Summary: When we pray, we know that our prayers will be answered because of who God is, not because of who we are. We affirm our faith with the word, "Amen," which means "it shall be done!"
People pronounce the word, “Amen” differently. Some people use a long “A,” while others use an “ah.” Do you know the difference? Amen—long “A”—is said, while amen with an “ah” is sung. This is a little piece of church trivia for you. (I hope that it isn’t the only new thought that you receive from this sermon.)
“Amen” is a frequently used word in congregational life, but rarely is it understood or clearly defined. Amen doesn’t address an abstract concept like the words “love” or “transcendence.” The meaning of “Amen” is rarely thought about and, if pressed, most people would probably arrive at a definition like, “The End.” Amen means so much more than that.
The absence of this portion of the Lord’s Prayer is quickly apparent when we read Matthew and Luke. The fact that it is not universally prayed throughout the Church is obvious during ecumenical gatherings when Roman Catholics and protestants pray and the protestants rattle on for some time after their Roman brothers and sisters have ended their pray.
The doxology, which is what this part of the Lord’s Prayer is titled, was an early addition to the Lord’s Prayer. It was added in the first century, because the early Christians felt it was important to do so.
The doxology (doxology means to “give glory”) focuses on the power and majesty of God. Focusing on these attributes of God give us reason to hope that the requests we have made in the Lord’s Prayer will be answered. They will not be answered because of our eloquence, natural goodness, or degree of need. Our requests will be answered because God wants to answer them and is capable of answering them.
DEMONSTRATION OF POWER
The statement is true, “It’s not about us it’s about God.” The doxology focuses our attention away from ourselves and on God. We behold the glory and majesty of God as we end the Lord’s Prayer and step out to face the challenges of life.
Whenever momentous events were on the horizon and the faith of disciples would be challenged, God gave the people of God a glimpse of God’s power and might.
¨ Shortly after Jesus predicted his death to his disciples, he took Peter, James and John up to a mountaintop and was transfigured before them. These three disciples, who would become the core of the early church, beheld God’s power and majesty.
¨ The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate demonstration of God’s glory and majesty, and God’s victory over the forces of evil. The resurrection has been a source of hope for millions and millions of Christians throughout the centuries. We acknowledge the power of the resurrection when we sing, “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.”
¨ Today the Church celebrates Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. Again, this event was a demonstration of God’s power before the disciples began their ministry and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
AMEN EQUALS “YES”
In the Lord’s Prayer, we make many vital requests:
¨ That we would live and bring honor to God’s name,
¨ That our lives would be God’s kingdom where God is present and rules,
¨ That God’s will would be done in and through us,
¨ That God would provide for us,
¨ That God would forgive us and give us the will and the ability to forgive others,
¨ That God would protect us from temptation and the forces of evil.
We end this prayer with the word, “Amen.” Martin Luther writes, in his explanation to the Lord’s Prayer, that “Amen” means, “Yes, yes, it will be done.”
We pray the Lord’s Prayer with the assurance that God will answer us. When we end this prayer we are not asking ourselves questions such as, “I wonder if I prayed for what God wanted me to pray for?” “I wonder if God really heard me?” “I wonder if God will answer my prayer?”
“Amen.” God will answer our prayer. God will answer not because of who we are, but because of who God is.
The Lord’s Prayer is a powerful prayer. It is a life transforming prayer. When we come to the end of that prayer, we know that God will answer us and we will be changed into God’s image and into the people of God.