Even the way Jesus models prayer for us helps us to recognize and live in the “new map” his sermon (and subsequent life and teaching) unfold. If the kingdom of heaven is not a place we arrive in the traditional sense, but a reality that we experience and in which we mature, then no wonder Jesus teaches us to pray:
Hallowed be thy name.
Let it come—thy kingdom,
let it be done—thy will.
The phrasing, says Kenneth Bailey, implies both an already-ness to God’s holiness, kingdom, and purposes; alongside an expectation of living depth, more complete experience of all three in real time. So, as we pray these opening words this week, give yourself the space to meditate on what the prayer’s implications for your life and those who you make a life with. Pray and ponder: