The First Petition: Hallowed Be Thy Name
Sermon
What's That Supposed To Mean?
Using The Catechism In The 21st Century
Object:
The Lord's Prayer -- The First Petition
Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean? God's name is indeed holy in itself; but we pray in this petition that it may be holy among us also. How is this done? When the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead a holy life according to it. This grant us, dear Father in heaven. But he that teaches and lives otherwise than God's Word teaches, profanes the name of God among us. From this preserve us, Heavenly Father.
Ask anyone if he or she believes in God and you will usually get the answer, "Of course I believe in God." But ask what God they believe in, and they'll say, "What do you mean, which God! I believe in the Lord." Our money says, "In God We Trust." One cannot be a Boy Scout or join the Masonic lodge or other lodges unless one says he believes in God. How many times do we read in Reader's Digest or hear on some television news program someone say, "The Lord did this or that for me"? But that doesn't mean they are talking about the same Lord or God you and I talk about. Almost every religion uses the words "god" or "lord" as names for the supernatural being they worship. But there are many supernatural beings. "All roads lead up the same mountain," some say. "It makes no difference." Because of this, the names "God" or "Lord" are basically meaningless when we are outside the walls of our church. "God" or "Lord" are not specific enough. It's like those generic brands we see in stores -- white boxes with plain black labeling that have no brand name. Yet what is in the box or can is not always from the same source.
A similar situation existed in the land of the Israelites, from the days of Moses up to a few hundred years before Christ came. Ask anyone if he believed in "the Lord," and he would say, "Of course." The word they used was a common name for supernatural beings, "Baal," which means something like our word "Lord." It's what one called a person of authority. Sarah called Abraham "her Baal." The kings were called "Baals." Even Jehovah is called "Baal" in the original language. You can imagine the confusion and irritation many people had when preachers began telling people that the Lord they worshiped was a devil. "Everybody worships the Lord. What difference does it make if we up north worship the Lord by sacrificing babies to him and sacred dances, and you down south worship him by dancing around your maypoles and spending an hour with one of the virgin priestesses?" The various Baals had other names like Marduk, El. The people even called Jehovah "Baal." Folks in those days would say something like, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet -- Baal by any other name is still God."
In the Lord's Prayer we say, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." Did you know that some Jews and other religions use this prayer in their worship? We and they all use the words "Lord" and "Father" to speak of God. So are we speaking to the same God? No. Whose name do we want to hallow? "Will the real heavenly Father please stand up!" Consider what Jesus of Nazareth once said in a prayer to God: "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name -- the name you gave me -- so that they may be one as we are one." Here Jesus talks about a name that He and God the heavenly Father have in common. Jesus claimed to be God! Who can I give my name to? Only to my children. Jesus claims to be the Son of God. Paul picks up on this when he writes that God the heavenly Father gave to Jesus "the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven, on earth and beneath the earth." Only one name is above all other names -- God's name. Clearly, Jesus believed that His name was Jehovah. The apostles believed that also, because many times they quoted Old Testament Scriptures that spoke about Jehovah, and said that these were talking about Jesus. So if a person worships a God whose name is not Jesus, he is worshiping a false God. And if a person worships someone called Jesus, but his Jesus is not God over all, it is a false Jesus.
So only Christians can hallow God's name. If anyone else besides a Christian prays the Lord's Prayer, he is misusing God's name. "Hallow" means "to treat as holy or sacred." Jesus tells us how. "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." "Sanctify" (a Latin word) means the same thing as "hallow" (the Old English way of saying it). First, before we can hallow or sanctify God's name, He must hallow or sanctify us! He gives us His Holy Spirit -- His "Spirit of Hallowness." When God does this for us, a change takes place. We begin to believe what we need to believe. Then, we begin to behave like we ought to behave. That's because a holy person becomes like the one who is the pattern of all holiness, Jesus Christ. We were baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That means God plans to make us like Him. And the tool He uses is, as Jesus said, His Word. "Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth." John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Thus God sanctifies us, hallows us, through Jesus Christ.
That means that the only way God's name can be hallowed is, as Dr. Luther so nicely put it, "when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity and we as the children of God also lead a holy life according to it." While it is often unpleasant to have to tell people that the lord or god they worship is a devil, or say that they do not teach God's Word in its truth and purity, to stay silent is to bring dishonor on the name of Jesus by allowing demons or their doctrines to get the same honor as Jesus. Lutherans are not "fundamentalists." Fundamentalists say that there are certain doctrines that must be believed, but that the rest are open for debate. Lutherans believe that no doctrine is open for debate because Jesus said, "Teach them all that I have taught you." We must point out false doctrine and cults and work to correct error. We must pray that God would help us keep our doctrine straight. But we must also pray that God would change our hearts so that our behavior doesn't bring dishonor to Him either. Bad behavior brings dishonor to God as much as bad doctrine. We get help for all this as we study the Scriptures and use God's sacraments.
Prayer: While we remain in this world, Holy Father, protect us by the power of Your name -- the name You gave Jesus -- so that we may be one as You and Jesus are one. Give us the full measure of joy Jesus wanted us to have. He gave us Your Word and the world has hated us, for we are not of the world any more than Jesus is of the world. Protect us from the Evil One because we are not of the world. Sanctify us by the truth which we find in Your Word and sacraments. Amen.
Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean? God's name is indeed holy in itself; but we pray in this petition that it may be holy among us also. How is this done? When the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead a holy life according to it. This grant us, dear Father in heaven. But he that teaches and lives otherwise than God's Word teaches, profanes the name of God among us. From this preserve us, Heavenly Father.
Ask anyone if he or she believes in God and you will usually get the answer, "Of course I believe in God." But ask what God they believe in, and they'll say, "What do you mean, which God! I believe in the Lord." Our money says, "In God We Trust." One cannot be a Boy Scout or join the Masonic lodge or other lodges unless one says he believes in God. How many times do we read in Reader's Digest or hear on some television news program someone say, "The Lord did this or that for me"? But that doesn't mean they are talking about the same Lord or God you and I talk about. Almost every religion uses the words "god" or "lord" as names for the supernatural being they worship. But there are many supernatural beings. "All roads lead up the same mountain," some say. "It makes no difference." Because of this, the names "God" or "Lord" are basically meaningless when we are outside the walls of our church. "God" or "Lord" are not specific enough. It's like those generic brands we see in stores -- white boxes with plain black labeling that have no brand name. Yet what is in the box or can is not always from the same source.
A similar situation existed in the land of the Israelites, from the days of Moses up to a few hundred years before Christ came. Ask anyone if he believed in "the Lord," and he would say, "Of course." The word they used was a common name for supernatural beings, "Baal," which means something like our word "Lord." It's what one called a person of authority. Sarah called Abraham "her Baal." The kings were called "Baals." Even Jehovah is called "Baal" in the original language. You can imagine the confusion and irritation many people had when preachers began telling people that the Lord they worshiped was a devil. "Everybody worships the Lord. What difference does it make if we up north worship the Lord by sacrificing babies to him and sacred dances, and you down south worship him by dancing around your maypoles and spending an hour with one of the virgin priestesses?" The various Baals had other names like Marduk, El. The people even called Jehovah "Baal." Folks in those days would say something like, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet -- Baal by any other name is still God."
In the Lord's Prayer we say, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." Did you know that some Jews and other religions use this prayer in their worship? We and they all use the words "Lord" and "Father" to speak of God. So are we speaking to the same God? No. Whose name do we want to hallow? "Will the real heavenly Father please stand up!" Consider what Jesus of Nazareth once said in a prayer to God: "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name -- the name you gave me -- so that they may be one as we are one." Here Jesus talks about a name that He and God the heavenly Father have in common. Jesus claimed to be God! Who can I give my name to? Only to my children. Jesus claims to be the Son of God. Paul picks up on this when he writes that God the heavenly Father gave to Jesus "the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven, on earth and beneath the earth." Only one name is above all other names -- God's name. Clearly, Jesus believed that His name was Jehovah. The apostles believed that also, because many times they quoted Old Testament Scriptures that spoke about Jehovah, and said that these were talking about Jesus. So if a person worships a God whose name is not Jesus, he is worshiping a false God. And if a person worships someone called Jesus, but his Jesus is not God over all, it is a false Jesus.
So only Christians can hallow God's name. If anyone else besides a Christian prays the Lord's Prayer, he is misusing God's name. "Hallow" means "to treat as holy or sacred." Jesus tells us how. "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." "Sanctify" (a Latin word) means the same thing as "hallow" (the Old English way of saying it). First, before we can hallow or sanctify God's name, He must hallow or sanctify us! He gives us His Holy Spirit -- His "Spirit of Hallowness." When God does this for us, a change takes place. We begin to believe what we need to believe. Then, we begin to behave like we ought to behave. That's because a holy person becomes like the one who is the pattern of all holiness, Jesus Christ. We were baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That means God plans to make us like Him. And the tool He uses is, as Jesus said, His Word. "Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth." John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Thus God sanctifies us, hallows us, through Jesus Christ.
That means that the only way God's name can be hallowed is, as Dr. Luther so nicely put it, "when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity and we as the children of God also lead a holy life according to it." While it is often unpleasant to have to tell people that the lord or god they worship is a devil, or say that they do not teach God's Word in its truth and purity, to stay silent is to bring dishonor on the name of Jesus by allowing demons or their doctrines to get the same honor as Jesus. Lutherans are not "fundamentalists." Fundamentalists say that there are certain doctrines that must be believed, but that the rest are open for debate. Lutherans believe that no doctrine is open for debate because Jesus said, "Teach them all that I have taught you." We must point out false doctrine and cults and work to correct error. We must pray that God would help us keep our doctrine straight. But we must also pray that God would change our hearts so that our behavior doesn't bring dishonor to Him either. Bad behavior brings dishonor to God as much as bad doctrine. We get help for all this as we study the Scriptures and use God's sacraments.
Prayer: While we remain in this world, Holy Father, protect us by the power of Your name -- the name You gave Jesus -- so that we may be one as You and Jesus are one. Give us the full measure of joy Jesus wanted us to have. He gave us Your Word and the world has hated us, for we are not of the world any more than Jesus is of the world. Protect us from the Evil One because we are not of the world. Sanctify us by the truth which we find in Your Word and sacraments. Amen.
