“Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”
Third Sermon on the Lord’s Prayer
Easter IV; May 7, 2006
Amos 5:8-13
I’m always a little hesitant when people claim to know exactly what the will of God is for everyone. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a lack of faith on my part to be a little unclear about such things: that it is clearly God’s will for women to be quiet and obey their husbands, rather than have voices of their own in the life of the Church; or that it is clearly God’s will for homosexual relationships to be treated exactly the same as heterosexual relationships; or that it is clearly God’s will for the United States to support unquestioningly anything the government of the State of Israel does – have I touched one of your hot buttons yet? Do you want me to keep going?
This year Presbyterians celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the ordination of women as deacons1 and last year we celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the ordination of women as elders.2 The first woman ordained as an elder in our presbytery was Mary Koons, in Carson, Iowa in 1934; the first in Clarinda was Sarah Campbell here at Westminster in 1973, followed shortly by Frances Pfander at Trinity in 1974. This year we also celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the ordination of a woman as a minister of the Word and Sacrament: Margaret Towner, on October 24, 1956 – just a little more than two weeks before I was born. So I take it for granted that it is the will of God for women to serve as officers in the Church of Jesus Christ, just as it is the will of God for men to serve; that is how it has been my entire life.
Some of you remember the debates, I’m sure, and remember the change. And you should all be aware that it is not taken for granted throughout the world that the will of God is for women to serve as officers, just as it is for men to serve. Roman Catholics, as you know, do not ordain women to the same offices as men, and neither do the Eastern Orthodox. You may be interested to know, however, that Orthodox theologians are considering the ordination of women to the diaconate, as a restoration of something that clearly existed in the early Church. In fact, in October 2004, under the leadership of the Metropolitan of Athens, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece voted to reopen the diaconate to women.3 Now, I do not expect to live to see female Greek Orthodox priests, but then, many did not expect to see female Anglican bishops, either.
I review all this to remind you that much of the time we struggle together to know what is the will of God, and there is often diversity among Christians as to what truly is the will of God. So, part of what we are asking when we pray, “Your will be done on earth as in heaven” is for God to show us the divine will and give us strength and commitment to do it. Much of the time, however, we allow our debates over the will of God on certain matters to distract us from doing the will of God when we know perfectly well what God’s will is.
The prophet Amos points out three things in this text. I hope that you and I will take them to heart. He points out that the One who declares His will is the one who fashioned the stars in the sky, who causes the earth to turn under the Sun, and who brings down the powerful. When God clearly declares His will, God has every right to expect us to do His will: God made us, God can unmake us, and God can make things pretty uncomfortable for those who do not obey. Hold that thought and do not be too quick to reject it; I’ll come back to it.
The prophet also points out that people are disinclined to do God’s will, at least the people he is speaking to. Who are they? He is speaking to the people of the Kingdom of Israel, a wealthy, pluralistic kingdom where commerce and agriculture made a privileged class quite well off, but where the masses struggled in poverty. The well-off enjoyed their temple ceremonies and their religious festivals, but were not particularly interested in the needs of their neighbors. As long as the economy was healthy and the borders secure from invasion, they would relax, enjoy themselves and not much else mattered (See Amos, chapter 6).
The third thing Amos points out, rather cynically, is that these privileged folk will turn on anyone who tells the truth about their behavior and its consequences. If you are prudent, you will simply keep quiet and not point out that their preoccupation with their own comfort and their inattention to a just society is precisely what will do them in. It did do them in, as you may remember from your Sunday School classes; the Assyrians invaded and this particular nation was lost to history. They are now what we call the “ten lost tribes of Israel.” The prophet says it is good sense simply to keep quiet rather than tell the truth; he did not, of course, take his own advice.
Here’s where I am going with this: the people of the ancient Kingdom of Israel knew what the will of God was, but they were not interested in doing it and they hated anyone who reminded them of it. God’s will is clear: Do not use your political power to enrich yourselves while making worse the lot of the poor. Do not give or take bribes. Make sure the courts of law are fair, not favoring those who have more power or money. Read the rest of Amos, and you’ll find more.
In the reading from Matthew (25:31-46) Jesus adds his emphasis to the same sorts of questions: God’s particular concern for those who lack adequate housing, food and health care, and for the needs of those in prison. Because you failed to help when you could, you are judged; because you did help with no thought of a reward, you are rewarded.
So: You and I know what the will of God is, for nearly everything that matters. We know to be faithful in our relationships, to keep our promises, to be honest in our businesses, to be generous with our time and our money; we know to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We know that. So we pray, regularly, that God will help us do God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven.
“On earth as in heaven” clearly concerns itself with how God’s will is done, not whether it is done. “Just do it” could be our motto for the will of God. Amos and other prophets tell us to do God’s will because, if we don’t, God will blast us. And maybe a little of that old-fashioned “fear of God” would be useful. During my prayer time one morning I ran into a reading that bothered me. In the daily Scriptures for this week one of the readings says that God frightens His people into fearing Him so that we will not sin (Exodus 20:20). I hate running into texts like that, but there it was. Yet then I thought, “You know, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Why not fear God as a preventive against sinning? After all, parents use fear to keep their children in line, don’t they? When is a child mature enough to do what is right without the fear of punishment?
And there is the question at the root of this petition in the Lord’s Prayer: When are you and I mature enough to do the will of God without the fear of punishment? How is God’s will done “in heaven”? Freely, from the heart; the angels of God obey God out of love and the joy of obedience. When will you and I love God enough to do the will of God freely, from the heart? When will you and I stop complaining about God’s clear directions about our lives and stop trying to make excuses, and find joy in obedience? When we do, then for ourselves, at least, the prayer “Your will be done on earth as in heaven” will have been answered.
Why do the will of God freely, from the heart? We know that the will of God is good for us. We know that it is good for us to keep our word: it makes for deep and lasting friendships, for marriages that are mutually enriching, for a healthy business community. We know that it is good for us to keep a Sabbath: it makes for a more joyful spiritual life, for more well-rounded living, for better families. We know that it is good for us to do things to help others: it gives us a feeling of worth, it creates friendships, it makes for a more vigorous society. If only for our own sakes, let us learn to do the will of God on earth as in heaven.
But there is one thing more. Why are you going to send your Mother flowers next weekend? You love her, don’t you? You buy presents for your children because you love them. You may not understand why your husband or your wife or your partner asks you to do certain things, but you will do those things simply because you love that person. A simple request – such as to pick up your own underwear from the bathroom floor and put it in the hamper – does not need to be explained or justified, and you do not need to be threatened with punishment if you fail to do it. You do it because you love the person who asked you to do it.
Do you love God? Can you do God’s will without explanation, without justification, but simply because it is the will of one you love? The one who made the Pleiades and Orion has also made you; the one who sent Jesus Christ sent him for you; the one who says “Love your neighbor” has made you a neighbor, someone who is loved. Out of your love for God, continue to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven, and put your mind and heart to doing it.
Let us pray. When we know your will, give us strength and faith to do it; when we are uncertain, give us clearer vision and patience with each other and with ourselves. We love you, our loving God, and seek to do your will on earth as in heaven. Amen.
Robert A. Keefer
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Clarinda, Iowa
1 In the former United Presbyterian Church in North America (the “old UP”).
2 In the former PCUSA.
3 http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/158/Women.htm