“‘…Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name…'”
Matthew 6:9 NIV
Our Father in Heaven
A descendant of slaves herself, former governor general Michaëlle Jean is not afraid to broach the subject of slavery in Canada. She says in “Haven, But No Heaven,” the first episode of Black Life: Untold Stories. ”Of course, Nouvelle France, [the] French Empire and the British Empire [were] colonial. And they were slavers.”
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We Christians get used to having an intimate relationship with our Creator God. So, it surprised me some years ago when I heard that the US Senate was asking the Senate chaplain to not use the term “our Father” in his prayer, since that was considered a uniquely Christian concept. In no other religion is God referred to in such an intimate manner. My first thought was, “well, doesn’t that tell you something about the uniqueness of our faith as followers of Jesus.” When Jesus taught us to pray, He told us to start by using “Our Father” because while He is the majestic, glorious, all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe, through faith in Jesus, we know Him as our Abba Father. Jesus taught us, in Matthew 6:9, when asked by His first disciples to teach them how to pray, “‘…Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…’” In this one statement, we see the tension – He is the all-hallowed One, the majestic One, the God to whom we must all one day appear, but at the same time “our Father.” How much love do these two words portray. Worship Him and love Him like a father.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley