The Speckled Mind

Monday, February 19, 2007

Poet or Heretic: You Decide


This Friday, there will be an event at Hope Community Church called 'Soulwell'. This once a month event aims to be a different worship experience than a typical Sunday morning. A lot of music and reflection time, no preaching, flexible schedule, soft ambiance, etc. The original vision of this ministry is that those who have a difficult time connecting to the format of a typical Sunday morning would (perhaps) feel more at home in this kind of setting.

This semester (yes, we still operate on a college student calendar due to our primary demographic) we are exploring 'Reclaiming Whole-Life Faith: tasting freedom from compartmentalized Christianity'. Hopefully the event lives up to the ambitiousness of its title.

Oh, and the irony of trying to eliminate compartmentalization AT AN EVENT is not lost on me.

Anyway, this Friday we will be exploring the idea of prayer. Without delving into it too much, we want to be honest about how difficult this spiritual discipline is for many people and perhaps chart a course forward.

We will be using the Lord's prayer as part of our liturgy for the event. But in exploring its meaning, we found that much of the intended story-world of Jesus' instructions about communication with the Father were lost in a sea of over-familiarity. So...I did a new translation. I'd be interested to get some feedback on it.

Our Father--the One who will ultimately bring justice and renew all of creation--
Set apart Your unique and holy name from amongst the myriad of worthless idols
Bring Your kingdom crashing into our earthly reality
Actualize Your dreams for Your creation in our midst just as they happen in Your heaven
Feed us from the bread of life that you graciously give to sustain both body and soul
Extend Your perfect grace to us, that we may know how to respond gracefully toward others
Be mindful of how much temptation we can bear and do not press us beyond it
For You are the world's true King, the only One who can wield power justly,
Deserving the recognition, adoration and worship of those who bear Your image
Until the end of time and thereafter.

Amen

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6 Comments:

  • Is there a new "Message" on it's way? Although I'm not sure I'd commit this version to memorization, it definitely causes me to pause and ponder the weight of Jesus' example of prayer.

    By Blogger Katrina, at 10:04 PM  

  • Your translation is beautiful. It truly inspires me to dream with God of what we could be, indeed what what we should be and will be.

    "Bring Your kingdom crashing into our earthly reality"

    Amen my friend.

    By Blogger Jerod Lucius, at 11:05 PM  

  • "Oh, and the irony of trying to eliminate compartmentalization AT AN EVENT is not lost on me."

    For a second, I was really excited about being able to point that out before I realized you beat me to the punch.

    Still, I think that you and the rest of the Soulwell team are on to something with this. I'll see ya there.

    By Blogger Topher, at 11:51 PM  

  • I just have a grammar nerd comment on the aforementioned gathering-whose- status-we-dare-not-mention.

    How can one "taste freedom" from a compartmentalized anything?

    By Blogger Nate, at 3:16 AM  

  • Oh, wait, now I get it.

    I have been living in a compartmentalized world of unmixed metaphors, and Soulwell is an invitation to throw of the poetic shackles of form and order. It's like . . . like . . . leaving the sweltering city for a summer weekend and escaping from that Alcatraz of concrete, grimacing in its heart of urban darkness.

    On a serious note: Tim, I like your translation; and I agree with china doll - it does give some fresh langauge to the theology of Jesus' prayer.

    By Blogger Nate, at 3:24 AM  

  • Thanks for the feedback, all. For the record, I don't know if I want to do another version of the Message. One translation that reads like a 40 year old white guy trying to sound hip is probably enough.

    And Nate...If you call me out on my mixed metaphors again, I will send out my army of Leprechauns with their billy clubs to hatchet away at your kneecaps.

    Beware, they're very persistent.

    By Blogger timmer k., at 9:47 AM  

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