The Beautiful Heresy- Christian Universalism: The Lord's Prayer- Like You've Never Heard It

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Lord's Prayer- Like You've Never Heard It

This morning we were discussing why it is that G-d seems so distant to many of us. One of the quotes that popped up on my "Quote of the Day" was:

They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.
- Emily Dickinson

One of the guys on the list asked why is we think of G-d that way and what immediately popped into my mind was the opening line of the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father who are in Heaven

In heaven... out there somewhere, not here. This is the G-d I was taught and the way I was taught the Lord's Prayer. But, Marcus Borg rewrote "The Prayer of Jesus", as he calls it for the study guide to The Heart of Christianity (one of my all time favorite books that I cannot recommend highly enough).

Marcus wrote it this way:

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-Bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be.
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by all peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.

Amen.

Now that is a prayer I can relate to. But, I was blown away even more by these two links to the Lord's prayer translated from the Aramaic that Yehsua spoke. Of course, we cannot know His exact words since there wasn't a stenographer present. But, any of these versions just make the King James seem flat and dead, IMO.