Our Father in Heaven
January 7, 2009
Next week Church of the Saviour launches Prayer Week 2009. With that in mind I will be posting some essays dealing with prayer, particularly The Lord's Prayer.
Michael Horton, always worth reading, wrote a series of articles on the Lord's Prayer for Modern Reformation.
Here is a portion of an essay he wrote on Jesus' words "Our Father in Heaven."
Michael Horton, always worth reading, wrote a series of articles on the Lord's Prayer for Modern Reformation.
Here is a portion of an essay he wrote on Jesus' words "Our Father in Heaven."
St. Augustine spoke of the essence of original sin as being "curved in"on ourselves, much as an older person might be bent over, unable to see more than a few feet ahead. Such a person's world is often tragically limited and joyless, as he or she is unable to take in the beauty of the world beyond his or her own two feet.Read the entire essay HERE.
It cannot be denied that in our worship, we may as well pray, "Our Audience, which art on earth"; in our religion, "...hallowed (or at least greatly esteemed) be our name"; in our lifestyles, "...our kingdom come, our will be done in heaven as it is on earth. Give us today our daily indulgences and help us to love and forgive ourselves just as we love and forgive others. Lead us not into difficulty, suffering, or unhappiness, but deliver us from unmet needs. For ours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, at least here and now, which is what really counts anyway." We suffer from the disease Augustine described as incurvitas, we are "curved in"on ourselves. Or, to reverse Nebuchadnezzar's confession, we have not raised our eyes to heaven and have thus caved in to the culture's Siren song of insanity.
