Catechesis Notes for the Week— Children of God and the Hallowing of God’s Name—The Lord’s Prayer sets forth for us the holy life of faith in Christ. Our lives are sanctified by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. Prayer is the voice of faith that rests upon the promises of God’s Word. Like dear children, we call upon God for all our needs, rely upon His promises, and follow Jesus in the life of love we live for others. The Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer is a confession of our status as baptized children. God is our dear Father and we are His dear children. This gives us access to our Father in heaven and boldness to cry out to Him in every time of need through our Savior Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ blood and merit we have access to God. The most important person in the plural pronoun, “Our Father” is Jesus Christ, our Savior. Our prayers are heard for Jesus’ sake and we live in the confidence that we are joint heirs with Christ of all the treasures of heaven. God’s name is kept holy by the faithful teaching of God’s Word and by lives that are lived according to God’s Word. This is what makes the Christian life holy. God’s Word is received, believed, and lived out in the lives of His children. So in the First Petition we pray that God’s Word would be faithfully taught, and that we would live our lives according to it. Observe the wonderful symmetry of the Lord’s Prayer. By God’s name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—given us in baptism His name is hallowed and we begin to live as Jesus’ disciples.

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