With our presidential election hovering just around the corner, many people are faced with the question, “which morally reprehensible option has the greatest likelihood of enacting policies that I agree with?”. Ok, it might not be that bad, but it feels that bad sometimes. A quick cyber stroll through Facebook or Twitter will confirm that everyone seems to have a strong opinion about the path forward for the U.S. Some people are angry, others are confused, but everyone seems to be thinking about it. We’ve watched the debates, we’ve seen the posts, we’ve read the articles, and the general unease of March has turned into the great panic of October. So, whichever side you support, how do we all come through this without being anxious and crushed by fear? I believe the key can be found in a prayer that got its start over 2000 years ago.

Jesus’ closest followers, the disciples, were eager to understand how to relate to God. They watched Jesus day in and day out, but they still had questions. They wanted to understand what Jesus was trying to tell them, but so much of it seemed hard to process. So, one day they finally asked Jesus how to best relate to God. They wanted to know how to pray. Jesus, in response, modeled a prayer for them that has been repeated by millions of people ever since. The Lord’s Prayer has been recited before athletic games, after graduations, and during speeches. It is used in weddings and in funerals.  The last phrase of the prayer, “for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.”, has been omitted from some modern translations of the Bible, but it was present in early church writings as far back as the Didache (AD90), and is also present in both the King James and New American Standard versions of the Bible. It’s a tiny phrase, but it has powerful implications. It was as if Jesus was closing his prayer with an important reminder that would serve us well during difficult times. My next three posts will examine the meaning behind those three words, and explain how God’s kingdom, power, and glory allow us to have peace during turbulent times, like the election before us.

So, if the election has you stressed and contemplating a move to Toronto, hang on for a bit longer, and check back as we seek together how to be more at ease during the next few weeks and months of election madness.