+ 1st Lenten Midweek - February 21st, 2024 +
1st Petition of the Lord’s Prayer
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
Milton, WA
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
A name does many things.
A name tag identifies you. Hello, my name is… In earlier days of the Christian faith you would receive your name on the day you were baptized. The same day you were given the name of the Trinity in water and word and promise.
A name communicates.
A name is a gift. It is given. Placed upon you. In Holy Baptism God gives you his name. He places his name upon you. You are his. You belong to him.
A name has meaning.
There’s power and authority in a name…when you sign a will, buy a car, or a house. Or even when you sign for an Amazon package.
Your name can stand for something. Known for something. Your name is your reputation. As in the Lord’s name…The Lord, the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Names are called upon and there is a presence that comes with a name. Like when children call out “Dad” “Mom.” and they come running to help.
Your name guarantees you have the money when you sign a check. A name comes with a promise.
All of this - and more of course - is happening with God’s name. And when we pray in God’s name in the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be Thy Name.”
If a name does many things, how much more is it true of God’s name. God’s name is a gift. God’s name identifies you: he claims you as his own and calls you by faith when he put his name upon you in your Baptism. God’s name has authority and power. That is why the Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s name… “Our Father…Hallowed be Thy Name”
Here in the 1st Petition God’s name is full of his promise for you. God’s name is his presence for you. And most of all…God’s name is a person. How do we know God’s name? Look at Jesus. You want to know God’s name and his promise, his presence, and his peace? Look to Christ. He is God’s name in the flesh for you. And through him, you are given God’s name.
It’s no accident that the Lord’s Prayer begins this way (and so do all good prayers) - by calling upon the Name of the Lord. We hear this all over the Psalms: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124). Something similar happens every church service. God’s Triune name begins the service. God’s triune name blesses us as the service ends. And in between we sing, pray, praise, and give thanks in his name.
Your life before God begins the same way the Lord’s Prayer does. When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name” we are remembering that the name we call upon in prayer, God’s holy name, is the same name that he gave you and placed His holy name upon you with tap water and his word of promise.
When the high priest in the Old Testament went into God’s presence in the holy of holies in the tabernacle, he wore a head piece which said: holy to the Lord.
When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name” …Those words take us back to the place where the Holy Trinity placed his saving name upon you. On your forehead. With water. With word. With his presence. His promise. When God spoke his word, washed you, and placed his name upon you, he made you a priest, and put a mark on your head that says: holy to the Lord.
God also leads you in His name. The Psalms speak this way: “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” (Psalm 23)
When we pray Hallowed be Thy Name, we are praying that God’s name would be kept holy among us also. Our words. Our words with each other. Our words with our neighbors. Our teaching of God’s words. That our life as his baptized holy people, especially in his church, in what we say and do, would be like the priests, clothed in garments as they entered the tabernacle: holy to the Lord.
“How is God’s name kept holy? God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!”
When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name” we are also praying against ourselves and our sinful flesh. This prayer is the opposite of what our sinful flesh loves to do. We love to make a name for ourselves. We love when our name is the center of attention. The problem is, unlike God’s name, our name isn’t holy in itself. And neither are our lives. A quick run through of the commandments reveals that we live contrary to God’s word and name all the time. We don’t fear, love, and trust in him above all things. We fail to call upon his name. We look for comfort rest anywhere else but God’s word and gifts. We don’t honor others in authority over us. We’re often angry and murder our brother in our hearts and minds and words. We are full of sinful lusts and selfish desires. We’re greedy. Liars. And never content. If we’re honest, we’d much rather pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer this way: “hallowed be my name.”
This is why the Lord’s Prayer begins with these words… “Hallowed be Thy Name” Because it is not our name that saves us. It is not our lives that make us holy to the Lord.
You are saved in the name of Jesus. Jesus’ word gives you life. Jesus' life makes you holy to the Lord.
For all the times we’ve lived contrary to the name and word of God, Jesus lived a holy life for you. For all the times we have profaned the name of the Lord in thought, word, and deed…Jesus pardons you. Remember the name given by the angel to Joseph. You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21). Savior – That’s Jesus’ name. And that’s what he does for you.
In Jesus' holy resurrection, in Jesus’ holy word, water, body and blood you are holy to the Lord.
The 1st Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is God’s promise to you. You are holy in Christ. Hallowed by the holy blood of Jesus. Sanctified in the saving death of the Son of God. Pure and spotless in the Lamb who was slain for you. You are marked with the name of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And that’s the name that’s given to you. You are baptized in God’s holy name. You are saved in God’s holy name. You are given faith by God’s holy name. You are rescued and redeemed for the sake of God’s name. You are holied in God’s name. You pray in God’s name. And you live in God’s name.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.
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