After reading John 1:14, I immediately think about the gift of God’s grace, the reward of God’s glory, and the truth of His love.
For me, the Lord’s Prayer summarizes these points perfectly:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be 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 those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
hallowed be 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 those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Also, as Nouwen reminds us, Jesus is the Word who dwelt among us and provided his redeeming love (grace) and faithfulness to his promises (truth). The Word of God is more than speech; it is God in action.
– Melissa Friedman, Year 4, EFM
I remember as a youth, feeling the the Lord’s prayer was a restrictive set of rules that limited me. Later, in a Bible class, someone said that they felt the prayer was God’s promise of our potential. It changed the way I read and say the prayer; now I feel empowered, not limited.
Thank you for the reminder Melissa!
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. In these troubled times, I can think of nothing more desirable than God’s will being done.
“The Word of God is more than speech; it is God in action.”
The more I watch the events unfolding in our own country and in Ukraine and elsewhere, I see more and more clearly that we do not need any more empty human speech. Human words can soothe and empower when they are positive and truthful and said in love. They can also denigrate and punish and degrade when used in anger or to seek control. We have never in my lifetime needed less human speech and more of the Word of God. I try to remember every day, as I sit down to see a dozen people who are alone, hurting and fragile , that all the words in the world from me or anyone else are not going to help them. What helps them is the love of God put into action. I am reminded every day when God whispers in my ear (LOUDLY, sometimes!) that we are the ones that He counts on to be his messengers and workers and healers here. We must be the ones who act. Here am I, Lord! Send me!