Through me…

I heard a good sermon yesterday by Rev. Bruce Emmert.  It started out talking about taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Exodus 20:7 says, “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.” NRSVUE

Bruce talked about how, often, when we are first learning this, it’s just about saying God as a way of cussing but that as we get older we come to realize that it’s more than that.  It’s how our actions and words as Christians can tarnish the way people think of God.  He used the example of how when our church is doing something great (or our country, or school and so on) we are proud and want to shout it from the rooftops.  “That’s my Church (country, school, family)!”  BUT when they are doin’g something not so good, we don’t really want to be associated with them anymore because we don’t want people to think that we were a part of that. 

I don’t feel like I’m expressing this very well but I’m sure we can all think of examples like this.  For me, when I hear people who claim to be Christians spewing hate or refusing to show compassion, or ridiculing others or supporting people who do this, it’s a bit like taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Anyway, then Bruce went to talk a little about the Lord’s prayer. Luke 11:1-4 says,

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, may your name be revered as holy.
    May your kingdom come. 

Give us each day our daily bread

    And forgive us our sins,
        for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
    And do not bring us to the time of trial.”  NRSVUE

He really focused in on the “may your name be revered as holy.”  He talked about how there were two “understood” words that aren’t actually there. They are “through me”.  So Jesus prayed in this way, “Father, may your name be revered as holy through me.”  So then when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray he told them to pray this way, saying, “Father, may your name be revered as holy through me.”

Did you get that?  When we pray the Lord’s prayer and say Hallowed be thy name, it is understood that we are adding through me.  Hallowed be thy name through me. May your name be made holy through me, by me.

This struck me.  I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

Now, I try just like most of us to live a good life, to be kind, loving and just.  As a Christian I try to live like Jesus did, to follow his teachings (which are kind, loving and just) but I hadn’t really thought about this prayer this way before now.  May your name be revered as holy through my actions, my words, through my life. 

I really think this is how we should be teaching the Lord’s Prayer.  It takes on more meaning, and circles back to the whole Lord’s name in vain commandment.  We shouldn’t be misusing God’s name but instead should be working  and living in a way that we make other revere God’s name as holy.  

I looked up some different translations/versions of the Bible and the Christian Stand Bible says, “Father, your name be honored as holy.”  The Contemporary English Version says, ‘Father, help us to honor your name.”  The Common English Bible says, “Father, uphold the holiness of your name.”

In all of these, I think the premise is that WE will make God’s name holy, WE will honor God’s name as holy, WE will uphold the holiness of God’s name.  

It’s up to us.  Now more than ever, it’s up to each of us to use our words and actions to show the true face of God, to show who and what God is, to show love, compassion, understanding, kindness as the true face of God. Each of us needs to remember that when we sow and support anything other than this, we are not showing the true face of God, we are not making God’s name holy, but instead are taking God’s name in vain, misusing God’s name.

It’s not that I didn’t already know this, and it’s not that I think you, dear friend, don’t know this but seeing it, hearing it in this way in a prayer many of us pray so often, it just really reminds us what we are supposed to be about in this life.

Lord, May your name be revered as holy through me.  Amen.