“Our Father, who art in heaven: hallowed be thy name.
It’s a respectful way to begin a prayer. But it’s also very
familiar. We could begin our prayers by addressing God as, “Almighty God, ruler
of the universe...” and sometimes, we do just that. But Jesus told us that we
can call God, “Our Father…” That’s not a royal title like “Your Majesty.” It’s
a family name, one that indicates a loving relationship. Father. Papa. Dad. Those
names can remind us of summer days spent picnicking in the park, and winter
evenings spent building a birdhouse that would be hung over the patio in the
spring. It brings to mind firm, but gentle guidance; and times when we were
told, “It’s for your own good.” It reminds us of advice freely offered to us,
if not always gladly received (especially if we happened to be teenagers at the
time).
Most of us are honored to be able to call God by such a
familiar name; but some folks don’t feel that way. They’re the people who have
experienced fathers as something negative. Their fathers weren’t very good
ones. Some of them were beaten by their fathers. Others were ridiculed, or
neglected, or even abused. People who have had experiences like that don’t want
to call God “Father.” They don’t want to have anything to do with a God who
ridicules or punishes or abuses the people who worship him. And I can’t say as
I blame them. But Jesus never intended for us to experience anything negative
when we call God “our Father.” Maybe it would be helpful to consider what Jesus
did want the title “our Father” to
say about God.
In Jesus’ day, the title “Father” had a very particular
meaning. A “father” was in all respects the head of the household, responsible
for the well-being of his entire family. A father made sure that there was food
on the table, and clothing on the backs of his wife (or wives) and his children.
A father taught his religious traditions to his children, making sure that they
knew what god to worship, and what behavior that god required of them. A father
arranged suitable marriages for his children, and welcomed new daughter-in-laws
into his family after his sons married. A father was the family hub, the center
of all the family activities, whether those activities were for business or for
pleasure. That sounds like God, doesn’t it? God expects to be the hub of our
lives, too. God is involved with every aspect of our lives, whether we’re
talking about how we make a living, how we treat our fellow human beings, or
what we do in our spare time.
But there’s another side to calling God “our Father,” and
it’s one that we tend to forget. Because children in Jesus’ time depended on
their fathers for almost everything; they were expected to obey him without
question. After all, tradition reasoned, fathers have much more education, much
more wisdom, and much more experience than their children do. They’ve lived
longer! They know more! No good son would ever think of defying his father after he had been asked to do
something! When we call God “our Father,” we are admitting that God knows what
is best for us; and that we will do what God asks of us. After all, that’s what
dutiful sons and daughters did in Jesus’ time. Good children listened to their
father’s wishes and did their best to comply.
We’ve almost lost that aspect of calling God “our Father.”
We’re ready to rely on God for our basic needs, but we seldom think about what
we owe God in return. We’re good at doing our own thing, blazing a new trail,
and marching to a different drummer; but obeying God? Not so much. But the
truth is that whenever we’re in a relationship – as we are when we call God
“Father” – that relationship always has two sides to it. God cares for us… and
we’re expected to do something for God in return.
Now, when we talk about “obeying God,” we have to be careful
not to fall into legalism. When many people think of “obedience,” they envision
long lists of rules that they believe God wants us to follow. The Pharisees
fell into that trap. How do you obey God? Why, you follow the rules! Do you
remember what Jesus said about that? He called the Pharisees “whitewashed
tombs” that were lovely on the outside, but rotten in the middle!
So if obeying God isn’t about following rules, what is it about, anyway? Amos told us. “Let
justice roll down like mighty waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing
stream.” Micah told us, too. “What does God require of us? To do justice, to
love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.” And certainly Jesus told us. When
he was asked about the greatest commandment, he replied, “Love God with all
your heart and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” In the
end, obeying God isn’t about following a bunch of rules. It’s about trying to
be as much like Jesus as possible: loving, just, merciful, courageous, and
wise. After all, if God is our Father, then Jesus is our brother, and we should
be living as much like Jesus as we possibly can! And how can we do that? Why,
we ask God for help! We can’t possibly obey God unless God helps us do it!
You may remember the story about the boy who was clearing
out a little plot of ground where he wanted to plant a summer garden. As he
worked, he came upon a big rock right in the middle of the patch of ground. The
rock was enormous! The boy tried to lift it out, pull it out, push it out, and
dig it out, but with no luck. As he worked, his father came over to watch him.
“I can’t get this rock out,” the child complained. “I can’t budge it.” “Have
you tried your best?” his father asked. “I sure have!” the boy replied. “I’ve
done everything I could do to move that rock.” “No, you haven’t,” his father
replied. “You haven’t asked me for help.”
God, our Father, offers to supply everything that we need.
In return, he asks us to live with justice, with mercy, with compassion, and
with love. And he is ready to help us when those things are too hard for us to
do by ourselves.
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
What a blessing to be able to begin a prayer that way!
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