GOD, ARE YOU THERE?

Series on Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6: 7-15

September 23, 2001

Two weeks ago I preached on the general theme of prayer and since September 11 we have been doing a lot of praying as individuals, congregation and as a nation. Today, I begin the series on prayer using phrases of The Lord’s Prayer for direction and focus. We have prayed to God for the victims of the assaults; we have prayed for the families directly affected; we have prayed for our leaders; we have prayed when we weren’t sure what to pray for. We prayed when we were angry, in grief, shock. We will do a lot more praying in the weeks and months ahead as our military gears up for action.

Jesus gave the words we call The Lord’s Prayer to his disciples as a sample prayer. He instructed them in how not to pray – loudly on the street corner or with long empty phrases. His prayer was short, simple, to the point. The phrases Jesus used open our hearts and minds to the thinking of Jesus, how we should pray and what we should pray about. Hopefully these sermons will not only be instructional but also enlightening and supportive of your spiritual prayer life.

Jesus begins with the plural pronoun "Our." It is not "my father" nor "your father" but "our father…" Jesus is telling us that there is only one God and that we are created in God’s image. We are all one family because we all pray to the one God. Whether the color of our skin is Scandinavian white or Zaire dark, Mexican or Philippine brown or Chinese yellow, we are all one people who call on one God and together say, "Our father…" Whether we are American or Russian, Palestinian or Indian, we all say "our." We are being reminded these days that Jews, Moslems and Christians are all monotheistic faiths; all worship the one God who is the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Moses, David, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea, Mary and Joseph. We have a common heritage. We say, "our" because we are one family, one people, worship one God. We remember that Jesus was a Jew. Whether we are Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, Protestant or Catholic, Orthodox or evangelical, we all say, "Our." When we say "our," we are talking about a large family.

In the Jewish culture at the time of Jesus, the father was the person of authority in the family and culture. The father’s word was final in the home. The wife may have influence but the ultimate decision was the oldest male in the house. Women had few rights; women were subordinate to the authority of the father or their husband, or even oldest son. Fathers not only had the final authority, but they were also the ones responsible to protect his family, responsible for providing food, clothing and shelter. The father had the responsibility to nurture, to give direction, to see that his children learned the ways of the family, culture and religion.

So, when Jesus said, "father," the people who heard him understood. God, as father in heaven, is the one who is the final authority, the one who looks out for the needs of the family, who blesses, nurtures, cares for, and protects.

We know that God is not male; God is not some physical being somewhere who looks like a human male. Genesis tells us that male and female are created in the image of God. God is Spirit; God is greater than we can believe or imagine. Human language cannot begin to describe God, but all we have are human words. And so, our language for God is more like metaphors: God is like a father; God is like a mighty fortress; God is like a mother hen; God is like light; "God is our refuge and strength." "The Lord is my shepherd." "God is my rock."

When Jesus used the word "father" in his prayers and talking, the Aramic word he used was the intimate one of a parent and child. It was our word, "Daddy." Jesus was on an intimate relationship with God that he called God, Daddy. Rabbis regarded it as appropriate only on the lips of saints; it was not a common Jewish phrase for God. Father- son; mother-daughter relationships can be very intimate and personal. They gave us life; they nourished us, they held us on their lap when we were hurt and scared and tired. I remember times from my childhood when I stubbed my toe; I would get on my mother’s lap and she would comfort me until I got to feeling better. I remember holding my boys when they were young. What a powerful image of relationship.

Our language forces us to use pronouns to describe God, and so the male pronoun "he" has been given to God, primarily because cultures down through the years have given power and authority to men. A feminine image of God in a male dominated culture would have shown God as weak, as less than powerful or authoritative. God is more than male; human language limits the vastness of God. We now live in a culture that gives equality to males and females, which I believe God intended in the beginning. To limit our image of God to only male language is to limit the vastness of who God is and the richness of images to help us describe the indescribable.

Jesus distinguished God as the "father in heaven." Heaven was a physical place on top of the dome that covered the sky. Their understanding of the three level universe held that the earth was flat and that God resided just a few thousand feet up in the sky directly above them. God was "up." God was in a physical place; God looked down on them. Since Copernicus and Galileo our image of heaven has changed; heaven is not a physical place as it is a spiritual relationship that transcends time and space.

Yet, Jesus’ prayer was to emphasize that we recognize that God is greater than this earth or anything on it. We worship and call on the One who stands above all else. When everything around us seems to be crumbling or falling apart, God stands above it all. When chaos and violence seem to reign; when evil seems to rule the day, we recognize that God, who created the universe, is in ultimate control. God created us; God sustains us; God gives us freedom, talents and gifts; God gives us a mind with which to think, create, build. God is the source of all things and to whom all things ultimately go.

A person’s name was so sacred and powerful that to know someone’s name, was to have some authority over them. You didn’t tell your name just to anyone. Your name said a lot of who you were, your personality. In Old Testament times, the name "God" was so sacred that one did not utter the name God out loud. They used "lord," "father," "sovereign," "creator," "redeemer," etc. When Jesus said, "Hallowed be your name, he was saying that God and God’s name are so sacred that we set them apart from everyday use. This is the opposite of what has happened in our culture today. The use of the word "God" is so common that it has lost its sacredness. People say, "Oh, God," and other phrases, without realizing what they say. When Jesus prayed, the name and presence of God was so sacred that it was not common language. It was holy space. What would happen if we honored God by holding the use of the name "God" for holy moments and holy talk?

When we call upon God, we create a holy moment, a holy space, whether it is "Our Father," or "Dear God," or "O Holy One." We recognize God’s presence in our midst; we affirm that the spiritual source we call God hears and understands. By calling on God in prayer we put ourselves under the protective care as well as direction of this God.

Jesus taught us to pray because prayer is important, and anything important is worth taking time to learn how to do.