The “Our Father”, with Poetic and Biblical References

My friend’s reflection on the “Our Father” including the following Biblical & Poetic References, was a contemplative, transformational experience:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Our Father, the Majestic Creator of all things, who made us in His Image and Likeness.” (Genesis)
“And so loved the world that He sent His only Son, so all who believe in Him, shall have eternal Life.”
“And sent an Advocate” – the Holy Spirit, to share with us the undeserved gift of God’s Grace. (John)

Thy kingdom come,
“Your Kingdom is not of this world” (John)
This world’s pleasures and treasures are merely, “Vanity. All is vanity” (Solomon).
In Thy Kingdom, “God makes all things new – No more death, nor pain, nor tears.” (Revelation)

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Thy will is to “Love God, and each other, as Christ loves us.” (John)
“To know that one life breathed easier because you have lived.” – (Emerson)
“I delight to do Your Will, O Lord. Your Laws are written upon my heart.” (Psalm 40)

Give us this day our daily bread.
“Give us neither poverty nor riches. Lest we be full, and deny our God.
Lest we be desperate, and by stealing, defile the name of our Lord.” (Psalms)
God’s Providence trumps our control of outcomes – “The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want.” (Psalms)

(Secular Culture Creed: “We want Plus-One, whatever we have, Never fulfilled, Always in excess of our daily bread.“)

The above YouTube music video musically expresses the Beauty & Power of the Lord’s Prayer

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
As Christ’s Redemptive Cross forgives us, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the boot that crushed it.” (Twain)
No sin can exceed the forgiveness of the welcoming embrace, of the outstretched arms, of the Cross. “Create in me a new clean heart.”

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
“When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I want to avoid evil, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7)
“The Devil’s boots don’t creak”, so my soul suffers a thousand cuts of compromise and rationalization.
Grace allows us to die to the things that Christ died for. Grace is Eternity touching Time.

For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, now and forever.
The Kingdom of experiencing the awesome awareness of the presence of God. Forever.
The Power of the Majestic Creator, the mercy of the Loving Redeemer, and the peace of Holy Spirit.
The Glory of a New Heaven and New Earth – No more Death, Nor Pain, Nor Tears. Forever.

Amen.

My friend’s reflection of a known prayer is to help him contemplate the rich fullness of the prayer’s meaning. It is not disrespectful of the “Lord’s Prayer’. The opposite is true. It honors the original prayer by elevating it beyond the rote recitation of words. The contemplation of the meaning of the words is transformational.

So, my friend prays to have:   

• The Clarity of Mind to recognize God’s Will.
• The Sincerity of Heart to accept God’s Will. And, Most Important,
• The Courage to do God’s Will.

The Above YouTube Music Video Captures the Essence of the Blog Post Message.