SAYING THE BENEDICTION
November 25, 2001
Revelation 4: 6b-11; 1 Chronicles 29: 10-13
For the past several months I have been preaching on some of the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer. Today I conclude that series as we look at the last phrase, "for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." However, Jesus did not say this phrase that we say at the end of the Lord’s Prayer; it is not a part of the original prayer that Jesus taught his followers. If you look in the Gospel of Luke 11:2-4, there is no mention of this phrase at all, not even in the footnotes. If you look at Matthew 6 you will see it only in the footnote with a comment that some manuscripts include the phrase.
Scholars have uncovered hundreds, if not thousands, of manuscripts of the New Testament that date back to various times and place across the Middle East and Mediterranean area. The earliest portion of a manuscript of the Gospels dates to the 4th century. We do not have any manuscripts that can be dated to the second century, let alone the first century A.D. Among all these manuscripts there are various readings climbing into the thousands of differences. Scholars spend a lifetime trying to research what are the most accurate texts and manuscripts in order to get closest to the originals. The strong majority of scholars believe that the most reliable manuscripts do not include this phrase; "for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever" was added at some later date in the church. Scholars have uncovered at least 10 different endings to the Lord’s Prayer; the one we use is by far the most popular.
So, how did it get included? The church did it. Rather early in the life of the church it became a prayer that was said in the worship services on Sundays. It was a prayer that Jesus himself taught his followers, so it was a natural move to include it in worship. The form in which Jesus said it was probably closer to Luke’s version – short phrases, rather choppy in its style.
"Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.
As the church began to use the prayer in public worship it took on more of a polished prayer, one to be recited in public that would flow nicely, one that was complete. The original didn’t have an appropriate ending, so the church added a closing doxology to conclude it in a glorious fashion. So, the key thoughts and phrases in the Lord’s Prayer as we say it in worship are from Jesus, the actual wording and phrasing that we have today are the expressions of the church for liturgical worship. The "thee" and "thine" language is from the King James Bible English, not the original Greek. The ending doxology was authored by the church as an expression of praise.
Is it wrong to say it? Not necessarily. The thought expressed in the closing doxology is biblical. Many scholars believe that the phrase is based on the 1 Chronicles 29 passage read to you earlier, "Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord…" These words of King David at the end of his life express a basic attitude and belief that has been held down through the years.
If there is nothing else that people of faith are called to do, it is to worship our God. We are called to express in words and deeds that our Creator and Redeemer is the one and only one who is worthy of our praise. That God is great; God is all-powerful; God is the victor, no one else. Only God is majestic and worthy of our worship. All the way from King David through the book of Revelation the theme of worship is praise and adoration. When we give our praise to God everything else will have its proper perspective. When we focus our lives on honoring God, then the things of this world will lose their appeal.
Take the hymnal and turn to #35, (36) "Glory Be to the Father." We sing it every Sunday in the second service. We call it the Gloria Patri for the first two words of the hymn in Latin. You will note that the words go back to the 3rd and 4th century. The church has been singing this doxology – this hymn of praise - for 1,600 years! When we sing this song, we are connected to the saints in Antioch, in Rome, in Jerusalem, in Ephesus, and numerous other places of worship. Not necessarily this tune since it was written in the mid 1800s, but the words have been uttered in praise to God for all these years. We are connected through our worship. Look at #46 (47); this is the traditional Doxology that we frequently sing. The tune has been around for 450 years in the church and these words have been in use since 1674. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow…" They are both doxologies since a doxology is simply a phrase or song of praise to God. Don’t you sense the power of these hymns and their importance in worship to realize how central they are to worship and how we are connected to our sisters and brothers in faith down through the centuries!
How central to our lives as Christians and our worship is that of doxology, praise to God. The reading from the Revelation of Jesus to John that was read to you tries to describe a piece of heaven for those Christians undergoing persecution at the end of the first century. The sounds coming from heaven are the sounds of praise to God, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the almighty, who was and is and is to come. "You are worthy, Our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power." In chapter 7 we read, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb." And, "Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen." See the parallel to 1 Chronicles and King David?
It is not unlike our season of Thanksgiving, but it is a constant season of Thanksgiving. Instead of giving thanks to God once a year, or maybe even once a week, or possibly once a day, the spirit of heaven is one of constant praise, day and night. In the light of the terrorist attacks of September 11 we have all realized how blessed and fortunate we are, yet how vulnerable we are. We also see pictures of people in other countries who struggle for basic needs and basic life. On the one hand we give praise to God from whom all things flow, but we also are tied to our sisters and brothers who are literally praying for their daily bread.
Andre Crouch, a contemporary Christian song writer wrote in 1971 the words and music to a piece he called, "My Tribute." The chorus is in our hymnal (#39).
How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me.
Things so undeserved, that you gave to prove your love to me.
The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude
For all that I am or ever hope to be; I give it all to thee.
To God be the glory, to God be the glory,
To God be the glory for the things you have done.
With his blood Christ has saved me; with his power you have raised me; to God be the glory for the things you have done.
God has given us life; God has given us freedom of choice; God has loved us when we are unlovable. God comes to us when we have turned our back and invites us to new life. God shows us the fullness of life and what life is all about. In Jesus Christ we see the love of God completely in his dying to show us the power of love to bring life and wholeness to a dark and broken world. There is only one kingdom – and that belongs to God. There is only one who is all-powerful and there is only one worthy of our praise and glory. What else can we do but sing the doxology, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"