Hallowed be Thy Name

Hallowed be Thy name…  The word “hallowed” means holy, set apart. While calling God “Father” emphasises his personal love and tenderness, we are also reminded that God is GOD! God is not a silly grandfather, but the holy Lord of the universe. God welcomes us as God’s children, but we should always remember that this is a privilege, not a right. It’s a gift of God’s love.

This is also a good reminder that we should treat God’s name with honor in all of our speech, not only in prayer. Does your life demonstrate that you’re a child of the holy God?

Our Father...

Our Father, which art in Heaven…

One of the most powerful images of God in the Bible is God the Father. The problem is that the word father has very different connotations for different people. For some, father brings to mind the smell of after-shave, or scratchy whiskers when being kissed goodnight; of being pushed on swings, having heart-to-heart talks, and knowing there was always someone strong who would be there if you got in trouble. For others, father is a distant figure, unapproachable, unpredictable, even frightening – “Just wait until your father gets home!” And if that’s what father means to you, trusting Father God may be a real challenge.

 When praying the Lord’s Prayer, remember that we are not intended to judge God by the sins of our fathers. Rather, we learn what fatherhood is meant to be by looking at God! If you’re a dad, understand that the measure of your manhood is the degree to which you embody God’s character in your family. And, if you’re feeling lost and alone, remember that you have a father in Heaven who loves you.

The Lord's Prayer - Part 1

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be writing some thoughts on the Lord's Prayer.  Your feedback will be appreciated!

Almost every Sunday, as part of the Prayers of the People, we pray what has come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” This is the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples when they came to him and requested, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). It is also found in Matthew 6. This prayer, directly from the mouth of Jesus, reminds us of several important truths about our relationship with God.

“Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…”

The first thing you notice might be that most Christians pray this prayer  in “old English” using “Thy” and “Thine.” This isn’t because we’re supposed to use fancy language when addressing God. Actually, it’s a reflection of the fact that many of us learned the Lord’s Prayer from the King James translation of the Bible (Now celebrating it’s 400th birthday). That’s the way that educated people talked back then! Thy, thou, and thine were used to address any person at the time – not just God.

A more modern translation of Jesus’ words puts it this way:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Mat. 6:9 (NLT)

Which is exactly what it means!
Next – Our Father...

Crying babies

When your baby is crying, should you pick her up, or let her cry herself to sleep?

You've been told that picking up the baby will spoil him, or teach him to manipulate you.

Let's see what Mr T has to say about it!  (Seriously, this is my good friend Bryan Post, who is a great therapist who works with traumatized kids and their families. A funny video, with a valid teaching.)