Hearing the Lord's Prayer Again

A sermon preached at Faith Episcopal Church on July 9, 2006.

About two weeks ago Lorelei asked me what my favorite scripture verse was. Of course this was a part of a surprise the Vicar campaign for my birthday and so I was told not to ask questions. So I obediently told her that my favorite scripture passage is Micah 6:8. “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” I was informed that that was currently not an option through Bangles from Heaven, so the bracelet that you gave me last week reflected a different verse from Galatians and is probably one I’m more in need of. It is a list of the fruits of the spirit which are a good reminder to me to be kind, patient, loving, nice sweet and generally agreeable. I’ll need to wear it frequently and thank you very much.

We have been challenging ourselves to pray the Lord’s Prayer in the more contemporary language which I realize is a bit jarring at first. We’ve all grown up praying the traditional language and it is a part of us. We say it automatically and usually uncritically which is not a bad thing. But I remember feeling surprise when a friend told me that her least favorite Bible verse was “Lead us not into temptation.” Why should we have to pray to God not do something bad to us? Part of the surprise was self-recrimination – that jangle of ‘yeah that has always bothered me in a vague way’ and “Darn! Why didn’t I think of that!” She had articulated that which I had never brought to the surface, I had prayed it so often that I was immune.

Ever since then, the more I think of it, the more it bothers me. For that reason I have willingly embraced the more modern language version of the prayer. Quoting from the Gospel of Luke, it says “Save us from the time of trial.” It also refers to forgiving our sins as opposed to trespasses. Trespass is a quaint expression in the midst of modern vernacular. Praying about our sins feels a little more direct and honest to me. Trespass is too nice a word for it. But back to the time of trial; Luke’s language is some of the code vocabulary from the Bible. The “time of trial” was a way of referring to the time of tribulation and trial and apocalypse – when the old order would give way to the new in an awesome and messy struggle.

Missing that is something for which we might well want to pray. But we can also find personal connection with wanting to avoid a time of trial. No one really wants to suffer and be tested. But life in this world almost guarantees that we will be tested and tried so what exactly are we asking for? A return to the time of Eden when all that we needed was provided and we had little to do and therefore no sense of accomplishment? The condition of Eden denied our identity as creative beings. Does one fall from such a state or does one begin to grow up? Is it really in our best interest to be saved from trying times? I know that my most difficult experiences have been the greatest sources of any depth that I might have.

At a Diocesan Convention in Michigan a few years ago, a courageous woman shared her story. She currently holds a Masters in social Work and is in ministry with children whose parents are in prison. She knows the situation from both sides because years ago she was convicted of the murder of her husband – a desperate act following just one more beating. Her life had been one of despair and devoid of joy and hope. All of those around her convinced her that she had no inherent worth; she could only be defined by the presence of a man in her life. She did not know that divinity had come back to earth to dwell in her. And when the man in her life beat her – the world’s response to her black eyes and bleeding lips was “Why do you keep making him do this to you?” Eventually she stopped him. Then the world’s response was a conviction on the charge of first degree murder.

Her trials and tribulations took her to unexpected places. She earned degrees while in prison and filed and won a class action lawsuit on behalf of women in prison that has had a profoundly positive effect on many lives. She cannot reverse the damage done to her own children – the eldest of which is in prison for life – the result of growing up hard and mean, defending his brother from others who mocked and spat upon them. Instead of lamenting what she cannot change she has directed her considerable energy and passion to offering a different experience to other children. The noble calling was her response to being tempted, tested and tried.

The New Zealand Prayer Book has an elegant interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer that I’d like to read to you.

Eternal Spirit,

Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be,

Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom

Sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,

Now and for ever. Amen.

“From trials too great to endure, spare us.” For me, that is the most meaningful way to express that statement in our prayer. It allows us to live in the reality of growth through challenge while asking not to be pushed beyond our ability to make a holy response.

When we pray this prayer, we ask for many things; first that we remain aware that God exists beyond our knowing. To contemplate the holiness of God is an invitation into deeper and more thoughtful living. We ask to have what we need which also requires us to ask if we need all that we have. The work of forgiveness is central in the prayer as it well might be in our lives. The trials that we endure are a preface to the statement that God is God, powerful as only God can be and so we can have some confidence in the way that our lives unfold.

Rest assured, we will not forsake the traditional language of this prayer but when we go back to those familiar words it will hopefully be with a renewed sense of what those words mean to us. For ever and ever. Amen.