A couple weeks ago, David gave those of us at our office morning prayer a fresh idea on how to think about the Lord's Prayer. He asked us how much thought we've put into the "our" and "we" parts of it. When you pray the Lord's Prayer together with a group, try thinking of yourselves really as one body instead of individuals. When one of us trespasses, we all do. When one of us forgives, we all do. As a body, we accept responsibility for one another. What we do affects those around us. We suffer for the sake of one another, and we rejoice too with each other. Do you consider that as you are praying the Lord's Prayer?
On a separate note, I have a very small prayer, from part of the Lord's Prayer, that I use with varying frequency day to day. It is often the case that even though I know the right thing to do with my time, I am lazy or undisciplined or exhibitive of any number of the vices. It can be overwhelming to consider the vast distance between what I'm doing or have done, and what I ought to be doing or have done. One solution that I use, that follows the "baby steps" mentality, is to adjust the "Give us this day" portion of the Lord's Prayer, and pray instead for "This [smallest unit of time for which I need help or courage or stamina]". That usually means "this hour". I don't particularly pray the whole prayer, I just pray those two words, and they often help to dispel my sloth. It's sort of like the burst of energy you get in the last mile of a race. But it's also a prayer.
6 comment(s):
I'm afraid this analogy falls a bit short to me. It moves us away from the action into the realm of feeling. The individual must do the act; the group doesn't, as is obvious in the way you wrote it. When one does, we all do- so it is impossible for 'all' to do anything without 'one' to do it first, and yet we appear to be inviting one another to think as group, which abstracts us away from ourselves and our acts.
Interestingly, a relationship, such as a relationship between a father and a son, does not abstract in the same way. The actions of the son are his own, but they still reflect upon the father. In this way we avoid a conflict between the corporate and the individual.
I agree that we need to take personal initiative and have our own identities. I don't think the suggestion was to *always* have this in mind, but more specifically when we are praying the Lord's Prayer in a group. Doesn't action happen outside of this prayer?
I also think of this as a method for finding the appropriate balance, between two extremes. One, indeed, being that of not thinking or acting on your own, but the other that of standing alone and not asking for help, not working together toward a common cause. I think the idea was a response to people gathered together and saying a prayer together, yet the whole time blocking out every other person in the room, imagining that the rest of the people in the room don't even exist.
... and for my burst of renewed energy, or perhaps more aptly a recognition of a need for remorse, "...pray for this sinner [me], now, and at the hour of my death."
I think that unity in love is more than feeling. I think that unity in love is a burgeoning reality. What one does the group does. This is real activity - we live in relationship. The life of the one is shared in the life of the group and both the one and the group are changed because of the relationship. The life of the group is entirely dependent upon the lives of all the individuals within it and their relationships one to and one with another. The plural nature of the pronouns in the Lord's prayer cause us to include one another and, I believe, the Lord himself. It is a measure of his love that he would identify with me to the extent that we pray together "forgive us our trespasses". He shares my life and invites me to share his - even though I pollute it.
A mother doesn't despise the imperfect actions of her small child. Nor does the Lord despise our imperfect efforts at living and loving. He delights in our "give us this hour..." prayers because in place of our weakness he gives strength.
Years ago a Home Management teaching changed my life and, I'm sure, many others' lives. A small incremental change for the better (=5% course correction) will eventually take you to a very different place than if you hadn't bothered to make that small change.
Yay for small wins! Yay for hope in the Lord who is our strength!
While individual action is required to counter the impulse toward sin, it's important to remember that as part of the body of Christ, my failings weaken the whole.
I do think it's interesting that there is no place in the Lord's prayer where the words "I" or "me" can be found.
http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/
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