This time, the author discusses The Lord’s Prayer.
By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist—
“Our Father [Creator] in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6: 9-13).
Your kingdom come.
The Holy Author’s kingdom is now! Every LGBTQ person is empowered to help nurture it. The expansion of civil and human rights are part of the Lord’s ever-unfolding kingdom of inclusion and greater love. In this moment each person, LGBTQ and straight, can be a co-creator bringing about a better world.
Social activism, for example, is about challenges facing the whole community, all of it, not just LGBTQ men and women. Each LGBTQ person can be an example of leadership and compassion. Every LGBTQ person has the ability to be a holy light for others, gay and straight. [pullquote]It’s vital the LGBTQ community continues to respectfully engage with and listen to marriage equality opponents. The kingdom cannot come without supporters of traditional marriage. The kingdom is everyone.[/pullquote]
You are a co-creator. How will you help build people up, even the misguided, the misinformed, the downtrodden, or the homophobic?
A smile, kind word, a genuine expression of empathy to a stranger, regardless of his or her sexuality, helps to bring about the kingdom. Reaffirm the personhood of the individual against marriage equality. It’s vital the LGBTQ community continues to respectfully engage with and listen to marriage equality opponents. The kingdom cannot come without supporters of traditional marriage. The kingdom is everyone.
Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Popular culture isn’t changing God’s will. LGBTQ rights are part of greater cosmological truths. The universe unfolds. Humanity grows and matures. No political correctness can be forced upon the Eternal Architect. Is God so weak human beings can change the “natural order of things?” No.
Patiently, listen to those most concerned about God’s laws being challenged. Assure them the Creator’s will is not being undermined, but revealed. Do not be arrogant and think you’ve won some war or battle. God is on no one’s side. Let everyone be right with God. Focus on healing. All are made by the same Holy Maker and everyone must realize they’re part of the same family. [pullquote]Popular culture isn’t changing God’s will. LGBTQ rights are part of greater cosmological truths. The universe unfolds. Humanity grows and matures.[/pullquote]
Give us this day our daily bread.
Gratefulness is too often taken for granted. How grateful are you for marriage equality? How will you protect it? Sadly, religious liberty battles are on the horizon.
Don’t take your eyesight for granted when experiencing a snowfall or the majesty of autumn.
Everything is a gift. Be grateful. No matter how challenged your life is at this moment, be thankful for something that helps sustain you. [pullquote]Gratefulness is too often taken for granted. How grateful are you for marriage equality? How will you protect it? Sadly, religious liberty battles are on the horizon.[/pullquote]
Sharing holy, sacred daily bread is spiritual sustenance intended for anyone who you encounter.
Offer a meal. Engage in conversation. Sharing daily bread, broadly defined, as a LGBTQ person, with someone like Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who denied marriage licenses to same-gender couples, is a gift to break down barriers.
A Ukrainian mystic once said, “All things necessary are easy and all things difficult are unnecessary.” In an age where status and consumerism is aggressively pursued, the mystic’s teaching is a reminder of the importance of freedom, individualism, and nurturing a sense of self.
The mystic teaches about daily bread in the context of humility, simplicity, perspective, and nurturing positive energy where everyone benefits, even those who condemn you.
*Paul is a corporate chaplain, seminary trained priest, and attorney in greater Albany, NY. Reach him through his website www.CorporateChaplaincy.biz.
