Dear brothers and sisters,
I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well this fourth week of Eastertide! This week we continue our discussion of the Burial Rite in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. As we did last week, today we will continue to look at the Committal, this time focusing on the Lord’s Prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer is unique in that it is the one prayer in scripture that Jesus himself instructs his disciples to pray. Of course, we do get examples of prayer elsewhere in scripture, primarily in the Book of Psalms, in the writings of Paul and the other apostles, and the beautiful “high priestly prayer” of Jesus in John chapter 17. However, because Jesus directly instructed his disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray it frequently and it’s seen as a sort of model or ideal for what prayer should look like.
It’s fascinating because the church prays it in so many different situations and circumstances, and it’s the perfect prayer in each of those circumstances because it casts them in the light of Christ. When we pray this prayer at a funeral the first thing that should strike us is that it’s OUR prayer, not each of us as individuals, but ours as one church. It’s us together joining our prayers to the Father with Christ as our mediator. It’s a reminder that even though our loved one has died they are still part of that Church, the body of Christ.
We then transition to asking God to spread his kingdom in the world. It’s a reminder for us as Christians that one day all of the dead will be raised and God will once again join heaven and earth and the righteous will dwell with him in the New Jerusalem. This should highlight the hope each of us have as Christians. Lastly, we get the section asking about our own personal needs, for sustenance, forgiveness, and guidance. This reminds us that in the struggles we may face as a result of this death we can turn to God with confidence that he will provide for us.
I pray you all have a blessed fifth Sunday of Easter! |
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