Amen!
By: Heather Cree
For me, what comes to mind immediately when I think of the Lord’s Prayer is a sense of connectedness. I love that Christians all over the world pray these words as a reminder and in recognition of what we believe. Even when we’re having doubts. Even if we don’t feel strong. I often think of that when I’m sitting in a church service next to you. Especially now that my two boys have ventured out into the world. Sometimes this comes to mind when I’m least expecting it. The other night I was watching a space movie. I’ve missed my window on being an astronaut on so many levels, which means I’ll never get to sing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” or Elton John’s “Rocket Man” while floating in the zero gravity of space (which in my mind would be the number one perk of going up there, along with the view). But I think if I were up there, then saying the Lord’s Prayer while looking at Earth from the heavens would give me a sense of connectedness. To God and to my people.
Those were my thoughts at the beginning of Lent, anyway. When I first started writing this and had what I realize now was a different and smaller definition of “my people”. Now after the sermon from the first Sunday in Lent, I realize that the expanded definition of “Our” in “Our Father” means I would be thinking of every human on Earth if I was looking down from space. And not only that, but all the humans also yet to come. To take it one step further, if “Our Father” applies to everyone, I would also need to think about all the things I could do to help all of my brothers and sisters. Like take care of the beautiful planet I’m looking down at. Not just for my generation, but for those to come after. And I thought I was connected before! I wasn’t even scraping the surface. So, I am now thinking of this in my daily life, as I pray this prayer with a sense of new connectedness. And for that I am thankful.
Amen.
