Date: April 6th
Preacher: Pastor Ashley Rosa-Ruggieri
Reading: 1 Chronicles 29:10-18
Theme: Now and Forever
For the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory are yours, Now and Forever. Amen.
Powerful words that finish a powerful prayer that we are on the end of discussing for this season of Lent. This week’s final petition in the Lord’s Prayer ends with the defined certainty of eternity. So that whether we say now and forever amen, OR forever and ever amen, we are acknowledging that for as long as time exists, we give all kingdom, power, and glory to God. Let’s look at each part of this petition that finishes out the Lord’s Prayer individually.
Q: What is the Kingdom of God?
We talk a lot about the kingdom of God, or the reign of Christ, in our faith. It is written about in our scriptures, included in our creeds, and even mentioned already earlier in the Lord’s Prayer. The Kingdom of God is big, expansive, diverse, just, peaceful, grace-filled, open wide. There is a place for everyone in God’s kingdom. Praying that the kingdom is God’s forever and ever means that we as humans, as Christians, do not have final say, approval, or decisions about who is welcome in God’s kingdom. We pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer as a reminder that the kingdom of God is not now, never has been, and never will be owned by any of us individually. Rather, it belongs to all of God’s children, from every place and time, now and forever.
Q: What Power do we give to God?
Power is a tricky thing for humanity. We often want more of it in this world, knowing that whoever has the power, also has the ability to make change in our society. But when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we forsake this power and lay it in God’s hands, never again to pick it up and try to take it for our own purposes. There could be a misconception that by giving power to God, we also give up our own free-will, and are resigned to God’s power over all. But this is not the case for us while we still live on Earth. Adam and Eve tried to take power into their own hands, and so we have been given free-will here on Earth, creating a degree of separation from God’s power now, until we meet once again in our heavenly home, in God’s Kingdom. And so, it is not that God takes all the power and we have no choices, rather it is that we are saying that the power that we as humans tend to hoard for our own uses, we relinquish to God. In doing this we acknowledge that the power we know will never be the Power of God, and follow Jesus by embracing our own humility, and following the way of the cross.
Q: How do we Glorify God?
The final thing we give to God in this petition is the Glory. We do this through praising, worshiping, singing, shouting, sharing, glorifying, praying, dancing, the list could go on. Next week we will be in Holy Week, and we will continually be reminded of a God who became human as an act of humility and suffered death on a cross in a world that is full of violence. This would not seem like a moment of glory. And yet we have a God who through this act redeemed all of humanity and rose again victorious over death, sin, and the grave forever and ever. This is the glory we give to God, what we call the Gospel or the Good News. Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on Earth. Just like David in our reading for tonight who blesses God and gives up much in the name of glorifying the Lord, we too offer all of these things to God—the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory—when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. As we finish out this Lord’s Prayer theme for Lent, I offer you one final reflection question to take with you into Holy Week and the glory of the season of Easter.
Q: How do we faithfully follow God now, and forever and ever?