Our Father

Not my Father, Our Father. Creating Parent of children, women and men of all races, nationalities, ethnicities, skin colors, voices. Our Father.

Who is in heaven

You are in heaven and in every dark cranny and lit nook on earth. You are present in every prison cell, playground, mountain top, valley, gathering, hospital, demonstration, and at every table.

Hallowed, holy, is your name.

You who gave humans the ability to create languages; You who allowed humans to use their languages to name you. Holy is your name. El Roi, the One Who Sees Me.

El Roi, the first name given you by a human. Hagar named you that because you saw and responded to her cries of desperation for her and her unborn son. You saw Hagar, an African, pregnant, abused, run away slave. You spoke to her and made her a promise. Her story is recorded in the holy texts of Muslims, Jews, and Christians. El Roi, holy is your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your kingdom, not humanity’s democracy, nor our monarchy, nor our republic, nor our dictatorship, nor our fiefdom. Your kingdom come to earth.

Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; of such is the kingdom of God. Your kingdom for all people. Equally available for all. No exclusions.

Your will be done.

Justice, mercy, compassion; attention to the cries of the oppressed; provision for the widows and orphans; welcome to strangers and aliens; food and drink to those who hunger and thirst; salvation to all who seek.

Turning away from sin. Humility. Seeking to understand. Peacemaking.

On earth as it is in heaven.

In heaven people from every race and nation gather to worship You: side by side, in every language, singing, praying, mingled together. In heaven, where we sit at the heavenly banquet table and pass the bread to the person that we thought was our enemy on earth.

Give us today our daily bread.

There is enough of the earth’s resources for every child, woman and man to eat, to have their needs met. There is enough bread, pita, naan, tortilla, ghost bread, gluten containing and gluten free bread for everyone. There is enough clean water. There is enough rice and beans.

Open our minds and hearts to see the people with whom we need to share our bread.

Forgive us our sins.

We name our sins to repent of them; we name our sins in order to turn away from them. Greed, self-centeredness, judging others, racism.

Open our minds and hearts to recognize the plank in our own eye instead of judging the speck in our neighbor’s eye.

As we forgive those who sin against us.

We seek to love with your love and not take offense at the behavior of others. Forgive us for keeping score cards of offenses and sins.

Lead us not into temptation.

We have asked for forgiveness. We have forgiven. We are forgiven. Now we ask to not be drawn back into those sinful thoughts, words, and actions as old habits, ways of living and believing are tempting to return to.

This is a time to weep for the injustices our sisters and brothers who are people of color have endured; a time to refrain from justifying ourselves. This is a time to listen; a time to refrain from assigning motives to the behaviors of others.

For yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory.

The supremacy and rule, the power and authority, the glory and praise do not belong to humanity but to You. Help us to remember that today.

Now and forever.

This moment, this ‘now’ around the globe, is created by You. Time is yours. The next moment is yours. You are timeless yet You created time as a gift to humanity to order our lives. May we use it wisely to accomplish your will.

Amen.

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