Have you ever wondered how to talk to Source? Most of us have at one point or another. Like children learning to speak, we wonder if there is some special trick to getting the Creator of the Universe to listen.
A long time ago, some folks petitioned the Christ:
"Master, teach us to pray."
And Jesus replied,
"Our Father,
Not, MY Father . . . but OUR Father. Maybe we aren't sure we are important to the Creator, but Jesus arrived on this earth fully enlightened, and included us in the beginning of this prayer. He said OUR. Joint heirs, equal partners, brothers in flesh, mind and spirit.
The Christ was talking to the only Source of energy and power in this universe. He called this Source "Father" because from that very energy Source, he was born, carrying the earmarks and features of this Father in every cell. And since He said the word OUR, Jesus implied that we were also created with all the earmarks and features of Source.
Let's face it, we've got His nose.
which art in heaven,
Where is God? Well, obviously, He's in heaven. So maybe the better question would be, "Where is heaven?"
hallowed be Thy name.
The holy name of God keeps us right-sized. God gets to be God, and we get to be us. There is connection, to be sure, but there is not overlap. No matter how hard we try, in this world, we will always be more human than divine.
Which makes us wonder, will we be more divine in heaven? And if so, just where is heaven? Wait, didn't we just ask that one?
Thy kingdom come,
Please, let it come now. Let us live there right now. Once we surrender to You, God, we know what kingdom living is. In the kingdom, we are protected and safe. There is provision for our needs. There is great love and support. We grow stronger and more whole. We are surrounded with love and light.
Until we surrendered to you, God, we knew what life outside the kingdom was like. It was dangerous and hurtful. There was never enough and we were never enough. We were lonely and broken. We grew more and more discouraged. We walked in darkness.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This sounds like a clue. Obviously, in heaven, God's will is done. And we can desire that God's will is done on earth, just like it is done in heaven. Could that be possible for us today? Right here and now?
So, it is clear that we will recognize heaven because God's will is being carried out. We will walk in alignment with His plans for us, and we will not suffer the pain of separation.
Give us this day our daily bread,
If we have provision for today, we are safe. Hey, wait! Is this another clue? If we ask only for the needs of the day, we land in the "provision and safety" spot. Those are the same words we used to describe the kingdom.
Is God's kingdom heaven?
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
You mean, we get forgiven according to how we forgive others? We get what we give, so to speak? If we want love and forgiveness, we must give it to others. That equates to love and support. Hmmm, another line from our definition of kingdom life.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
Since these are hooked up, does it mean that temptation can lead to evil? If so, if we stay away from people, places and things that tempt us to lose our authenticity, will we avoid evil?
for Thine is the Kingdom,
Here's the kingdom thing again. It seems to belong to God, but we can stay there. Other than forgiving others, are there any other rules in this kingdom?
the power
We need that power. On our own, we have so little. It's good to know we have a Father with some juice.
and the glory forever.
We've had a little glory here and there. 100% on a spelling test. First place in a water balloon fight. We remember these triumphs with pride. But to have glory FOREVER. Wow. That is saying something about SOURCE. That is really saying something BIG about Source. GLORY FOREVER. Whew!
Amen."
And, so it is.
And so, what is? We are heirs to the universe because it belongs to our Father. We can visit our Pops in heaven, which seems to be closer than we think. We will get what we need one day at a time, so we don't lose sight of what is REAL. We can be forgiven as easily as we forgive, so second chances can come easily. And if we remain true to ourselves, we can avoid the temptation that leads us back into the darkness. And we get all this because we live in the kingdom of our Father who has all the power we will ever need, and who lives in a constant state of glory because of His greatness.
Not a bad deal. Not bad at all.
