Key Verse: "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven
and on earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head
over all."
1 Chronicles 29:11
Well, I'm sure that you've noticed by now that the doxology
that we are used to saying, when we end The Christian's Prayer today, isn't
part of the prayer that we've been reading, for the past few days, from Matthew
and Luke. Where did this doxology come from? Why didn't Jesus use it? Why do
we?
There are many different theories concerning the origin of
the doxology that we tack on to The Christian's Prayer. Many of the Jewish
prayers used in Jesus' day did end with some form of doxology. Therefore, some
speculate that the doxology was a given. The disciples knew how to end a
prayer, so Jesus didn't need to teach them that.
Others speculate that the doxology was added later by the
early church. The earliest manuscripts do not include the doxology, but by the
end of the first century, in some manuscripts, it was beginning to be added in
one form or another. Either, members of the early church added it to inform the
Gentiles, who would not have been aware of how to end a prayer to God, or early
Christians assumed that, of course, Jesus originally said it, but Matthew and
Luke just didn't bother to record it.
How it came to be a part of our usual recitation of this
prayer is not clear. However, as you can see from the scriptures above, the
words, "for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the glory for ever and
ever," were a common part of Jewish thought and worship.
The word, "Amen," was also not included by Jesus.
The word, "Amen," can be understood with the phrase, "so be
it," or, "I really mean this." The word "Amen,"
performed kind of like the seal on a document, or the stamp made by a signet
ring. It is a statement that what we have been saying, we really mean. It isn't
just words to us. It is meant from the heart.
We really do believe that God is our Father. We acknowledge
that He is Holy, even His name! We really do want His Will to be done on earth,
as it is in heaven. We do depend upon Him for our daily needs. We do want to be
a forgiving people and we do depend upon Him to walk with us through tests and
trials to give Him glory. This is our prayer. May we now pray it with meaning
as never before. As we meditate on what we are praying, may it transform us in
mind, body and spirit, to become more like Him. "Amen!"
Hymn: "The Lord's Prayer" Just too cute to not share!
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