The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer we pray every Sunday. In one part, we ask the Lord that His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then we ask for daily bread. We often think of bread made with wheat from the fields of the earth, but maybe it is more than baked grain. Considering the earlier request for the inhabitants of the earth to live out the Lord’s will on earth now, as if we are in heaven, maybe we could use some food for the journey. When I think of how far we are from living out the beautiful will of God, I am convinced we need to feast on the grace of God, lest we falter, grow tired, and simply wait for heaven to fall in our laps. All the while, we think or do little to bring this heaven to earth.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within us, the Holy Spirit is within us, and the Kingdom of Heaven is built on this earth as God works through us. It is a journey from within that ventures out into this age of human resistance to do our Lord’s will. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. It is a journey that takes a lot of substance to be a participant.

The sacraments, like the Lord’s Supper, are food for our spirit. In the mystery of God, the bread and the juice open the soul to receive from God what we cannot gather and harvest for ourselves. To pray for God’s kingdom and will to come upon earth is to pray for sight to be restored to the blind—the spiritually blind. An honest look at the world we build reveals more about our will being done than God’s.

We rightly consider grace to be that unearned gift of forgiveness that God has given to us. With a little more thought, we see that creation and our very life are also part of this grace, as well as the ability to forgive as we are forgiven. How about grace as a call to duty? Christianity is not a sideline sport. With our participation, “thy kingdom comes,” not because we make it so, but by the Spirit and grace within us, which calls us to build for something greater than ourselves. It is a lifetime journey that requires nourishment. What better place to receive the food of grace than at the Lord’s own table?

Join us Sunday and let us feast together on the bread of grace!

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick