A Close Look at the ‘Our’ in “Our Father”

A CLOSE LOOK AT THE ‘OUR’ IN “OUR FATHER”

Matthew 6:9; Colossians 3:12-15

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 11/13/2022

 

 

WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY OF THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT

BLOCK OF TEACHING THAT JESUS GAVE TO HIS DISCIPLES –

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

 

LAST WEEK WE STARTED LOOKING AT THAT PART

OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT WHICH PROTESTANTS KNOW

AS “THE LORD’S PRAYER,” AND WHAT CATHOLICS CALL

“THE OUR FATHER.”

 

WE BEGAN OUR STUDY WITH THE FIRST WORD OF THIS PRAYER

IN THE GREEK ORIGINAL: “FATHER,” AND SAW HOW JESUS​​ 

TOTALLY TRANSFORMED THE MEANING OF THIS WORD.

 

RATHER THAN UNDERSTANDING “FATHER” THROUGH THE LENSES

OF POWER, HOLINESS, OR LAW, AS WAS THE LONG-STANDING

TRADITION OF HIS DAY, JESUS DEFINED THE MEANING OF “FATHER”

IN TERMS OF LOVE, AND NOT JUST ANY TYPE OF LOVE,

BUT SPECIFICALLY​​ SACRIFICIAL​​ LOVE.

 

IN ANCIENT LITERATURE, VERY MUCH INCLUDING THE BIBLE,

THE​​ CENTRAL​​ PART OF A WRITING WAS ALWAYS CONSIDERED TO BE

THE​​ CRUCIAL​​ PART OF THAT WRITING.

 

WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT AS A​​ WHOLE,

WE FIND THAT WHAT WE KNOW AS “THE LORD’S PRAYER”

OCCUPIES A POSITION​​ DEAD-CENTER​​ 

WITH RESPECT TO THE ENTIRE SERMON.

 

THUS, IF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT CAN BE CONSIDERED

TO BE THE KEY TEACHING OF JESUS, THEN THE LORD’S PRAYER

IS THE​​ KEY​​ PART OF THIS​​ KEY​​ TEACHING.

 

IT’S THAT IMPORTANT.

 

UNFORTUNATELY THE LECTIONARY – THE LIST OF

ASSIGNED SUNDAY READINGS FOLLOWED BY MOST

MAINSTREAM CHRISTIAN CHURCHES –

 

ASSIGNS THE ENTIRE LORD’S PRAYER TO A MERE​​ SINGLE​​ SUNDAY,

ENSURING THAT MOST SERMONS ON IT ACCOMPLISH NO MORE

THAN A SUPERFICIAL GLOSS.

 

TODAY WE FOCUS ON THE OPENING WORD OF THE LORD’S PRAYER

IN ENGLISH: “OUR.” ​​ IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK,

THE OPENING PHRASE READS “FATHER OF​​ US.”

 

I’LL STICK WITH THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION “OUR FATHER,”

BECAUSE IT’S​​ SO FAMILIAR.

 

I SUSPECT THAT THIS LITTLE, BUT CRUCIAL, WORD “OUR,”

IS​​ ESPECIALLY​​ CHALLENGING TO A CHURCH LIKE OURS,

WHICH IS MADE UP OF PEOPLE WHO DEEPLY VALUE

INDIVIDUALISM​​ AND​​ INDEPENDENCE.

 

OUR.

THIS SMALL WORD FORMS AN IMMEDIATE​​ BRIDGE​​ 

BETWEEN THE WORDS​​ YOU​​ AND​​ ME.

 

IT SPEAKS OF​​ SHARED​​ EXPERIENCE AND​​ SHARED​​ OWNERSHIP.

 

IT SPEAKS OF​​ COMMUNITY.

 

ME​​ AND​​ MINE​​ PRODUCES​​ ISOLATION​​ AND​​ ALONENESS.

 

SO DOES​​ YOU​​ AND​​ YOURS.

 

BUT THE UNIFYING​​ OUR​​ PRODUCES​​ 

AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DYNAMIC.

 

JESUS BEGINS THIS PRAYER​​ STRATEGICALLY,​​ 

BY CHOOSING THE WORD “US” OR​​ “OUR

INSTEAD​​ OF “MY” OR “MINE.”

 

THE​​ POSSESSIVENESS​​ OF THE TWO-YEAR-OLD

TUGGING MIGHTILY ON HIS OR HER TOY

WHILE HIS OR HER FRIEND HOLDS ON

WITH​​ EQUAL​​ DETERMINATION

 

BECOMES A​​ LIFELONG​​ CHARACTERISTIC

FOR TOO MANY OF US.

 

HEREIN LIES THE WISDOM AND THE CHALLENGE OF​​ JESUS.

 

SPIRITUAL WRITERS THROUGHOUT THE AGES

HAVE NOTED THAT THE JOURNEY TO A DEEPER WALK WITH GOD

CAN ONLY BE FULLY LIVED IN THE​​ COMPANY​​ OF GOD’S PEOPLE.

 

EARLY FOLLOWERS OF JESUS COULD NOT CONCEIVE

OF A​​ PERSONAL​​ CHRISTIAN FAITH IN TERMS OF​​ 

AN​​ INDIVIDUAL​​ CHRISTIAN FAITH.

 

FOR THEM,​​ PERSONAL​​ WAS ALWAYS

IN THE CONTEXT OF​​ COMMUNAL.

 

FOR THE EARLIEST FOLLOWERS OF JESUS,

THE ONLY WAY TO THINK OF​​ ONESELF

WAS IN THE CONTEXT OF​​ OTHERS.

 

THIS​​ COMMUNITY, OR BETTER YET,​​ FAMILY​​ MODEL

PREVAILED IN THE EARLIEST CHURCH.

 

INDEED, THE APOSTLE PAUL OVERWHELMINGLY USED

THE​​ PLURAL​​ FORM OF THE WORD “YOU” IN HIS LETTERS –

 

NOT AS THE MEANS TO ADDRESS MANY SEPARATE​​ INDIVIDUALS,

BUT AS THE WAY TO EMPHASIZE THE​​ UNITY​​ –

A UNITY WITHIN​​ DIVERSITY​​ – OF THE BODY OF CHRIST,

 

THE​​ TOGETHERNESS​​ AND​​ INCLUSIVENESS

OF EVERYONE IN THE NEW REALITY OF THE KINGDOM,

OR BETTER, “KIN-DOM,” OF GOD.

 

THE TEACHING OF JESUS, AND OF ST. PAUL ECHOING JESUS,

IS THAT WHENEVER WE ABANDON THE​​ COMMUNITY,

WE UNDERMINE​​ OURSELVES.

#  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ #  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ #

 

THE MONASTIC MOVEMENT CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD

AS THE​​ FIRST​​ REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH,

 

A REFORMATION MADE NECESSARY WHEN THE CHURCH

BECAME THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

AND LOST MUCH OF ITS ORIGINAL VISION.

 

SEEKING TO​​ RECAPTURE​​ THAT ORIGINAL VISION,

A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CHRISTIANS

RETREATED​​ TO THE DESERTS OF EGYPT, ISRAEL, AND SYRIA

AND LIVED IN COMMUNITY.

 

ST. BENEDICT, DESCRIBED AS THE FATHER​​ 

OF WESTERN MONASTICISM, LIVED IN THE EARLY 500’S,

A TIME WHEN MONKS WERE​​ COMPLAINING​​ ABOUT​​ EACH​​ OTHER,

AND GROWING​​ RESTLESS​​ WITHING THEIR COMMUNITIES.

 

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WOMEN LIVING IN COMMUNITY

AT THIS TIME WERE ABLE TO CREATE MUCH MORE PEACEFUL

AND NURTURING COMMUNITIES THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS.

 

THE BROTHERS FREQUENTLY FOUND THEMSELVES IN​​ CONFLICT,

AND JUST AS FREQUENTLY TRAVELED IN SEARCH

OF​​ NEW​​ MONASTERIES SUPPOSEDLY MORE CONDUCIVE

TO THEIR OWN IDEAS OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION.

 

IN SUCH​​ AN ENVIRONMENT, BENEDICT ADDED A​​ NEW​​ ELEMENT

TO THE TRADITIONAL VOWS OF POVERTY,​​ 

CHASTITY, AND OBEDIENCE.

 

HE INSISTED THAT THOSE WHO REALLY WANTED​​ 

TO GROW DEEPLY IN CHRIST​​ 

SHOULD ALSO TAKE A VOW OF​​ STABILITY.

 

BY “STABILITY” HE MEANT THAT AFTER ONE​​ JOINED

A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, ONE​​ STUCK​​ WITH THAT

PARTICULAR COMMUNITY THROUGH THICK AND THIN,

 

NOT​​ GIVING IN TO ONE’S​​ FEELINGS

ABOUT HAVING TO HAVE ONE’S OWN WAY –

OR HEADING​​ FOR THE​​ DOORWAY

 

WITH THIS VOW OF STABILITY, BENEDICT ATTEMPTED

TO REESTABLISH THE PRIORITY OF​​ US​​ OVER​​ ME

IN SPIRITUAL FORMATION.

 

PARADOXICALLY, HE KNEW THAT​​ GRACE​​ CAN ONLY​​ FLOURISH

WHEN IT ENCOUNTERS​​ OFFENSE;

 

THAT​​ FORGIVENESS​​ REQUIRES​​ CONFLICT;

 

THAT​​ HEALING​​ EMERGES FROM​​ HURT;

 

AND THAT​​ STRENGTH​​ ARISES FROM​​ STRUGGLE.

 

ACCORDING TO BENEDICT, THE PATHWAY

TO TRUE SPIRITUAL FORMATION DEMANDS

LONG-TERM​​ ENGAGEMENT​​ WITH​​ OTHERS​​ IN​​ COMMUNITY.

 

WHEN TIMES GET​​ TOUGH, WE DON’T​​ RUN.

NEITHER DO WE SIMPLY​​ BATTLE-IT-OUT.

 

RATHER, WE LEARN THE​​ ART​​ OF​​ RECONCILIATION,

 

THE FIRST STEP OF WHICH IS SIMPLY FOLLOWING THE GOLDEN RULE,

 

“DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.”

 

WAYS OF PARAPHRASING THE GOLDEN RULES WOULD BE:

 

“GIVE OTHERS THE SAME BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT

THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THEM GIVE TO YOU;”

 

“GIVE OTHERS THE SAME SPACE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES

THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THEM GIVE TO YOU;”

 

“BE OPEN TO RECONCILING DIFFERENCES WITH OTHERS

IN THE SAME WAY THAT YOU WOULD WANT THEM

TO BE OPEN TO RECONCILING WITH YOU.

 

I’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU AN ILLUSTRATION

TAKEN FROM YEARS OF MY LEADING THE TEEN LEADERS

OF A​​ YOUTH GROUP ON WEEK-LONG BACKPACKING​​ 

LEADERSHIP-DEVELOPMENT TRIPS IN THE HIGH SIERRA.

 

THIS WAS WHEN I WAS DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

AT SACRED HEART PARISH IN MEDFORD, OREGON.

 

ONE OF THE KIDS KNEW THE RECIPE FOR “DAMPER” –

AN AUSTRALIAN BREAD – WHICH WE WOULD MAKE

AS A SPECIAL TREAT ON OUR LAST NIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS.

 

WE’D MIX FLOUR​​ ,BUTTER,​​ WATER, SUGAR, CINNAMON,

AND OTHER INGREDIENTS, AND LET THE DOUGH

SIT ON A ROCK NEAR THE FIRE SO IT WOULD RISE A LITTLE.

 

MEANWHILE, WE PULLED ASIDE A NUMBER OF INCANDESCENT​​ 

“COALS” FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRE

TO LET THEM COOL SOMEWHAT. ​​ 

 

AFTER PERHAPS THIRTY MINUTES FOR THE DOUGH TO RISE,

WE’D DIG OPEN THE FIRE AND MAKE A HOLE IN THE CENTER OF IT

RIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND.

 

WE’D WRAP THE DOUGH IN A PIECE OF ALUMINUM FOIL

AND PLOP IT INTO THE HOLE.

 

THEN​​ WE’D PLACE THE SOMEWHAT COOLED “COALS”​​ 

DIRECTLY ON THE BREAD,

AND THEN COVER EVERYTHING

WITH THE HOT COALS THAT WERE LEFT.

 

THE BREAD WOULD STAY IN THAT LITTLE “OVEN”

FOR AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE WE ROLLED IT OUT WITH A STICK,

SCRAPED OFF THE EMBEDDED COALS AND ASHES,

RIPPED OFF THE ALUMINUM FOIL, AND FEASTED ON IT.

 

IT WAS A BACKPACKER’S DELIGHT!

 

BUT TO GET A GOOD DOUGH,

WE HAD TO KEEP ALL THE COALS​​ TOGETHER.

 

ONE​​ COAL COULD NOT COOK THE DOUGH,

NO MATTER HOW HOT THAT SINGLE COAL WAS.

 

IN​​ ISOLATION, THE COALS​​ LOST​​ THEIR​​ HEAT​​ AND​​ EFFECTIVENESS.

 

BUT​​ TOGETHER​​ THEY PRODUCED AN INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS BREAD.

 

WE, AS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS​​ 

OF COMMUNITY CHURCH, BEHAVE IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY.

 

ONE​​ OF US CAN’T ACCOMPLISH VERY MUCH.

 

ONE​​ OF US, IN ISOLATION, WILL QUICKLY LOSE

THE VITAL SPARK THAT KEEPS CONNECTED

TO COMMUNITY AND TO GOD.

 

BUT ALL OF US​​ TOGETHER​​ CAN ACCOMPLISH A GREAT DEAL.

 

NOT ONLY CAN WE PULL OFF MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS

OF MINISTRY WITH THE HOMELESS,

 

BUT JUST AS IMPORTANTLY,

WE CAN​​ BE​​ THERE​​ FOR EACH OTHER,

ESPECIALLY WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH

AND WE FIND THAT WE’RE BARELY MAKING IT.

 

WE CAN​​ ENCOURAGE​​ ONE ANOTHER.

 

WE CAN​​ PRAY​​ FOR​​ ONE ANOTHER.

 

WE CAN ACTIVELY​​ HELP​​ EACH OTHER

WHEN WE CAN’T MAKE IT ON OUR OWN.

 

OF​​ COURSE​​ WE ARE GOING TO HAVE OUR TIMES

OF​​ DISAGREEMENT​​ AND​​ CONFLICT.

WE WOULDN’T BE HUMAN IF WE DIDN’T.

 

BUT INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT DISAGREEMENT AND CONFLICT

AS MINI-DISASTERS,

 

LET US LOOK AT THEM INSTEAD AS TIMES OF GREAT​​ OPPORTUNITY​​ –

 

THE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN SOME MORE PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

IN THE ART OF RECONCILIATION,

 

THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW SPIRITUALLY

THROUGH PRACTICING FORGIVENESS, PATIENCE,

COMPASSION, AND LOVE.

 

AND LOVE, AS TAUGHT BY JESUS,

IS NOT A​​ FEELING​​ BUT A​​ COMMITMENT,

 

THE COMMITMENT TO STICK IT OUT​​ 

THROUGH BAD TIMES AS WELL AS GOOD,

THROUGH TIMES OF HEATED DISAGREEMENT

AS WELL AS TIMES OF SHARED VISION AND SHARED VALUES.

 

A COUPLE OF LESSONS FROM TREES MIGHT BE HELPFUL HERE.

THEY CAN BOTH BE METAPHORS FOR OUR LIFE TOGETHER

HERE AT COMMUNITY CHURCH.

 

THE HUGE SEQUOIA AND REDWOOD TREES​​ 

RIGHT HERE IN CALIFORNIA ARE CONSIDERED TO BE

THE LARGEST LIVING ORGANISMS ON EARTH

AND ARE THE TALLEST TREES IN THE WORLD.

 

SOME OF THEM ARE THREE HUNDRED FEET HIGH

AND OVER 2,500 YEARS OLD.

 

ONE WOULD THINK THAT TREES SO LARGE

WOULD HAVE A TREMENDOUS ROOT SYSTEM

REACHING DOWN HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO THE EARTH.

 

BUT THE REDWOODS AND SEQUOIAS ACTUALLY HAVE

A VERY SHALLOW SYSTEM OF ROOTS,​​ 

BUT THEY ALL INTERTWINE.

 

THEY ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER.

 

WHEN THE STORMS COME AND THE WINDS BLOW,

THE REDWOODS STAND.

 

THEY ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER,

AND THEY DON’T STAND ALONE,

FOR ALL THE TREES SUPPORT AND PROTECT EACH OTHER.

 

THIS IS A GOOD METAPHOR FOR THE CLOSE-KNIT COMMMUNITY

THAT WE ENJOY HERE AT COMMUNITY CHURCH.

 

BUT IT’S BASED ON A FOREST COMPRISED LARGELY​​ 

OF A SINGLE SPECIES, THE REDWOOD.

 

LET’S EXPAND OUR METAPHOR BY CONSIDERING A FOREST​​ 

MADE UP OF A WIDE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF TREES.

 

WHEN THE ROOTS OF TREES TOUCH,

THERE IS A SUBSTANCE PRESENT THAT REDUCES COMPETITION.

 

IN FACT, THIS FUNGUS HELPS LINK ROOTS OF DIFFERENT TREES –

EVEN OF DISSIMILAR SPECIES.

 

A WHOLE FOREST WITH MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES

CAN BE LINKED TOGETHER.

 

IF ONE TREE HAS ACCESS TO WATER, ANOTHER TO NUTRIENTS,

AND A THIRD TO SUNLIGHT, THE TREES HAVE THE MEANS

TO SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER.

 

WHAT CONNECTS US ALL TO ONE ANOTHER​​ 

HERE AT COMMUNITY CHURCH IS THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST

IN EACH OF US.

 

THAT SPIRIT SIMULTANEOUSLY RESPECTS

OUR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND TRANSCENDS THEM.

 

LET’S REMEMBER, THEN, THAT WHEN WE PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER

WE START WITH THE WORD​​ OUR.

 

THE WORD​​ OUR​​ HELPS US TO FOCUS

ON THE​​ SHARED​​ EXPERIENCE,

NOT JUST MY​​ PERSONAL​​ PREFERENCE.

 

EACH TIME WE USE THE WORD​​ OUR,

WE REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO REMAIN TOGETHER,

 

WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY,

 

AND WE CELEBRATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION.

 

THE WORD “OUR,” PRAYED SINCERELY, BINDS US TOGETHER.

 

IT BECOMES THE​​ GLUE​​ BETWEEN

ALL OF US AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS.

 

IT ASKS US TO RECALL

THAT WE​​ ALL​​ STAND TOGETHER BEFORE GOD AS GOD’S CHILDREN –

EQUALLY,​​ INTERDEPENDENTLY,

WITHOUT FAVORITISM OR EXCEPTION.

 

OUR​​ LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD.

 

IT ERASES LABELS AND STATUS ISSUES.

 

MY​​ EXCLUDES OTHERS.

 

OUR​​ IS THE LANGUAGE OF​​ INCLUSION.

 

THE LITTLE WORD “OUR” CALLS US BACK TO​​ OTHERS.

 

IT PUSHES US TO CONSIDER​​ US.

 

ME​​ AND​​ MY​​ GOD​​ CREATES A​​ COCOON

THAT​​ ISOLATES​​ ME FROM​​ OTHERS,

AND, IRONICALLY, FROM​​ GOD.

 

JESUS’ OWN WORDS ARE “FATHER OF​​ US,”

OR AS WE SAY IN ENGLISH, “OUR​​ FATHER.”

 

OUR​​ IS THE LANGUAGE OF​​ INCLUSION.

 

OUR​​ IS THE LANGUAGE OF​​ GOD.

 

AMEN.

 

 

 

 

​​ 

 

 

Independent and United Church of Christ