Test Driving Theology

“Your kingdom come, your will be done.  On Earth, as it is in heaven.”  

You know these words.  You are familiar with these words.  If you grew up in the church, you learned them…in fact, you were probably required to memorize them.  And if you’ve been to worship at Trinity more than once, you may have noticed that here, we pray these words every single week.  

“Your kingdom come, your will be done.  On Earth, as it is in heaven.”  

And because these words lie in the middle of a prayer that we do so regularly…a prayer so comfortable that sometimes it feels like we’re reciting it instead of praying it, we often blow right by these words.

But we shouldn’t.  Because these words of Jesus… this prayer…it is the most important prayer ever written…the most important prayer ever taught…the most important prayer ever prayed…and, this prayer is the first in a set of words that we are going to examine over these six weeks of Lent.  These are words…that changed the world. 

Let’s start small:

Once upon a time, there was a young boy, sitting on the lap of his wise and faithful grandfather.  Bedtime was nearing, and the boy was in his pajamas.  The grandfather read the boy a story, and then he invited the child to pray, as was their habit.  The boy prayed:

• He prayed to God that he would someday get a bike, just like the one his best friend has.  
• He prayed that his day at preschool tomorrow, would be fun.
• He prayed that things would work out for his favorite character on his favorite tv show.
• He prayed that they would get a dog.
• And candy.  Candy would be good too.  So, he prayed for that.
  

As the boy went through this litany of things he’d like, the grandfather opened one eye to watch him and smiled.  When the boy paused for breath, the grandfather interrupted him.  “It sounds like you’re asking God to give you a lot of things.”  The boy said well, these are things that I really, really want.  And the grandfather said “I understand that.  But prayer isn’t about talking God into something.  We don’t pray to get things.  Prayer is asking God to change our heart.”

Wisdom:  Prayer is about changing hearts.  The Lord’s prayer…in particular…is about changing hearts.

When Jesus taught his disciples…and us…the Lord’s Prayer, he said, “Pray then, in this way…Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” and so on.  

We understand these words of Jesus in two ways.  

First, we take it as “this is a model for prayer.”  When we pray, we do the things that this prayer does. First, we honor God, then we honor God’s holiness, we honor God’s will, we ask God for what we need, we ask for forgiveness, and we promise to forgive those around us.  Then, we ask God to protect us, and then we make a statement of faith and belief in the power of God.

Jesus is teaching us that when we pray, we should do one…or several…or all these things.  

The Lord’s Prayer reminds us of the dynamics of our relationship with God.  That’s the first reason Jesus taught us the prayer.

And the second is similar, but even easier.  We should pray the Lord’s Prayer…these words.  This exact prayer.  When we pray, we should pray it.  Jesus said, “pray like this.”  And so, we do.  We pray this prayer in worship every week.  And I pray this prayer, every day.

And these words that lie in the midst of this prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” well, these are bold words.  And as with any bold words, It is good to think them through…to know what we’re asking for.

“God, your kingdom come, your will be done.”  

At its core, this phrase is a plea for God’s reign to be fully realized on earth. In biblical language, the “Kingdom of God” refers to God’s sovereign rule over all creation.  The Kingdom of God is not about power, or glory, or fame, or credit, or riches.  No, it is about the things Jesus spoke about:  justice, peace, compassion, love, and righteousness. 

When we pray “Your Kingdom come,” we are not merely looking ahead to a distant future where God will make all things new and better; we are inviting God’s reign to break into the present moment. This prayer expresses a deep hope that the world…this world…our world…will come to reflect God’s will, God’s hopes and God’s dreams, just as it already is in heaven.

The second part of the petition, “Your will be done,” aligns our hopes with God’s purposes. It is a surrender of personal agendas and ambitions, seeking instead the fulfillment of God’s hopes for humanity and creation. This prayer calls us to embody these values in our daily lives, so that we live in harmony with God’s will.

You see, there is a gap.  A gap between this idea of God’s kingdom…God’s will…God’s vision for our world, and for how we are actually living our lives.  This gap is real.  

And when I look at our nation, I see the gap.  Pastor Adam Hamilton, in his book, The Message of Jesus, talks about this gap.  He says “In your community…where do things not yet look like the world as it was meant to be?  Where do you see suffering or need or pain or brokenness?  What would your community look like if it reflected God’s will?  And what could you and your friends or family or church do to close the gap between the two?”

I’ll be honest:  I have deep concerns about these gaps.  

• I am concerned about how we speak of others, especially those we disagree with…at public meetings…in the media…in social media…it has become so easy to be unkind. 
• I am concerned about the political actions that are being taken, right now, that harm lives and livelihood.  Especially of those who are most vulnerable.
• I’m concerned about how as a nation we treat immigrants, and refugees, and anyone who is living on the margins.  These are the ones Jesus spoke about with compassion.
• I’m concerned about how people are being objectified and then treated. 

I am concerned.  What I see in the news every day…it doesn’t reflect the words of Jesus.  It does not reflect God’s Kingdom or God’s will…it does not reflect what we pray for in this most holy prayer.

One of the people I always admired the most was my father-in-law.  Lyle Tjosaas was a dairy farmer.  But he also served his community.  He was the township supervisor…and then he served as a county commissioner in Dodge County for years.  

Lyle always said that the primary task of a society and its government was to make sure that the children, the elderly, and those that could not take care of themselves, were cared for.

These values are not what I hear from our leaders today.  And I think that is a problem.  

Jesus calls us to do better.  And as people who follow Jesus, you and I, we have a role to play.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., another one of my heroes, said in his 1967 “Knock at Midnight” speech, that “The church must be reminded that it is not the master, or the servant of the state, but is rather, the conscience of the state.”  

And if we are sometimes the conscience of the state, then we must occasionally call things out when they do not align with God’s vision for the world.  We need to address the gap.

The Lord’s prayer shapes the way we, as people who follow Jesus, engage with the world. By asking for God’s Kingdom to come and God’s will to be done, we are committing ourselves to work toward justice where there is oppression, to show mercy where there is suffering, and to foster peace where there is conflict. It challenges Jesus’ followers to look beyond our personal needs and to seek the common good, reflecting the love of God, which is for all people.

“Your kingdom come; your will be done.”  The phrase also provides comfort and hope. In a world marked by injustice, suffering, and brokenness, praying for God’s Kingdom affirms the belief that the way the world is now, is not the end of the story. It is a declaration that God’s redemptive work is ongoing, and that a new heaven and a new earth are on the horizon. This hope empowers us to persevere in faith, even when life is hard.

To live out the Lord’s Prayer is to be active participants in God’s mission. It calls for a lifestyle that reflects the ethics of God’s kingdom; It calls us to embody the Gospel in every aspect of life.

So how do you pray?  Is it a wish list?  Or a want list?  Or is it about 

God’s dreams for the world?  About God’s vision.  Is it about God’s kingdom?

Because God’s kingdom is coming, whether we are ready or not.  And you are all recipients of the love and grace of God that comes within that kingdom.  And the Lord’s prayer, these words…they prepare us for the kingdom.

So, when you pray, pray these powerful words…and mean them.  God, your kingdom come…and yes, your will be done.  And then, when you’ve prayed, let your words, and your actions, reflect that kingdom.  Let these words…change the world.

Thanks be to God!

Amen.