Me-You-Us-Them-God

[dave c]

HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #132c, Re-Written 01AUG09

The Disciples’ Prayer—Part Three: Me-You-Us-Them-God

by rev dave c

Mt 6:9,"This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one' (NIV).

Identification. When Jesus encourages us in Matthew 6:9 to begin our prayers with a recognition/acknowledgement of who God is, He is also providing us general guidance regarding the need to properly identify the subject person or group whenever we interact with others, whether it is with the Divine or with each other. We do not wait until somewhere in the middle of a letter to identify the intended recipient. We name the addressee at the very beginning. [When we begin a request with, “I wish…,” to whom, I wonder, is that desire addressed? How different is a wish, from Christian prayer.] Before I can specifically address someone I must first recognize, or identify, that person to some degree...even if that person is myself. Identification of self and others is a God given process designed to begin to bring us together with increasing understanding and to point us toward Him.

Me-You-Us-Them. Genesis 2:18, The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." … 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called `woman, ' for she was taken out of man" (NIV).

It is not good for the man to be alone. In Genesis 1:26, Elohiym, the God of Creation, says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." From the very first, God has communicated to us that He is more than one Person. We are introduced to the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2, and in John 1:1&2 we are told, In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God [the Father], and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning (NIV). Throughout Scripture we see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit portrayed in a loving communal relationship. In order to be made in God’s image and likeness, then, there had to be someone for Adam to have as his perfect peer and loving complement—someone with whom Adam could live, work, and “create” new life. Every person (“Me”) reaches a point in childhood development where he/she realizes the individuality of another person (“You”—first the mother, or other initial care provider) and we begin to learn about Me and You as a relationship (“Us”). Later we realize the existence of other individuals (“Them”); our concept of Us expands into family, friends and community; and our list of Them continues to grow geometrically.

God. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard (NIV). Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven (NIV).

Relationships between men and women, the propagation of generations of children, and the interactions of all families as individuals in the broadest sense are not in and of themselves the ultimate goals of God’s plan for humanity. Even the marriage covenant lasts only as long as either person is alive during the relatively short age of this existence. The goal of earthly inter-relations is to bring us to an eternal recognition of the Apostle John’s description of God as logos (Jn 1:1; communication), light (1Jn 1:5; discernment), and love (1Jn 4: 16&18; relationship). God urgently desires for us to know Him and to give Him what He can not have by any other means: Our love freely given—and then our love for each other. From the creation of Adam to the child who is right now being knit together by the Almighty in the mother’s womb, God has been making mankind into His likeness. This requires our listening to Him, learning from and about Him, and choosing Him above all others. While the Torah and Jewish tradition is full to overflowing with commandments and the laws of both God and man, Jesus provides us the simple foundation for righteous living: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' (Mt 22:37-39; NIV). "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (Jn 13:34&35; NIV). Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven (Mt 5:24&25; NIV). Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Ro 13:10b; NIV). Amen.