St Modoc’s
Congregation’s
REFLECTIONS
ON THE LORD’S PRAYER
It is so easy to take the Lord’s Prayer for granted, as it is a prayer
we are taught from an early age and have said so often throughout life. We can
forget that we are repeating the words of Jesus himself. These reflections are offered to help us feel
closer to Jesus when we say the prayer.
Our Father who
art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
The words ‘Our Father’ draw us into a sense of
security. Those of us who were
fortunate as children to have loving, caring parents know that at times of
trouble you could go to your Dad for help and comfort. As children of God we
are so blessed to know that at this time of crisis we can turn to our Father in
heaven to help us not just as individuals but as a whole world.
Our God is also one of power and holiness. ‘in
heaven’ gives us a sense of the over-arching heavens and also hope during challenging
times. As Isaiah wrote:
"For now I will create new heavens and a new earth;
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind" (Isaiah 65:17)
"For now I will create new heavens and a new earth;
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind" (Isaiah 65:17)
‘hallowed be thy name’ makes us think of God’s holy presence giving
us light in these dark times, so that we can pray ‘and let your light shine upon us’ (Psalm 67:1)
Alone with none but
thee, my God,
I travel on my way.
What need I fear when
thou art near,
O king of night and
day?
More safe am I within
thy hand
Than if a host should
round me stand.
(Prayer of St Columba)
thy kingdom
come,
Jesus said the greatest commandment is that we love one another. Let us
hope that the love we are seeing at this time continues long after the virus
has gone.
This crisis is showing us the best in people: the selflessness of
medical professionals who are risking their own lives to help others; the volunteers who are helping the
vulnerable; the co-operation we are
seeing between politicians. Let’s hope that
something of the helpful neighbourliness that has sprung up all over the
country will survive. The five women in Doune and Deanston who started a
volunteer group about almost instantly found they had more than 120 volunteers
on their books: people anxious to collect shopping or make friendly phone calls
etc.
It’s taken as
read that we are going to emerge from this crisis into a very different world.
Let’s hope it’s one where we can take with us some of the good things that have
resulted from coronavirus: fewer planes in the sky, less pollution over the
world’s cities.
How quiet things are and how much louder the bird song sounds. We sense that nature was thriving and benefiting
from the decrease in human activity.
From the woods near some houses there would normally be the distant
sound of HGV’s travelling constantly up and down the busy A84. These have
virtually ceased, together with the majority of cars. And thankfully
another sound we realise that we haven’t been hearing recently is that of a
siren attending a traffic accident.
A quiet walk with the sounds and sights of nature can disperse the
negative thoughts, bad news, and minor problems that can otherwise take over.
We in Scotland live in a beautiful "kingdom" – with
its mountains. These mountains give us hope at this time and remind us of Psalm
121 that we return to when we are troubled or worried:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where
shall come my help?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved, and he who watches over you will not
sleep.Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
so that the sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
so that the sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil, it is
he who shall keep you safe.
The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore.”
The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore.”
thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven.
This can be a struggle for us, because we are
used to planning and organizing our lives, and being ‘in charge’. Our prayer might be ‘Help me to adjust to this new situation as quickly and simply as
possible’.
We have to accept that 'my way' is not always the way
forward. In a programme about Oscar
Romero (Archbishop
of San Salvador assassinated in 1980 for protesting against poverty and
injustice) a Methodist minister used the
words of John 12:24 -
Very truly, I
tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,
it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
We
are called to do all we can to make this a better world, but like Jesus in
Gesthemane, sometimes we must accept the circumstances God places us in:
He placed me in a little cage, Not beat my
wings against the cage
away from gardens fair;
if it's my Maker’s will,
but I must sing the sweetest songs but raise my
voice to heaven's gate
because He placed me there. and
sing the louder still!
(from Streams in the
Desert)
Give us this
day our daily bread.
It is human nature to panic at times like this – and we have seen panic
buying. Let us hope that after the crisis is over we still remember and help
those who live in constant poverty and hunger.
We all appreciate sharing food with one another, especially during
this time. It is lovely to bake Irish soda bread and remember our mothers and
grandmothers doing the same.
It all just makes us very grateful for the simple things in
life.
We are also learning how Christ nourishes us as spiritual food by his
presence with us, though it is hard not to share the sacrament together
physically. ‘We believe that you are
truly present in the sacrament' – whether in actual bread or as the Word of life.
Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
The lockdown has put pressure on those who are now living in the same
house or flat, day after day. It is
giving us all a good lesson in tolerance and forgiveness, even though it can be
very hard to forgive people who have hurt us.
On a wider front, when we are frightened, we tend to attack, maybe by
blaming others. Why didn’t the
government act sooner? Why did
irresponsible people made the virus spread faster?
Tom Wright in 'The Lord and His Prayer' has a helpful insight that is especially apt for this time when we feel the air is fresher:
"It is our birthright, as followers of Jesus, to breathe in true divine forgiveness day by day, as the cool clear air which our spiritual lungs need instead of the grimy, germ-laden air that is pumped into us from all sides. And once we start inhaling God's fresh air, there is a good chance that we will start to breathe it our too. As we learn what it is like to be forgiven, we begin to discover that it is possible, and indeed joyful, to forgive others."
Tom Wright in 'The Lord and His Prayer' has a helpful insight that is especially apt for this time when we feel the air is fresher:
"It is our birthright, as followers of Jesus, to breathe in true divine forgiveness day by day, as the cool clear air which our spiritual lungs need instead of the grimy, germ-laden air that is pumped into us from all sides. And once we start inhaling God's fresh air, there is a good chance that we will start to breathe it our too. As we learn what it is like to be forgiven, we begin to discover that it is possible, and indeed joyful, to forgive others."
Jesus prayed at his crucifixion
(Luke 23:34)
‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’
‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’
And lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
One temptation that came to
mind is of becoming more selfish. While staying at home, it is easy to feel we
are doing our bit to help the NHS, as we keep getting reminded, and that
nothing more is needed. And, in fact, it is harder to do anything to help
others while shut away, quite apart from the inertia which is another
temptation.
So, although there are many people who are finding ways of doing
unselfish acts while at home, there is still a temptation to just look out for
ourselves and maybe our own families. This selfishness can be true when we are
struggling with our new circumstances, financially or mentally, and also when
we are sitting tight and feeling thankful that we are OK. Delivering
us from evil could be finding ways to help others.
Look at ‘A Portrait of a Young
Man’ by Alessandro Allori.
The picture shows so many of the young man's beautiful possessions, and
yet he is unhappy. We are tempted into wanting so many 'things' which seem
important at the time. One thing social distancing has taught us is that
material possessions are becoming increasingly unimportant.
(see A
Child's Book of Prayer in Art, Sister Wendy Beckett)
Is the potential for evil within us, or is it an external evil that
threatens us like war? Ursula le Guin in the Earthsea books writes about the shadow within us all.
From Psalm
138 on deliverance from evil:
Fear not that the
whirlwind shall carry you hence,
Nor wait for its
onslaught in breathless suspense,
Nor shrink from the
whips of the terrible hail,
But pass through the
edge to the heart of the tale,
For there is a shelter,
sunlighted and warm,
And 'Faith' sees her
God through the eye of the storm.
For thine is
kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever.
Amen