Reflection

Gerhard Lohfink’s short and provocative book, The Our Father, is a beautiful reflection on the Lord’s prayer that is full of praise and wonder. Lohfink explores both the historical and biblical context for the Lord’s prayer, observing that “Every line is about disciples forgetting their own desires and plans for their lives and desiring only what God wills. In that sense it is a dangerous prayer for anyone who prays it.”

Lohfink reminds us that the disciples were traveling without money and weapons as a way of distinguishing themselves from the Zealots, who were trying to establish a kingdom through violent means. The disciples left their homes and the provision of their families, traveling from place to place, relying on a sparse network of sympathizers so that they would be free to preach the good news of God’s kingdom.

Lohfink writes, “. . . this petition is about a new form of society, a new family in which all help each other to enable the proclamation of the reign of God. The post-Easter community called this new form of solidarity agape. The word agape means that each thinks in terms of the other, that each asks what the other needs and helps accordingly. ”

This situation recalls Israel in the desert, waiting each day for God’s provision of manna. There was to be no hoarding, but rather a daily trust in God’s provision.

Action (Lament)

Rather than living in a way that necessitates this daily prayer, many western Christians hoard our “bread” in fear of scarcity. This means less money for missionaries to proclaim the good news. It also means that millions of Christians around the world go hungry. Ponder how our failure to live this prayer impoverishes our witness.