... If We Are Getting It?

Brian McLaren, in his new book, The Secret Message of Jesus, challenges readers with a million questions about Jesus’ central message. It is a demanding read about the search for what Jesus was really teaching, are we getting it, or could Jesus say to us like he did to his disciples so long ago, in Matthew 15:16, “Are you still so dull?” He asks this question is his first chapter, “What if Jesus had a message that truly could change the world but we were prone to miss the point?” Here is a short excerpt from a chapter on revolutionizing the Lord’s Prayer that was made available on his website and was not included in the book. He said that the feedback he got on it made him put it out there for everyone.

The average person—committed Christian or non-Christian, Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant—most often first encounters the secret message of Jesus in a line of what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Sadly, the prayer has been so often recited in such a bland, thoughtless, autopilot monotone that few people realize what a revolutionary, challenging, and well-crafted work of art it is. How many millions of people have mouthed the words, “Thy kingdom come” with little or no idea of what they were saying?

The prayer, you’ll remember, comes in the section of Jesus’ kingdom manifesto (Matthew 5–7) dealing with three spiritual practices—right between giving to the poor and fasting. Jesus emphasizes the secrecy needed for these practices to have their full impact. Don’t do them for show, Jesus says, to be seen as pious by other people. Instead, do them secretly, with God as your only audience. Then, your spiritual practices will be truly rewarding. Jesus then gives specific guidance as to the content of prayer for participants in the kingdom of God—and in that context, “The Lord’s Prayer” is presented. Interestingly, in other Gospel accounts, the prayer comes in answer to a specific request from the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus answers their request with these words:

This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

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Have a great day serving our Savior.