Prayer

I’ve often admitted that holding onto a book awhile before reading it only intensifies my curiosity. Checking books out of the library is easy. Getting them read within a couple weeks and returned is not. After renewing my hold on The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of THE LORD’s PRAYER the maximum amount, I finally read it this week, past due.

Surely something that John Dominic Crossan writes was bound to be as revolutionary as the prayer itself. Having only really prayed the Lord’s Prayer in earnest in recent years, I knew there was more to it than I ever heard in Sunday school. To say that it was given as little credence as possible in my ‘the only rule is no rule’ childhood church is light. But, I knew it was important. I knew I didn’t know why.

Although I never opened the book, I carried it around enough for my brother-in-law to comment on the author, mentioning that he didn’t think I’d appreciate the theology. Of all the things I’ve discussed with my brother-in-law, it’s seldom theology, so I thought Crossan must be a process theologian. However, in just about his opening lines, he decisively rejects that theology. Hmm, my interest is more greatly piqued.

Crossan instead dives into the historical and biblical relevance of the poetic phrasing and wording of this universal, great prayer. Although some aspects of this prayer have always been more difficult than others to understand (a modern Americans’ understanding of kingdom, for example), I found that on every single level I had much to learn.

My primary question of God is will. I understand the elements: love, kindness, peace, humility. I never understood Jesus’ acceptance of ‘God’s will’ and praying for the same will, always having naturally combined the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. I never could align how Jesus dying could possibly be God’s will. (Jesus acting out righteousness causing him to be killed I get.) I can understand immediately how Jesus resurrecting is God’s will. In the discussion of this prayer, Crossan gave me a new viewpoint by which to consider God’s will.

Through the reading of the Lord’s Prayer in historical context and theological detail my future praying will be infused with greater enthusiasm, and hopefully inspiration for my part in this household of God’s.