Hallowed Be Your Name

Study Notes

Praying for Reign: Hallowed Be Your Name

Exodus 33:12-34:7; Matthew 6:9

     The way we speak with someone is deeply affected by the kind of person that “someone” is.  For example, I find that I speak with my grandchildren in a far different way from the way I speak with the chair of our church, Jim Howe.  I think both Jim and my grandchildren are happy that I do! 

     Or, as another illustration, when you will be having a meeting with your boss, knowing something about that person makes a difference both in the way you prepare for them and for the way you engage them in conversation. So, if you can grasp how our relationships and conversations change based on knowing what the other person is like, then you can understand the point about prayer I want to make today.

     This Lent season, we are learning from Jesus about how to speak to God in prayer.  Last week, we saw that, when we speak with God, we enter confidently and intimately into conversation with him because he is our Father in heaven.  Today, we come to the short phrase that follows “Our Father in heaven” in Mt 6:9, i.e., “Hallowed be your name.”  It’s the part of the Lord’s Prayer often overlooked and, yet, in my understanding of it, it is one of the most far-reaching phrases in the Lord’s Prayer. We’ll see that, even though Jesus taught speak to God as our “Dear Father in heaven”, he said we also speak to him as the one with a name that is hallowed.  To show this to you, I want us first to consider those two words: “hallowed” and “name”.

The Word Hallowed

     This is a word we don’t use often in our day-to-day speaking.  And, yet, almost all translators of the word into our modern English Bibles have chosen to use the word “hallowed” rather than a word like sacred or holy.  The reason is that what this word speaks about whatever is of ultimate importance to us.  “Hallowed” refers to the thing or person or concern that you have as the supreme focus of your life.  It is whatever is of greater worth to you than anything else.  In Mt 23:17 & 19, “hallowed” speaks of the way people viewed gold.  So, whatever you value or revere – whatever you put at the center of your being -- is what you hallow. 

     So, I must ask you directly now: What do you hallow?  What is the ultimate concern of your life?  Who or what is at the center of your desires?  When you pray, “God, be hallowed”, you are saying, “God, may you be honored and reverenced as the supreme, only-perfect, holy, and sacred person that you are, the one to be put above all else – in my life and in this world.”  The most unmistakable way to determine what the real “god” of your life is – is to identify what it is that you hallow.

The Word Name

     In Western societies like our own, we may find it strange to discover that Jesus taught us to hallow God’s name rather than simply to hallow God.  For us, a name is often just a label without any necessary relationship to the kind of person we are.  But, in the Bible times, names actually said a great deal about who we are.

     My first name is Gregory.  It means vigilant or alert.  And, my family name is much like it, i.e., way-bright.  If you met me and noticed that I seem to be drowsy, lethargic and dull rather than alert and way-bright, you might not think anything about it because, in our society, we’re not expected to have our lives fit our names.  But, in Jesus’s day, you would probably say that my name should be changed. This happened often in the Bible. 

     For example, in the Old Testament, there was a man named Jacob, meaning "Grabber."  When his mother saw him clutch at his brother's heel as he came out of her womb, her maternal instinct recognized this trait; he was a "Grabber." As you may know, Jacob became a bit of a cheat.  But, after he had wrestled with an angel and not given up, Jacob, "the Grabber," became Israel, "the man who strives after God".  Or, after Abram had received a new calling from God, Abram, meaning "Great Father," became Abraham, "Father of Multitudes." 

     All this is to say is that when Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be you name,” he was saying that the person God is should be hallowed, i.e., should be revered and honored as being above all else in our lives and in our world.

     So, understanding Jesus’s words in this way -- what is the name of God?  Has he told us who he is and what he is like?  As you may know, the Bible uses many names to describe the eternal qualities and character of God: He is El-Shaddai, the Almighty God.  He is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.  He is Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals. He is the Maker and Redeemer, the Shepherd and the Rock, a Refuge and Ever-Present Strength.  When God’s Word makes God’s names known, each time it is telling us that this name is what God is like.  When you know God’s name, you will have a good idea about is what you can expect from him.

     Among all these names of God, there is one passage that tells us what is central to all the names, i.e., Exodus 33:12-34:7.  In that passage, Moses was asking the same question that we are asking today: “What is your name, Lord?”  Moses said, “You know everything about me?  You know my name.  But, I need to know you.  I long to know you.  What is your name?  What are you like?”  As you have already in our Scripture reading earlier, God set up a place to meet with Moses and to make his name known.

     When God revealed his name, he said this:

God announced his name.  He said, “I am Yahweh, Yahweh. I am the God who is tender and kind. I am gracious. I am slow to get angry. I am faithful and full of love.  I continue to show my love to thousands of people. I forgive those who do evil. I forgive those who refuse to obey me. And I forgive those who sin. But I do not let guilty people go without punishing evil… (Exo 34:6-7).”

     As you look at what God said about his name, you see that among all the other names he would reveal in his Word, there are two characteristics that are at the heart of God’s identity: 1) that he is loving, patient and ready to forgive and 2) that God is just and holy and will not allow evil to go unpunished.

     This passage in which God revealed his name to Moses was then quoted again and again in the rest of the Old Testament.  It found its ways into the prayers of God’s people.  And, I believe it is central to what Jesus meant when he taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

How “Hallowed Be Your Name” Transforms our Prayers

     In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught us that this desire to hallow God’s name precedes all other petitions.  In just a few sentences in his prayer, Jesus would teach us to ask God for daily bread.  But, if we don’t know that God is loving, that he cares about our needs, we would have no basis to come to him and ask him to meet those needs.  But, God has told you, “I am full of love.  I love you! Ask me for the bread that you need each day.”

     And, after teaching us to pray for daily bread, Jesus taught us to pray that God would forgive our sins.  If we do not know that God has revealed his name as being patient with us, slow to anger, and ready to forgive, then, when we pray, we would have no idea whether God will receive us, forgive us and start again with us.  Do you see it?  When you know the name of God and hallow it, you can ask for forgiveness. You can ask for bread.

     The Book of Psalms was the prayer book of Israel, of Jesus and of the early church.  From it, I want to show you two ways that hallowing God’s names changed the way they prayed. I think it will help you to pray.

Situation #1:  Psalm 86 – Praying for a Daily Need

     David prayed this prayer in a time of great personal need. His opening words were, “Hear me, Lord, for I am poor and needy!”  It’s pretty obvious that he was in a very tough place. David needed daily bread – provision and sustenance for each day.  He was in distress and felt under attack.  How did he pray? Twice, he remembered the name of the Lord as God had revealed it to Moses.

     In 86:5 he prayed, “You, LORD, are forgiving and good, full of love to all who call on you.”  Then, in 86:15, he prayed, “Lord, you are a God who is tender and kind. You are gracious. You are slow to get angry. You are faithful and full of love.”

     In other words, David prayed, “Hallowed be your name!” He remembered who God is and laid his needs in front of him. What happened?  Listen to David’s testimony in the last verse of this prayer, 86:17: “You LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”

     So, I’ve wondered whether any of you who have come to Lake today might feel some of the distress that David felt the day he wrote Psalm 86.  Then, I think Jesus has something very practical to teach you about praying.  He said you should first remember who God is -- and then pray.  God loves you.  God knows what is going on in your life.  Bring your needs to him and pray, “May your name be hallowed in this situation.  Father, be true to your name to love and to provide.

Situation #2:  Psalm 103 – Praying for Forgiveness

     Psalm 103 is mostly a prayer about gratitude and praise for God. It starts, “All my inmost being, praise his holy name. Forget not all his benefits!”  It ends, “Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion!”

     But, David the Psalmist knew that all these benefits had not come to him or his people because of their own goodness.  In 103:8-13, he prayed a beautiful prayer about how benefits come only because God is who he says he is, i.e., one who does not remain angry but is always ready to forgive those who come to him in repentance and faith.  David remembered the name God had made known to Moses and then hallowed that name:

The Lord is tender and kind. He is gracious.
    He is slow to get angry. He is full of love.
He won’t keep bringing charges against us.
    He won’t stay angry with us forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve.
    He doesn’t pay us back in keeping with the evil things we’ve done.
He loves those who have respect for him.
    His love is as high as the heavens are above the earth.
He has removed our sins from us.
    He has removed them as far as the east is from the west.
A father is tender and kind to his children.
    In the same way, the Lord is tender and kind
    to those who honor him.

     Maybe, like David, you know of some things in your life that need to be confessed to God and turned away from.  I tell you: you should first remember and hallow the name of God.  Remember that sin is serious.  God does not leave evil unpunished.  But, God loves to forgive all who come to him in repentance and faith.  Remember that the Apostle John, drawing on this truth in 1 Jn 1:9, declared to all who sin, “If you confess your sins, God will be who his name says he is, i.e., faithful and just, and he will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”  If you hallow the name of the Lord, then you know that his name promises that, when you seek God’s forgiveness, you will be cleansed.  You can leave church today with the confidence that you are right with God.

     Do you see it?  When you hallow the name of your Father in heaven, you can ask for bread and know he cares. You can ask for forgiveness and know he restores.  Hallelujah!

How “Hallowed Be Your Name” Transforms Our Lives:  The Word Be

     Before you go home, I want you to see that “hallowed be your name” is a plea for God’s name to be hallowed, i.e., “God, may you be honored and reverenced as the supreme, only-perfect, holy, and sacred person that you are, the one to be put above all else – in my life and in this world.”  That certainly is not yet true of all people in our city, nation or world, is it?  How will it happen?

     Today, I will only say that it must begin with us as his children.  You should pray, “Let it begin with me.”  God is our Father in heaven and we are his children here on earth.  We are his representatives, his ambassadors on earth.  People in our world need to see how hallowed God’s name is by the way we live our lives.  I think that means that you and I must love people in ways that God loves people.  They must see his love in and through us.  We must forgive people as God forgives people – when they seek forgiveness.  They must see his mercy in and through us.  Yes, we must hate evil and work against it – both in our own lives and in our world.  But that hatred of evil and longing for justice must be mixed with a deep love for people, the kind that makes us ready to forgive. As the 3^rd Commandment says, our lives dare not dishonor or misuse the name of the God whose name we bear (Exo 20:7).  Our names must be consistent his name.

     Francis Chan wrote about this in his book, Forgotten God.  He said:

“Jesus calls us to a radical faith… His call is to love those who have cheated us in business, who have spread nasty rumors about us, those who would kill us if they could; those who disagree with us politically, practically and fundamentally. 

     We are to be like that because our Father in heaven is like that.  That is his name – he loves and forgives.  We love him only because he first loved us.  While we were sinners Christ died for us. We ask God to have his name be hallowed in this world and that must begin with us.  That’s why we pray, “our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

At the close of the service:

     I’m sure you have heard that Billy Graham died this past week at the age of 99.  Lake Avenue Church was deeply involved in Mr. Graham’s 1948 crusade in Los Angeles, the one that launched his ministry.  And, I personally have had a connection to him.  In the 1970s, I was a singer at many of the Billy Graham associates’ crusades.  Even, now, I am a member of the board of the Billy Graham Center.  Whereas many religious leaders have lived lives that did not honor God, Billy Graham’s life, though constantly in the public eye, was faithful to God.  I’m not saying he lived a perfect life.  He had to ask the global Christian community for forgiveness for becoming too involved in politics in 1974.  I was there in Lausanne, Switzerland when he did.  He sought forgiveness from the Jewish community because of some of his comments during the Nixon era. But, Billy Graham maintained his public integrity even as many famous religious leaders have been ravaged by financial and sex scandals.  As Jim Wallis wrote, “He was a man who remained humble.  He was willing to change.  he never stopped growing.”

     So, Graham’s name was in the Gallup Poll’s top ten most respected people in the world list a record 61 times in a row, often at the top.  I think we may see why he was so respected when we read some of his final sermon, preached in New York City in his 417^th crusade.  It was about who God is, a God who is both just and loving.  He said, “God is the only balm for those who feel hurt or who have failed.  Wherever you are, whatever you have done, your Holy Father in Heaven will be who he always has been.  He hasn’t abandoned you and he never will.  He only asks you to turn from your sins and to place your faith in Jesus.  When you do, he will give you peace.”

     I think Graham’s name pointed to the hallowedness of God’s name.  May that be true of us.

Chinese Study Notes

為神的主權而禱告：願人都尊你的名為聖

出埃及記33:12---34:7馬太福音6:9

            我們與他人交談的方式深受對方是哪種類型的人所影響。例如，我發現，我與我的外孫談話的方式，與我和教會主席吉姆·豪威談話的方式截然不同。我想，吉姆和我的外孫對此都會很高興。

            舉另外一個例子，當你準備與你的老板會面時，如果你能事先對他有所了解，就會影響到你預備會面的方式和你即將與他談話的方式。因此，如果大家能夠知道，你對交談對方的了解會影響到你們之間的關系與談話方式，那麽你就能夠明白我今天想要說的關於禱告的要點。

            在這復活節之前的齋戒期裏，我們要向耶穌學習如何向神禱告。上周，我們看到，當我們與神交談的時候，我們會充滿信心又親密無間地進入與祂的交談，因為祂是我們的天父。今天，我們來看看在馬太福音6:9中所提到的“我們在天上的父”之後的短句，也就是“願人都尊你的名為聖”這句話。這是主禱文中經常會被忽略的一個部分，然而，在我的理解中，這卻是主禱文中最為深刻的部分。我們會看到，耶穌教導我們，要稱神為“我們在天上的父”，祂又說，我們在與祂交談的時候，也要尊祂的名為聖。在跟大家解釋這一點的時候，我希望大家首先思考兩個字：“聖”和“名”。

“聖”這個字

            在日常生活中，我們不常使用這個詞。然而，幾乎所有現代英文聖經的翻譯版本都是“聖”這個詞，而沒有用聖潔或神聖。原因是，這個詞所包含的意思，對我們來說有著永恒的、重要的意義。“聖”指的是你的生命最為專註的人或事物，是對你來說比其他一切都更有價值的事物。在馬太福音23：17和19節中，“聖”談到了人們看待黃金的方式。因此，無論你看重或是敬仰什麽，也無論你將什麽放在你生命的中心，你都是在尊它們為聖。

            因此，我必須直接問你：你尊何為聖？你生命中的終極關懷是什麽？你欲望的中心是誰，或是什麽？當你禱告說，“神啊，願人尊你的名為聖”，你的意思是說，“神啊，願你在我的生命中和這個世界上得到榮耀和敬拜，如同那至高的、唯一完全的、聖潔的人一樣，就是那超乎萬有之上的那一位”。決定誰是你生命中真正的“神”的一個最為正確的方法，就是確定你尊為聖者的是誰。

“名”這個字

            在西方社會，我們可能會覺得奇怪，耶穌教導我們尊神的名為聖，而不是尊神為聖。對於我們來說，一個人的名字只是他的標簽，與我們是何樣的人沒有必然聯系。但是，在聖經時期，名字卻透露出本人的許多特質。

            我的名字是格雷戈裏，它的意思是警惕或警覺。我的姓氏也意思相近，就是前路明亮的意思。如果你碰到我，發現我有些昏昏沈沈或者昏睡、沈悶，而不是警覺和光明的，你可能不會將這兩件事聯系起來，因為在我們的社會中，我們並不期望自己的生命與我們的名字相符合。但是在耶穌的時代，你可能會說，我應該改名了。這類事情在聖經中曾多次發生。

            例如，在舊約中，有一個人叫雅各，這個字的意思是“抓”。他的媽媽看到他抓著哥哥的腳跟出了母腹，她母性的直覺立刻捕捉住了這個特征。他是一個“抓取者”。你可能知道，雅各挺會騙人。但是，在他與天使摔跤並且不願服輸之後，雅各，這個“抓取者”變成了以色列，就是“那與神較力的人”。還有在亞伯蘭得到從神而來的新的呼召之後，原意為“先祖”的亞伯蘭，變成了亞伯拉罕，意思是“多國之父”。

            這一切都說明，當耶穌教導我們禱告說，“我們在天上的父，願人都尊你的名為聖”的時候，祂的意思是，神的位格應當被尊為聖，也就是說，神應當在我們的生命中、在世上超乎一切，應當被尊崇並得到榮耀。

            因此，要用這種方式來理解耶穌的話語：神的名是什麽？祂是否告訴我們祂是誰、以及祂是什麽樣子？你知道，聖經用很多名字來形容神的永恒性以及祂的品格：祂是El Shaddi，全能的神；祂是耶和華以勒，是供應的神；祂是耶和華拉法，是醫治的神；祂是創世者與救贖者，是牧羊人與磐石，是避難所和永在的力量。當神的話語之中出現神的名字時，那個名字就告訴我們神的品格。當你知道神的名字，你就可以期望你能從神那裏得到相應的幫助。

            有一段經文告訴我們，在神所有的這些名字之中，有一個最核心的名字，在出埃及記33：12 – 34：7。在那段經文中，摩西問了一個我們今天也在問的問題：“主啊，你的名字是什麽？”摩西說：你知道我的一切嗎？你知道我的名字，但是我也需要認識你。我渴望認識你。你的名是什麽？你的何樣的神？大家可能已經在前面的經文中看到，神設立了一個地方與摩西會面，並向他啟示了自己的名。

            當神向摩西啟示自己的名字時，祂說：

            “耶和華在他面前宣告說，耶和華，耶和華，是有憐憫有恩典的神，不輕易發怒，並有豐盛的慈愛和誠實。為千萬人存留慈愛，赦免罪孽，過犯，和罪惡，萬不以有罪的為無罪……（出34:6-7）。”

            當你看到神對自己名字的啟示時，你會發現，在祂所啟示的名字中，顯明了兩個最為核心的神的特質：1）祂是慈愛的、有忍耐的，又是隨時赦免的神；2）神是公義的、聖潔的，不會放過罪惡的神。

            這段神向摩西啟示自己名字的經文，在舊約聖經中被反復引用。在神的子民的禱告之中也常常出現。我相信，當耶穌教導我們禱告的時候，這一段是至關重要的：“我們在天上的父，願人都尊你的名為聖。”

“願人都尊你的名為聖”這句話如何改變我們的禱告

            耶穌在禱告中教導我們，這個尊神的名為聖的盼望，會帶領所有其他的願望。在祂短短幾句的禱告之中，耶穌教導我們，要向神求日用的飲食。但是，如果我們不知道神是慈愛的神，祂關心我們的需要，我們就沒有任何依據來到祂的面前，求祂滿足這些需要。但是，神告訴我們，我是慈愛的神，我愛你們！你們要向我祈求日用的飲食。

            在教導我們為日用的飲食禱告之後，耶穌又繼續教導我們，要為神赦免我們的罪而禱告。如果我們沒有從神的名字中知道祂是忍耐的神，是不易發怒的神，又是赦免的神，那麽當我們禱告的時候，我們就不知道神將如何接受我們、赦免我們、並與我們重新和好。你看到了嗎？當你知道了神的名字，並尊祂的名為聖，你就可以請求赦免，你就可以祈求日用的飲食。

            詩篇是以色列人、耶穌並早期教會禱告的書，我想從詩篇中讓大家看到，尊神的名為聖會在兩個方面改變人們的祈禱方式。我覺得這可以在禱告方面幫助大家。

第一種方式：詩篇86篇----為每日的需要禱告

            大衛在面對急迫需要之時做了這個禱告。他在一開篇就說：耶和華啊，求你側耳應允我，因我是困苦窮乏的。很顯然，他處於非常艱難的狀況之中。大衛需要日用的飲食，就是每日的供應與飲食。他遇到困難，感到每日都在遭受攻擊。他是怎樣禱告的呢？他曾兩次記起那位向摩西顯現之神的名。

            在86:5中，他禱告說：“主啊，你本為良善，樂意饒恕人，有豐盛的慈愛，賜給凡求告你的人。”然後在86:15中他禱告說：“主啊，你是有憐憫有恩典的神，不輕易發怒，並有豐盛的慈愛和誠實。”

            換句話說，大衛其實在禱告說：“尊你的名為聖！”他知道神是誰，他將自己的需要放在神的面前。這樣做的結果如何？請聽大衛在他禱告的最後一節的見證：86:17：“因為你耶和華幫助我，安慰我。”

            我不知道在座的各位是否有人在今天來到教會時像大衛在詩篇86篇中所寫的，正在經歷痛苦。那麽我想，耶穌所教導我們關於禱告的功課是非常實際的。祂說，你應當首先知道神是誰，然後再禱告。神愛你。神知道你的生命中發生了些什麽事。將你的需要帶到祂面前來禱告：“父啊，願你的名在這種狀況下被尊崇，你的慈愛與供應都是信實的。”

第二種方式：詩篇103 ----祈求赦免

詩篇103主要是關於對神的感恩和贊美的禱告。 它是這樣開始的：“我的心哪，你要稱頌耶和華，不可忘記他的一切恩惠！” 而結尾是這樣的：“ 你們一切被他造的，在他所治理的各處，都要稱頌耶和華！”

      但是，詩人大衛知道，所有這些恩惠臨到他和他所治理的人民，都不是因著他們善良的緣故。 在103：8-13中，他的禱告非常優美，是關於恩惠如何臨到我們的：因為神是公義而信實的，也就是說，祂不輕易發怒，卻總是原諒那些願意悔改和懷著信心來到祂面前的人。 大衛記得神曾向摩西所說的名字，並且尊這個名為聖：

耶和華有憐憫，有恩典，不輕易發怒，

且有豐盛的慈愛。

他不長久責備，也不永遠懷怒。

他沒有按我們的罪過待我們，

也沒有照我們的罪孽報應我們。

天離地何等的高，他的慈愛向敬畏他的人也是何等的大！

東離西有多遠，他叫我們的過犯離我們也有多遠！

父親怎樣憐恤他的兒女，耶和華也怎樣憐恤敬畏他的人！

            也許，就像大衛一樣，你知道你生命中的有些事情需要向神懺悔，並且你要回轉。 我告訴你們：你們當首先記住神的名，並尊祂為聖。 請記住，罪是嚴肅的事，神不會讓邪惡不受懲罰；但是，神喜愛饒恕所有以悔悟和信心來到他面前的人。 請記住，使徒約翰在約翰一書1:9中借鑒了這個真理，向所有犯罪的人宣告說：“我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗凈我們一切的不義”。如果你尊耶和華的名為聖，那麽你就會知道，他的名字原本就是一種承諾：當你尋求神的饒恕時，你就會得到潔凈。 你今天就可以帶著“神與你同在”的確信離開教會。

            你看到了嗎？ 當你尊天父的名為聖時，你可以請求日用的飲食，並且知道神關心這件事。 你可以請求神寬恕你以往的過犯，並知道祂會更新你的生命。哈利路亞！

“尊你的名為聖”會怎樣改變我們的生命

            在你回家之前，我希望你能明白，“尊你的名為聖”就是祈求神的名字被尊為聖，即“神啊！願你得榮耀、被尊崇為至聖者、唯一完全的、神聖的和聖潔的。你是在我的生命中與世上唯一被尊崇於萬物之上的。” 當然，這一點還沒有被我們的城市中、國家裏，或世上的所有的人所認同，怎樣才能如此呢？

            今天，我想說，這件事必須從我們這些神的兒女開始做起。 我們應當這樣祈禱：“讓這事從我開始吧。”神是我們天上的父，我們是祂在地上的兒女。 我們是祂的代表，是祂在地上的大使。世人需要通過我們的生活方式看到，神的名是如何被尊為聖的。 我認為，這就意味著，你我必須以神愛人的方式來愛他人。他們必須通過我們看到神的愛。 當人們尋求饒恕時，我們要像神饒恕我們一樣去饒恕他們。 他們也要通過我們看到神的憐憫。 是的，我們必須憎惡邪惡，並在我們自己的生命中、在世上反對邪惡；但是，那種對邪惡的憎恨和對正義的渴望，必須與愛人如己相結合，就是那使我們能夠原諒別人的仁愛之心。 正如（十誡的）第三誡所說的，我們不可“妄稱耶和華神的名”，祂的名與我們密切相關（出20：7），因此我們的名字必須與祂的名一致。

            弗蘭西斯·陳在他的著作“被遺忘的上帝”中寫到這件事。 他說：“耶穌呼召我們進入一個全然的信仰之中......祂呼召我們去愛那些在生意上欺騙我們的人；愛那些散布令人討厭的謠言的人；愛那些如果條件允許就可能會殺了我們的人；愛那些在政治上、實際上和根本上都與我們截然不同的人。

            我們這樣做，因為我們在天上的父就是這樣做的。 這就是祂的名，祂是慈愛與饒恕的神。 我們愛祂，只因為祂首先愛了我們。 當我們還是罪人的時候，基督就為我們而死。 我們求告神，使祂的名在世上被尊為聖。這樣的行動必須由我們開始做起。 正因為如此，我們才這樣祈禱：“我們在天上的父，願人都尊你的名為聖。”

在崇拜即將結束之時：

            我相信，大家一定都聽說了，比利·葛培理牧師上周去世了，享年99歲。我們教會深入參與了葛培理牧師1948年在洛杉磯舉行的布道大會，他的事工也由此發起。我個人也與他有一些交往。在20世紀70年代，我是葛培理布道團中的一名歌手。今天，我也是“比利.葛培理中心”董事會的成員。盡管許多宗教領袖都過著不榮耀神的生活，但葛培理的生活，雖然一直在公眾的視線中，卻一直是忠心於神的。我並不是說他的生命是完美的。1974年，他曾請求全球的基督徒寬恕他過於涉及政治。當時他在瑞士的洛桑，我也正好在那裏。他因為自己在尼克松時代的一些評論而請求猶太族裔的寬恕。但是，許多著名的宗教領袖都遭受了金融和性醜聞的攻擊，葛培理卻仍然保持著公眾誠信度。正如吉姆瓦利斯寫道：“他是一個謙卑的人，他願意改變，他從未停止過生命的成長。

            因此，葛培理的名字在蓋洛普民意調查的全球十大最受尊敬的人中，連續61次創下紀錄，常常位居榜首。當我們讀到他在紐約第417次的布道大會中所做的演說辭時，我想我們可以明白，他為什麽如此受人尊重。 這篇演說的主題是“神是誰”，講到神是一位既公義又慈愛的神。 他說：“對於那些受傷或失敗的人來說，神是唯一的醫治。 無論你在哪裏，無論你做了什麽，你在天上的父永遠不變，祂永遠不會離棄你。 祂只要求你脫離罪惡，並且信靠耶穌。 當你這樣做時，祂就會將平安賜給你。”

            我認為，葛培理的名字道出了神的名的神聖性。 願我們也能如此。

榮耀歸給神，

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師