Introduction: Our Father in Heaven
The introduction of our father in heaven in Lord’s Prayer has a traditional
understanding of father and son relationship to describe the character and nature of
God. The image of loving father is natural desire towards his son. Our heavenly
father do many more than earthly fathers ever could. The father language has
further problems for the females of all ages, particularly those who have been
affected by various forms of gender discrimination. Such language hardly proposes
a liberating vision for women who have endured or continue to endure various
forms of exclusion and subordination. To name and challenge the dominance in
church and society, some Christian communities would expand the language to
include mother in the petition or designate god as the parent, as our father and
mother in heaven or our parent is more than comforting, this brings equality
between men and women. The specific addresses to god as our father express a
form of intimacy or communion with our creator.
Another attempt tries to ease tensions stemming from the patriarchal male oriented
structure tends to place the first petition in the context of God’s household. We
men and women, Jews and gentiles, share the identity as children of God, we never
feel inferior to anyone. The idea of ‘Oikos’ is larger than Christian church or
community, it embraces all people whether Christian or not. God is parent of all
the people, for all humanity is created in the image of God.
Asian context:
The pronoun ‘Our’ is considerably important to Asians as communal sense of
identity. Asia religious and cultural heritage can date as far back as 5000 years
B.C.E, South Asia alone is the birth place for many world religions, such as
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, spiritualities such as Zoroastrianism is
found exclusively in South Asia.
No one religion has a monopoly on truth, our confession that God is creator and
source of life is by no mean an exclusive claim to knowledge and power. It is a
Christian conviction that Gods goodness, mercy, and grace are given to all in some
measure. God loves all people regardless of culture language, religion, race, and so
forth.
Recognizing god is father of all people and creator of all people, invites us to pause
and ponder the depth and breadth of God’s love and grace in the world we need to
be mindful that we are indeed people of God in the midst of all people of God.
Christians and other faiths in India have been living in pluralistic communities they
meet and greet one another in school, at the market place, and day to day business.
Our heavenly father is a transcendent being who is in us and in all of us. Christians
are not isolated believers living in their own reality. We and our neighbors are set
out on the quest for greater truth, together in the common social and cultural space,
and this shows the work of “Our Father in their lives”.
Lord’s Prayer petition-1: HALLLOWED BE THY NAME
The phrase is like O dear Father may thy name is holy, but what it means is not
already holy? It is holy in nature but not in our use. God’s name has been given to
us. By what means, we have been baptized in his name, we have the word which
makes us Gods children, and we have his sacraments, which unite us with him. He
implanted his name, word, and sacraments among us. Therefore it is the highest
necessity that we pray to our father. I will gladly endure poverty and sickness if
only the heavenly father has his glory, and I will gladly suffer want if this were to
be the result, namely, that the name of God, which is altogether holy in heaven,
would also be precious and holy among us.
What, then, does it mean to hallow the name of God? When our teaching and life
as Christian and godly. The purpose of the second commandment is to cause not to
curse, swear and lead people astray, as the sectarians do, but rather to praise and
call upon this name. Those who misuse the name of god for deceiving and lying
profane and desecrate the name of God, just as it used to be said that churches were
desecrated when a fight had taken place in them. God’s name is hallowed,
therefore, when one calls upon him, prays, praises, and magnifies him, preaches
about the Lord, that he is merciful and help us in peril and otherwise. Therefore the
first petition in Lord’s Prayer is explained by the second commandment. In short,
when one teaches and lives Christianity, that is, when one does not curse, swear,
and so on.
This is the first need which ought to move us to prayer. For in the world there are
so many sectarians, all of whom impose upon and deceive the people by using this
name, preach the word of god falsely and say that what they preach is the word of
god. Therefore in this petition we pray against all who preach, teach and believe
falsely, against the pope and all sectarians, against the tyrants who persecute the
word of God by violence, and against those who lie, deceive, revile, and curse
against us, who so coolly listen to the word of God. God’s name is never
sufficiently praised and preached. Therefore, we pray that let thy name become
holy, that the whole world may not curse and swear by thy name, but rather pray
and call upon thee according to the second commandment. In short grant that we
may teach and live Christianity.
This is purely Hebrew speech, we are not accustomed to the language, but we must
preach about it in order that you may learn it and become accustomed to it. The
first petition is that Gods name is honored, that his name never be put to shame by
us either in teaching or in life.
Your kingdom come:
The kingdom language is a language of a bygone era. As monarchy lost its place as
a major form of political system in the modern times, kingdom as a term used to
signify the dynastic rule over a defined territory has become obsolete. Kingdom
carries the connotation of ancient empires. All alternative term, kin-dom is
sometime used to enrich conversation about the well-being of all. The idea of kin-
dom emphasizes the building of relationships on common humanity and shared
values, as opposed to the kind of relationships that run through bloodline to
prolong legitimacy. As kin-dom challenges hierarchal structures, the concept helps
envision an inclusive community that underlies interconnectedness, mutuality and
solidarity.
The meaning of the word kin-dom as we can see in gospel of Mathew in matthean
context, primarily it refers to the kingdom of heaven, kingdom of god also presents
in Mathew. Scholars link the author’s preferenc3e with the Jewish tradition.
Related images of the kingdom of heaven can be found in the Old Testament. For
instance Daniels vision of the son of man is coming with clouds of heaven upon
receiving the dominion of the kingdom (Daniel7:13-14). They believe that Mathew
was heavily influenced by the Jewish writings, and other says that kingdom of
heaven to contrast with the kingdom of earth.
God’s intervention in the form of divine rule represents a disruption from our
dysfunctional lives caused by pride and prejudice. It transcends the political
ideologies, religious and social structures that aim to divide and disparage others.
Asking God to setup God’s rule in our midst is to resist the temptation to conquer
others and rule over the world.
To pray for the coming of Gods kingdom is not to pray for something that will
happen in the future. We pray for God’s intervention and disruption in this hurting
world, here and now. His miracles, his healing of the sick, and his prophetic
teaching tremendously influenced in the faith of his followers. His message and
mission become foretaste of God’s coming reign.
