Text: 1 Chronicles 29:1, 5b-6, 9-13; Luke 19:28-40
In our confirmation lessons this month, we are exploring the vows that these young folks will make on May 15.
They will stand before this church and pledge to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world and repent of their sin.
They will accept the freedom and power God gives them to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
They will confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and promise to serve him in the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races.
And I can’t help but realize that they will be standing here, proclaiming:
For Thine is the Kingdom…
For Thine is the Power…
For Thine is the Glory… forever and ever.
Today, we wrap up our exploration of the prayer that Jesus taught us.
It is so familiar to us, and yet there is still so much to learn and discover about these few simple words.
And one of the surprising things about the phrase of the prayer we are focusing on for today is that it is not included in the gospels of either Matthew or Luke.
If you were to pull out your Bible, and looked at Matthew, it would, however, likely include the phrase in brackets or italics or even a footnote.
And that is because other ancient sources did include this ending… most notably The Didache… and it was then included in some copies and translations of Matthew as time went on.
Didache literally means teaching and this document is the oldest existing catechism of the Christian faith.
Basically, it is like a confirmation lesson guide for the first Christians!
It teaches Christian ethics, and about the rituals of the church and how the church is organized.
And it includes the version of the Lord’s Prayer… with the ending… that we are all so familiar with today.
In fact, it instructs those in the faith to pray this prayer three times every day… just as we have invited you to practice during this Lenten season.
In the chapter for this week from our study book, Adam Hamilton notes that the language of this ending, this doxology, this praise for God, is inspired by our scripture from 1 Chronicles for today which recounts the words of King David.
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.”
Yours is the power.
Yours is the glory.
Yours is the kingdom.
Forever and ever.
Our scripture lesson for this morning is actually a sort of altar call or a request for the people of the land to give freely of their own resources to help build the temple of God.
David himself wanted to build this home for God’s presence, but because of his own sin, God replied that it would have to be carried out by David’s son, Solomon.
I think often of the fact that David, this man after God’s own heart, made such terrible mistakes in his life.
He harmed people who were in his care.
And there was probably a bit of pride that tempted him to make up for it by dedicating this temple to the glory of God… a temple that might come with his own name attached to it.
But he let go of his own power and wealth and pride and glory.
He remembers that this is not about him, but about God and David puts his full energy into setting his son up for success in this task.
David begins to gather the materials that will be needed and makes an offering from his own resources and treasures. Then, he invites the leaders among the people to give from their own hearts and treasures as well.
Wealth and riches and raw materials and precious gems are all laid before the Lord.
For as David rightly proclaims, it all comes from you God… we have only given you what already belongs to you.
Which is the same message Paul shares with the Romans, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” (11:36)
Paul goes on to write to the church:
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what [God] wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12: 1-2, MSG)
Take your everyday, ordinary life and place it before God as an offering.
All of which is another way of saying:
Thine, not mine, is Kingdom.
Thine, not mine, is the power.
Thine, not mine, is the glory.
I’m going to offer what I have up to you, O God, because it all already belongs to you anyways.
I surrender to your will.
I will love and care for those people you put in my path.
I will confess the places I’ve strayed and turn my attention back to you so that you can forgive me.
I will let you lead me and guide me, rather than the forces of the world around me.
You will be my focus today and tomorrow and as long as I breathe.
Today is not just the end of our series on the Lord’s Prayer, but the start of Holy Week.
On this Palm Sunday, we recall the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
And I can’t help but think about the disciples and the crowds who gathered to line the streets.
They recognized in Jesus the power and the glory of God.
They were ready and willing to offer up their lives and their resources to follow Jesus and to work for God’s kingdom.
They set aside their own safety and privilege and power in order to praise and worship God.
And all of this because they caught a glimpse of what it truly meant to allow God to take hold of their lives.
John Vest reflects upon the power of this moment and I want to close today by sharing some of his words:
“Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem was more than a show, more than a simple provocation, more than the beginning of a cute celebration.
It was a signal that things are changing, an unmistakably potent message to the powers that be that the world as we know it is becoming the world as it should be.
It was a radical act of defiance directed against those in his day who wielded power through violence, oppression, and tyranny…
This simple ride reminds us – and tells the whole world – that you are indeed coming to make all things new.
You are coming to release those who find themselves in all manners of bondage: chains of injustice… addiction… conformity and apathy.
You are coming to provide for the poor: food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless.
You are coming to assure the dignity and equality of all who are marginalized or oppressed.
You are coming to end violence and divisions, to provide safe communities and opportunities for education.
You are coming to offer healing and wholeness, comfort, consolation, and hope.
You are coming to transform all that we know.
You are coming to save us.” (https://re-worship.blogspot.com/search?q=palm+sunday+meditation)
God’s kingdom…
God’s power…
God’s glory…
It is all breaking into this world.
May we, like those first disciples… and like those faithful leaders… set aside our crowns and pledge allegiance to the only one who can truly save us.
May it be so. Amen.