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The Prayer of the Kingdom
 His kingdom will never end.
 —Luke 1:33[Note from the Author: This chapter was part of the original manuscript of 
The Secret Messageof Jesus
(W Publishing Group, 2006). A number of readers of the pre-publication manuscriptsaid they felt it alone was worth the price of the book. We decided to make it available on theinternet to anyone at brianmclaren.net. If you have already read the book, we hope this chapter will help you make the message of the book a part of your daily prayer life. And if you haven’tread the book yet, we hope this chapter will interest you in reading the whole book. You arewelcome to use this chapter in discussion groups, classes, etc. Thanks – Brian D. McLaren)The average person—committed Christian or non-Christian, Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant—most often first encounters the secret message of Jesus in a line of what we often call“The Lord’s Prayer.” Sadly, the prayer has been so often recited in such a bland, thoughtless,autopilot monotone that few people realize what a revolutionary, challenging, and well-craftedwork of art it is. How many millions of people have mouthed the words, “Thy kingdom come”with little or no idea of what they were saying?The prayer, you’ll remember, comes in the section of Jesus’ kingdom manifesto(Matthew 5–7) dealing with three spiritual practices—right between giving to the poor andfasting. Jesus emphasizes the secrecy needed for these practices to have their full impact. Don’t
 
do them for show, Jesus says, to be seen as pious by other people. Instead, do them secretly, withGod as your only audience. Then, your spiritual practices will be truly rewarding.Jesus then gives specific guidance as to the content of prayer for participants in thekingdom of God—and in that context, “The Lord’s Prayer” is presented. Interestingly, in other Gospel accounts, the prayer comes in answer to a specific request from the disciples: “Lord,teach us to pray.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus answers their request with these words:This, then, is how you should pray:Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father willalso forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgiveyour sins. (vv. 9–15)Let’s take a closer look at each line of this prayer of the kingdom.
“Our Father in Heaven”
 
Jesus’s prayer doesn’t address God as king but as Father—not in terms of God’s power but interms of God’s love and relationality. And it addresses God not as
my
Father, but as
our 
Father.In this sense, the person praying alone in private remembers that spirituality in God’s kingdom,while personal, is never individualistic. Although the Father knows every hair of everyindividual head, the word
me
never occurs in the prayer: each request is about “us” and “our”communal concerns.
“Hallowed Be Your Name”
The phrase “hallowed be your name” could be paraphrased “may your name be revered” or “mayyour name be considered holy.” The beautiful dynamic tension—between the intimacy of 
 Father 
and the sacred holiness of the unutterable name of God—seems to vibrate, unspoken, just beneath the surface through the whole prayer, and in the whole kingdom.
“Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done on Earth . . .”
Jesus said we should seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), and the prayer makes thekingdom the first priority. Just as
God’s kingdom
is made parallel to
God’s justice
previously inMatthew 6:33
1
, here
God’s kingdom coming 
is made parallel to
God’s will being done on earthas in heaven
. This, of course, is what a kingdom is—the place where a king’s will is done.Interestingly, Jesus doesn’t teach us to pray, “May your will be done among us disciples as it isin heaven,” or even “May your will be done in Israel.” Jesus’ vision of the kingdom is a reality
 
1
Many English Bibles use the word “righteousness” instead of “justice” in Matthew 6:33.Unfortunately, though, for many people the word “righteousness” is roughly synonymous with“religiosity” or “piety.” That is clearly not Jesus’ intent. In French, Spanish, Italian, and manyother languages, there is only one way to translate the word in the original text:
 justice
. I believeit is a better translation in light of the whole teaching of Jesus.
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