the right time.”
Jesus, as we know was, tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not
sin. (Hebrews 4:15) In thinking about Jesus’ time of temptation I am struck
by how his three temptations mirror some of the ways we are tempted (Matthew 4:1-11).
They are about taking the seemingly easy way or the way the proves we are
special. They are about assuming the Kingdom, Power, and Glory the ‘easy way’.
In Matthew’s Gospel we hear that Satan suggested Jesus Turn stones to bread as a way to show the Kingdom of God by feeding himself and everyone. How often am I tempted to convince myself that something earthly is really feeding me? Jesus’ reply is to point to the One who really controls the Kingdom. He says, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Then Satan suggested a way for Jesus to show his Power: Throw yourself off the temple. Jesus responds sternly, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. How often am I tempted to do something grand to prove my 'power'?
Finally Satan shows Jesus All the Kingdoms of the world,
with the offer to give them to Jesus. How often am I tempted to think that one
more possession or one more activity will give me the peace, affirmation, love,
and joy (the GLORY) that really are ONLY found in God. Jesus points to the only
way to really find the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory: Worship the Lord
your God, and serve him only.
We are all tempted by desires and needs. How do we get past those temptations? We must do that by tending the fire of faith. Deborah Smith Douglas says that as humans, our response to a weak fire of faith is to “shrug and let the tiresome thing go out…a “temptation as a kind of irritable weariness.” (pg. 89-90) She notes, “Isaiah reminds us that God deals tenderly with those who are struggling [and] a dimly burning wick he will not quench (Isaiah 42:3) In the Second Letter to Timothy, Paul admonishes Timothy to rekindle the gift of God that is within you…God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:6) God tends to our flickering faith when we allow God to be in control.
The second part of the phrase pleads deliver us from evil. We look at the news and see the evils of war, school shootings, injustice, oppression, climate change, starvation, etc., etc. We think we are surrounded by evil and there is no way out. We can fall into the trap of thinking evil has won. However, NT Wright says the Lord’s Prayer “keeps the proper balance. Jesus intends his followers to recognize not only the reality of evil but the reality of his victory over it.” (pg. 71) As the Easter hymn says “Christ has won the victory!”
But we easily forget that truth when we see the turmoil around us. We can fall into despair. We are tempted to give up and we forget to trust God who numbers the hairs of our head. Wright claims, “By giving us this prayer…Jesus invites us to walk ahead into the darkness and discover that it, too, belongs to God…God will triumph over fear, will deliver us from evil, and will bring his Kingdom at last.” (pg. 76) The truth is, God is with us in the darkness!
Max Lucado reminds us that the evil that Satan tries to do, backfires throughout the Bible. He mentions Sarah’s childlessness (and the temptation to take matters into their own hands). There is Daniel in captivity, yet counseling the king. There is Peter’s denial which simply became an example of grace, and Paul’s letters from prison that still inspire us. “Over and over the Bible makes it clear who really runs the earth. Satan may strut and prance, but it’s God who calls the shots.” (pg. 146)
Lucado brings us back to how we are being tempted to take
the power and glory and kingdom for ourselves when he reminds us “there are
certain mountains only God can climb… Mt. Messiah…Mt. Self-Sufficient…Mt.
Applause…as you confess God is in charge you admit that you aren’t. As you
proclaim that God has power, you admit that you don’t. As you give God all the
applause, there is none left to dizzy your brain.” (pg. 166-7)
In my book, The Lord’s Prayer: Walk in Love, I say, “Through
the Lord’s Prayer we ask for help to forgive, to find strength, and to live so
that ‘your will [is] be done on earth as in heaven.’ God is with us and God
will not leave us. God will love us even if we sometimes slip into temptations
or fear. God is the loving Father we address in the Lord’s Prayer. God is fully
and totally love. Our response as the Beloved Community, as Kingdom people, is
to hold the pain and fear of the world in and to God’s love.”(Davis, pg. 78)
Elizabeth Gilbert writes on Episcopal Café, “what if you are
the light? What if you are the very agent of illumination that a dark situation
begs for?...When life feels especially grim, or when I feel particularly
powerless in the face of the world’s troubles, I ask myself, What can I do,
right now, to be the light? Of course, I can’t personally end all wars, or
solve global warming, or transform vexing people into entirely different
creatures. I definitely can’t control traffic. But I do have some influence on
everyone I brush up against, even if we never speak or learn each other’s name.
No matter who you are, or where you are, or how mundane or tough your situation
may seem, I believe you can illuminate your world. In fact, I believe this is
the only way the world will ever be illuminated, one bright act of grace at a
time…”
May you have a Blessed Holy Week and Easter. See you on the 24th for a new series.
