The Lord's Prayer (#3)

Our Father who art in heaven,
      hallowed be thy name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
      on earth as it is in heaven.
            ------------------------
I try to keep up my speed,
      but I stumble over these words;
puzzled by these ideas:
       kingdom and your will;
befuddled by what I am praying.

If your kingdom = your will done,
      why do I pray?
If we Americans know anything,
      it’s how to do our own thing;
no need to ask us to do our will,
      so why ask you to do yours?
Just do it.

But if your kingdom = your will done by us,
      now that’s a prayer worth praying.
We don’t do anything without a payoff,
      though we might obey, as long as,
our rights and entitlements remain in place;
      but if that’s what you want, you can
Just forget it.

Some say your kingdom has already come:
      at Pentecost after the resurrection;
when the Spirit came on the apostles,
      and so many heard about Jesus.
Over 3,000 believed and were baptized,
      so your kingdom is…
Just finished?

Your kingdom come, your will be done;
      I still linger here while singing begins.
“Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” and then
      “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
So are we praying for new, more humane
      crusades to establish your kingdom?
Just count me out.

I’ve heard that anywhere people turn
      in obedience to you,
is a place where the kingdom of heaven
      is breaking through on earth;
your sovereignty waits for us
      to declare our allegiance to you:
Just decide who will be Lord.

Your kingdom is not like human empires,
      built on power, force, and self-assertion;
your kingdom resists all forms of pride:
      arrogance, conceit, narcissism, vanity.
Instead, your reign is founded on humility,
      the cornerstone, your immeasurable gift.
Just imagine it.

A king who washes dirty feet on earth,
      to answer a debate over the greatest;
a crazy upside-down kingdom where
      self is given away for the other.
A reign that invites us to genuine life
      by giving away our lives:
Just find your life by losing it.

Your kingdom come, your will be done,
      on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen

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