Saturday, February 6, 2016

Hallowed Be Thy Name

At church this pre-Lent and Lenten-tide, we are going through the Lord's Prayer and memorizing the corresponding section from Luther's Small Catechism. For Sexagesima (second Sunday before Ash Wednesday, for those who are unfamiliar with the historic one-year lectionary), our focus was the first petition:

First Petition
Hallowed be Thy name.

What does this mean?
God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.

How is God's name kept holy?
God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!

This comes at an apropos time. Reading and studying God's Word has been very comforting as I struggle with certain events in my personal life. As sinful humans, we get caught up with things that happen around us. We are concerned with where our country is headed, with wars and rumors of wars abroad, and with the struggles, both physical and mental, of our family and friends. We think that there are things that we can do, no, that we must do, to help remedy these situations.

But guess what? We are sinful! There is nothing we can do. There is nothing I can do.

We pray that's God's Word be kept holy. Not that we keep it holy, as if our actions, our works, can do anything, but that it be kept holy.

Isaiah 55:10-13 (ESV)
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

God sends out His Word among us. The Word become flesh and fullfilled the Law, taking upon Himself our sin, becoming sin for us, to cleanse us of it. And now we pray that this Word of Truth may be kept holy among us also. We pray, and that is all we can do.  God has done and will do the rest.

Thine over all shall be the praise
And thanks of ev'ry nation;
And all the world with joy shall raise
The voice of exultation.
For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord,
Nor suffer sin to flourish;
Thy people's pasture is Thy Word
Their souls to feed and nourish,
In righteous paths to keep them.
                      LSB 823 stanza 2