THY KINGDOM COME

Most of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer and can say at least the traditional version by heart. Today I would like to invite you to consider a somewhat different way of thinking about this beloved prayer. According to New Testament scholar, Obery Hendricks, Jr., the Lord’s Prayer reflects the concerns and goals of the movement that was taking form under Jesus’ leadership. Hendricks asserts that there are seven basic parts in both Matthew’s and Luke’s version of the prayer:

1. Father – this a prayer that unites those who believe in God – a community
2. Hallowed be your name – a radical statement to those who heard it – after all, they lived in a time and place in which only Caesar’s name is to be holy.
3. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done – since Caesar’s kingdom cannot co-exist with God’s, the coming of God’s kingdom means that Caesar’s will have to go.
4. Provide daily bread – Caesar’s kingdom never allows bread for everyone – only for the “haves,” so providing bread for all points to the end of Caesar’s kingdom.
5. Forgive our debts – lacking daily bread is often a result of having to use money to pay for heavy taxes imposed by Rome – taxes that kept the empire going but that often impoverished its subjects. Forgiving (or releasing) them from their debts means that Caesar’s kingdom will no longer have access to the ill-gotten resources that keeps it standing.
6. We have forgiven others – we choose not to participate in a system that drains the resources of the many for the benefit of the few.
7. Keep us from temptation – not that God should not tempt, because, as James reminds us, God does not tempt, but that God will give the courage to not give in to the temptation to serve Caesar instead of God – to collude with their oppressors and to turn around and oppress others.

If Hendricks’ interpretation is accurate, then those who were listening to Jesus may have found what he was saying to be extremely radical.

In the words of another New Testament scholar, Fred Craddock, the Lord’s Prayer is about a community praying for God’s kingdom – God’s reign – to come.

How do people in our world hear the request “thy kingdom come”?

A couple of days ago, one of our parishioners sent me an article from the Hartford Courant on the proposed reorganization of some of Hartford’s public schools, including the Barnard Brown elementary school near us. The scores on basic subjects were deplorable in these schools. Although the article was helpful, the responses to it were even more informative. Several of those who posted their thoughts suggested that inexperienced teachers, most of whom were teaching for the money, were to blame. A couple of teachers wrote passionate responses, inviting folks to come and see what they are dealing with – many undisciplined students, and parents who only show up to yell at the teachers – adding that they stay in Hartford because they care about and believe in the children of Hartford – after all, they could be making a lot more money teaching at suburban schools.

I wonder how those teachers and their students would hear the words, “Thy Kingdom Come”?

I wonder how Dr. William Petit, whose wife and two daughters were brutally murdered last Monday morning, would hear the words, “Thy Kingdom Come?”

I wonder how those of us in here – many of whom are faced with some form of oppression – hear the words, “Thy Kingdom Come?”

While in Trinidad, I saw the movie “Provoked.” It is the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a Punjabi woman who immigrated to London following an arranged marriage. The story begins with her husband, in a drunken sleep, being set on fire, a dazed Kiranjit sitting on the back steps with their two sons, and the tortured screams of her husband as he runs, still ablaze, from the house. He eventually dies. Kiranjit is arrested for her husband’s murder, and she is sentenced to life in prison, partly due to the fact that a policeman, under pressure from his supervisor, falsely testifies that Kiranjit was alert and lucid when officers arrived at her home.

In prison, Kiranjit relives the last ten years of her life. Flashbacks of her husband pushing her down the steps while she is pregnant, hitting her, threatening her with a hot iron, and raping her flood her mind. Although she begins to find an inner freedom in prison, her outer situation seems hopeless. But her fate comes to the attention of Radha, a young woman whose sister committed suicide after years of domestic violence. Radha increases public awareness and garners public support for Kiranjit. Meanwhile, Kiranjit is befriended by Ronnie, her cellmate. Ronnie swallows her pride and contacts Lord Foster, her estranged brother-in-law. Lord Foster, a successful attorney, takes on Kiranjit’s case pro bono. What happened next forever changed the way British courts deal with victims of domestic violence. But it took several people – each making a decision to promote justice – coming together – asking, seeking, knocking. “Thy Kingdom Come.”

So, even when a situation seems hopeless, Jesus reminds us to keep asking, seeking, knocking. Because our prayers are being heard by a God whose character we can trust. But ask knowing that God will give us the best – even if it’s not what we think is best. It’s like the cute story one of you sent me not too long ago – the story of two children in a cafeteria line. When they come to the basket of apples, they see a sign that says, “Take one only. God is watching.” When they get to the platter of cookies, they see another sign, “Take as many as you want. God’s watching the apples.” Some folks only want the cookies in life – even if they get sick.

So pray, pray trusting that God hears, God cares, and God will always respond – respond with an offer for a more abundant life.