Matthew 6:9-13
Rev. Caela Simmons Wood
First Congregational UCC, Manhattan, KS
August 15, 2021
“Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it.”
“Be careful what you pray for...you just might get it.”
I kind of feel like the prayer Jesus taught his disciples might could use that phrase as a caveat at the beginning. Because when we are bold to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” That could surely mean a LOT of things, right?
We’re working our way through the Lord’s Prayer, bit by bit. And this week’s section, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” strikes me as pretty risky. We can visualize God’s kingdom, God’s reign, as cotton-candy covered streets and unicorn rainbows. And while I believe God ultimately, absolutely intends for good things...good things aren’t always necessarily EASY, right?
I’m sure every single one of us here can think of something that was ultimately very, very good for the world that was very, very HARD, too. Sometimes it’s a matter of perspective - something wonderful for the world is not so great for me as an individual. Or sometimes it’s a matter of just plain ol’ being hard work….and we’re tired, don’t wanna, would just prefer things to be simpler. But, still, God’s vision for love and peace and justice requires us to dig deep and do some hard things.
So when we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done,” so casually every Sunday, how often do we really pause and think about what we’re asking for?
Whew.
What do we mean when we pray these words together?
The world is a place of contending powers. The image we can carry with us here is of tectonic plates underneath the earth’s surface. These giant forces that slowly shift and move and impact everything about our lives here on earth. We can’t see them. Most of us don’t think about them on a regular basis. We may not understand them. But there they are. Quietly existing underfoot, shaping our lives.
Just like those physical tectonic plates exist, so, too, are spiritual, metaphysical forces at work in the world. The values that guide us as individuals and cultures. Emotions we carry and share. The day-to-day systems that shape our economies, households, schools, institutions. The “isms” that we contend with as we live our lives. Some of these forces are “good,” some are real bad, and many are somewhere in-between. They make up the air we breathe, the water we swim in as we grow, learn, interact, and move through the world.
Can you think of some unseen forces at work in the world? (Some to name to prime the pump: love, fear, white supremacy, capitalism, violence, empathy)
So imagine with me, all those foundational forces plates just moving about under our feet, shifting and moving, pressing up against one another, competing for space, time, attention.
To pray “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” is to acknowledge that it’s not ONLY the earthly forces we just named that are moving and shaking. To pray “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” is to boldly state that we believe God is also a force. When we pray this prayer, we proclaim that God is also moving and shaking - bumping up against all those human forces at work in the world - love, fear, capitalism, climate change, empathy, creativity, sexism, and more.
When we pray “your will be done,” we do so with faith and HOPE that God has the power to shift and move and shake earthly powers of evil. And we do so with gratitude as we assert that God is also able to dance with all of the beautiful forces of humanity, too.
It is a hopeful prayer...and it can also be demanding. Because while it feels good and right to pray for God to end white supremacy, or make us better stewards of our earth, or smash the patriarchy….we also have to be honest with ourselves and recognize that moving our world towards greater alignment with God’s Reign means massive, significant, earth-shattering change. Tectonic plates don’t move without shaking, you know?
And so when we pray this prayer, we are also praying for strength and perseverance. We are asking God to move within us through all the changes that will come when God’s justice and peace for all creation breaks forth. We pray and trust that God will make us brave and strong to turn away from death-dealing ways even when it requires personal sacrifice.
Praying for God’s kingdom to come is to say, of course, that we desire for God to be our ruler rather than any earthly king, queen, president, prime minister, whatever. Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan clarifies that the idea of God’s kingdom, though, is really different from our idea of a human political entity because it’s not so much about a geographic location as it is about HOW God rules. The words for kingdom in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek are more about the process of ruling rather than about the area that is being ruled. Crossan says it might be better to think of it as “the ‘reigning’ of God” rather than the kingdom of God. [1]
And so when we pray for “the reigning of God,” we are praying that our world might be governed in God’s ways. The one who loves recklessly. The one who never stops reaching out to her beloved children in hope. The one who looks out for the least, the lost, the last. The one who pursues peace and knows that true peace only comes with justice. The one who fiercely says no to death and breathes life into dry bones.
I want to end our sermon today with a brief meditation. I invite you to close your eyes, let your feet rest on the floor, find a comfortable place for your hands, perhaps in your lap. You might even want to let your palms face up, signaling that you’re ready to receive any good gifts the Spirit offers you in this time of prayer.
Let’s allow our breath to ease up and slow down.
And now, let’s journey into this part of the prayer that Jesus taught, working our way backwards:
Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.
“As it is in heaven.” With your mind’s eye, allow your spirit to climb up to the heavens. That dome over us that we talked about last week. That place where God is, even as we are able to talk to God as if they are right here with us in this room. Because that is also true.
As you feel your lungs expand, invite heaven inside the space in your own body. “On earth as it is in heaven.” Feel your very human body here in this very earthy space. Feet touching the ground. Notice the temperature, the sounds, the smells around you. You are here on earth but inviting heaven to bend near. God is not content to stay somewhere far away, but comes to us here and now. Always persisting in love.
“Your will be done.” What might it look like for God’s will to rule? In your own life? In your family? Your community? Our nation? Our world?
“Your kingdom come.” The reigning of God made manifest among us. A world that is governed in God’s ways. What would that even look like? Can we begin to imagine it into being with the Spirit’s help?
As you pray the prayer at home this week, I encourage you to drop back into this place of contemplation. Health experts tell us that taking five deep breaths is a very good thing. And this prayer just happens to fit perfectly with five deep breaths. So whenever you start to feel on edge, or weary, or weak, say the prayer silently in rhythm with your breath, taking big, deep belly breaths on your inhale and then emptying your lungs all the way out on your exhale.
I’ll say the words now while you practice breathing.
Our Parent who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Notes:
[1] Crossan, John Dominic. The Greatest Prayer. 77-78
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