I’m sharing with you a meditation I recently prepared as a devotional for a session that I moderate.
Think of the Lord’s Prayer as an Elder.
Our Father: The God a session serves is also the God of the entire church. God’s love for each of us is the passionate love of a parent who understands our limitations and yearns that we relate to each other as brothers and sisters.
Who Art in Heaven: God’s perspective is a heavenly one. While God understands our church’s limitations, God sees the future of our Church and our decision from the perspective of what we can be if we are faithful.
Hallowed be Thy Name: We are to act as Elders in a manner that gives respect to God’s name. Every decision should reflect well on God.
Thy Kingdom Come Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven:
We must not be pessimists when it comes to what God can do. Even when it requires sacrifice and we can’t see how it will succeed, we must make faithful decisions.
Give us this day our daily bread: In contrast to the world, we must live according to our daily need and not our daily greed. If we are faithful, our church will have sufficient to be God’s faithful witness.
Forgive us our debts and we forgive or debtors: We must relate to others on the Session, in the church, and in the world from a position of always being willing to offer forgiveness. Whenever we are tempted to hold on to a grudge, we must ask how it would be if God behaved that way towards us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: Even as we make decisions as a Session, we know that we are always tempted to let our egos, past hurt feelings, and judgments interfere with what would best serve God. Evil is part of our lives and the life of this church, but we must pray for deliverance.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory for ever:
We need to always keep in mind that God is in control and will triumph in the end. As elders, as a session, and as a church we need to strive to act in ways that reflect the power and glory of God.
