Reflection three - “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”

Today I’m inviting you to reflect on the phrase “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The music I am listening to is the beautiful “Dwell among us” sung by Salt of the Sound. You are invited to choose your own music, which speaks to you and when you have listened to it, the reflection begins.

Each week I’m finding a different version of the Lord’s Prayer to share with you and today it is the Lord’s Prayer translated from the original Aramaic, the language Jesus would have used when he first taught this to his disciples.

“O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!
Release a space to plant your Presence here.
Imagine your possibilities now.
Embody your desire in every light and form.
Grow through us this moment’s bread and wisdom.
Untie the knots of failure binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others’ faults.
Help us not forget our Source. Yet free us from not being in the Present.
From you arises every Vision, Power, and Song from gathering to gathering. Amen.”

Returning to the words “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” “Thy” has become a personal pronoun when talking to God. It conveys so much more than “your.” The word “will” is often used in a negative sense, calling a person “wilful” is not usually meant to be complimentary. Yet in the sense of “Thy will” we are talking about God’s will – something pure and perfect, which encapsulates everything that could make our world a wonderful place.

This leads into the terms “earth” and “heaven”. What do these words mean to you? Do you have a vision of heaven? Or a vision of how heaven on earth may look? In Paula Gooder’s book which is simply called “Heaven”, she observes that “believing in heaven is the ultimate rebellion against the idea that this world is all there is.” She also observes that “heaven is not primarily about what happens when we die, heaven is about God’s dwelling place.”

George Herbert, the 17th century priest and poet in his poem “Prayer 1” suggests finding “heaven in ordinary”:

“Prayer the church's banquet, angel's age,
God's breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth
Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tow'r,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,
The land of spices; something understood.”

When we are truly praying, God’s presence breaks through the darkness into our ordinary lives. Elizabeth Barrett-Browning sees earth crammed with heaven in her poem Aurora Leigh:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
This is a truly wonderful thought that we are surrounded by glimpses of heaven on earth, if we take the time to look and to be open to God’s presence.

Over the next week, why not reflect on your glimpses of heaven here on earth? When do you feel the light break through the dark clouds? Treasure these glimpses, hold them close to you and you will be amazed at how much God’s light shines from heaven on earth.

Finally, try to say the Lord’s Prayer as often as you can. It is simple to say and yet so profound. I pray that the words the Lord taught us will become the very foundation for your prayer life and will bring you much comfort as you feel closer to God. Believe me He is listening.

With blessings

Rev Rona