Thursday, December 12, 2013

sermon on the mount --the Lord's prayer

Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by Thy Name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our debters
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

The Lord Jesus was not humorous. He never said anything to amuse. Nonetheless, humor is a very special type of understanding. Humor crashes through pretensions and expectations. A person with a high IQ who does not have a sense of humor is dim witted.

The Lord teaches us to pray through serious "humor." I do not laugh when I am told to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." But how could anything be done that is not His will? What Jesus is telling me to pray is for my will to be changed, not that His will be changed, for He is changeless.

"Forgive us our trespasses." How each of us needs forgiveness! --"As we forgive those who trespass against us." I don't think God quite understands. That person who cleaned out my checking account just before I started college, how I could forgive him? But maybe I could if I understood how silly it is to ask for forgiveness when I won't forgive.

"And lead us not into temptation" --That's unthinkable. Good is God. God tempt?! --too strange of a thought. Is Jesus is telling me to pray to our Father what I need to pray to myself (while praying to Him)? But how I need His help to keep myself to be tempted.  

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