Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 -
[Isaiah 55:10-11 and Matthew 6:7-15]In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray, "Our Father....
Words! Words! Words! How can we get along without words? Isaiah this morning speaks to us of the effectiveness of God's word! The centurion says to Jesus, "Say but the word..." The Letter to the Hebrews says, "God's word is alive and active..." What about OUR words? In today's gospel, Jesus warns against multiplying words like the pagans. He must be referring to practices familiar to his audience. He then gives us the words of the prayer which we call the "Our Father" or "The Lord's Prayer." These are familiar words and we often say them quickly and with great comfort. But do we know what we are saying?
When I preach a parish mission, one of the services is dedicated to forgiveness and reconciliation. I ask the congregation to give some thought to one line in The Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses as we fortive those who trespass against us!" Do we know what we are asking? Do we want God to forgive us only to the extent that we forgive others? That is what Jesus meant. Is it what WE mean? Lent offers us a golden opportunity to give some thought to our prayer and to our prayers! What do we mean by all our words? AMEN
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