Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The first part of the prayer is Godward, concerned with his name and his will. It could be summarised “You’re the boss!”
Now we come to the part of the prayer that can be shocking. In this pattern prayer that teaches us how to live and how to pray, Jesus tells us to make requests of God for ourselves.
Give us today our daily bread. The word daily is tricky, and various suggestions have been advanced about what Jesus meant by it. Does it mean give us enough for today or tomorrow, or does it mean give us what we need for today? Various respectable authorities have had a go. The most persuasive argument I have seen is by Kenneth Bailey in his book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, and I have reproduced it for you in the light blue supplement. He takes it to mean “the bread that does not run out”. Jesus is encouraging us to believe that God will always supply everything that we need. This is the antidote to the corrosive fear that we will at some time be in want. Our loving gracious Father will provide for us. Jesus backs this up by telling the story of the man who must find food for a traveller who has arrived in the night; is there any doubt that he will be provided for? Of course not, and in the same way God will meet our needs. Later Jesus tells us to look at the birds of air, the flowers of the field, and consider how God cares for them; he also cares for us. This is a prayer for deliverance from fear of want.
Note, however, that it is a prayer for bread, not cake. “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Nowhere are we promised a life of unearned luxury, or more than we need. “Consumerism and the kingdom of mammon have no place among those who pray this prayer. We ask for that which sustains life, not all its extras.”
Note also that we ask for ours, not mine. In all of our prayers as well as in all of our spending decisions we are called to remember the needs of others, and to take steps to help. This lies behind the generosity that provided the money, drugs and other materials that are on their way to Uganda with Christopher this morning. This inspires us to be involved in events such as a FairTrade pancake party for Mardi Gras on Shrove Tuesday.
The prayer reminds us that all that we have is a gift, a loan from God. We are stewards of all that we have, entrusted to us by God. There are those who are uncomfortable about asking for specific things for ourselves. This may be about money or food, or about other things as mundane as a parking space. I believe Jesus invites us to keep up the conversation with God (do you remember that we mentioned 60/60 last week?). As we continually pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, so we are kept from selfish, self-aggrandising prayers and we are led to ask for those things that will help us to be disciples and servants, to build community and help others encounter God; in other words, we will become more Christ-centred. Remember that we are asking for God’s kingdom and will on earth as well as in heaven; God is not interested only in the spiritual or the ethereal – this earthly creation matters as well. Jesus had a real body that could be hungry or tired, and he knows that we also have needs.
The earthly and heavenly are brought together in the sacrament of holy Communion. Jesus asked us to remember him by breaking and sharing bread, an everyday staple of life, making sure that each one has enough, and that all are included. I have included a short excerpt by Tom Wright on the front of the blue sheet.
Above all, be confident that our Father God loves us and desires the very best for us. We should pray for our needs, for the needs of those around us, for the relief of neglect and poverty throughout the world, and for grace to work hard to help others out who are in need.
Discussion Starters
1. This is the central clause in the Lord’s Prayer. How do you think it might have been received if it were the first?
2. How do you respond to the suggestion that we should pray for specific things such as a certain sum of money to cover the budget, or for a parking space?
3. What does daily mean for you?
4. Do you have any pressing needs that we can pray for you about?
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