Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
In addition to a psalm, new testament reading and Gospel reading, Morning Prayer offers the luxury of praying the Lord’s Prayer daily. The more I pray it, the richer I find it. This morning, sitting in the airport after awakening at 3:00 for an early flight, I’m struck by the line, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This, I believe is one of the most important, and convicting petitions we make. Every time we pray this prayer, we ask God to make the all-wonderous, all-loving, all-forgiving nature of heaven happen here on earth. And while I absolutely believe God could make it happen with or without our involvement, I believe we are integral in this petition.
We pray that God’s will, God’s dream, be a reality in our world. We are the ones who are in our world, and I believe we are the ones called to bring that dream to a reality. Here. Now. Us. How we do this is as varied as those of us who are here. We each have a part to play. We each have our gifts and talents. We are each called to offer them to make God’s kingdom come. Not only are we called to do that, we pray it every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Today, I head off to a conference of people who train and support and shepherd deacons in the Episcopal church. It’s a small role, considering all of God’s purposes and plans and people in the world. But it’s my small little role. I do it, hopefully to help thy kingdom come. What are you going to do today to bring God’s dream here, on earth as it is in heaven?
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