“Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1)
I’ve been a practicing Christian Episcopalian since my infant baptism. I’ve been privileged to serve in nearly every liturgical function but bishop.
For 45 of my years I served as a priest.
It has been a blessed and rich life experience. I’ll ever be grateful to have been called to ministry.
Probably the first thing I learned and memorized of the faith was the most famous “Lord’s Prayer.”
What practicing Christian doesn’t know those wonderful words of our Lord’s own teaching? “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth AS it is in heaven … forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us.’ ”
Those are powerful words: i.e., that we can call God “our father” and we can then ask that His kingdom be among us “AS” it is in heaven; and that He forgive us “AS” we forgive others.
I’ve highlighted the tiny two-letter word “AS” because it is so often overlooked and ignored, yet it is so crucial to the prayer.
We pray to God that His totally benevolent kingdom become our world! Do we really want His kingdom to come?
There would be no more wrath or righteous hatred toward those we denounce; no more gluttony and those savory second and third helpings; no more pride that always puts us superior to those who are different; no more greed that allows us so much more than we ever need; no more lust with half-clothed women to gawk at; no more avarice (envy) that is used to sell everything; no more sloth to slough off our responsibility on others.
If God’s kingdom did come, we’d lose all those seven pleasurable and handy sins. I doubt if many truly mean that “as.”
And to forgive us “as” we forgive others? I don’t think so!
Chewing on our resentment and contempt for the wrongs done to us is too delicious to desist.
Naw, we’ll go on taking our chances on God’s forgiveness of us with no measure of our forgiveness of others.
Grudges are just too pleasurable.
There’s little wonder why this “as” is ignored.
I’m afraid we’ll go on piously praying the Lord’s own prayer and simply do “AS” we please. God’s “AS” is much too heavy.
And we’ll hope that God’s forgiveness of us far outreaches ours as we continue to do “AS” we damn well please.
Father Bob Layne is a retired Episcopal priest living in McPherson.