A Very Significant Little Word
This week’s petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” as well as next week’s petition, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” both begin with the word, “And”. This is not by accident. This little 3 letter word is very significant and important.
The word “kai” in Greek which is translated “and” in English is used to begin a new thought and signify that new thought is connected in meaning and importance to the thought preceding it. In other words, to understand what follows you need to link it to what precedes it. When it comes to forgiveness, we need to understand it is as essential to our daily lives as is bread. The word “and” does not mean forgiveness is not just another thought added to the Lord’s Prayer as if it were going through a checklist of what to ask God for. Instead, it is like a flashing light signaling, pay attention – just like we can’t live without bread, we can’t live without forgiveness. And as the petition indicates, that means both being forgiven and forgiving. We all need to be forgiven and we all need to be forgiving people. It is like breathing in and breathing out – both are necessary for life.
I’ll have more to say about this and other parts of this petition in tomorrow’s sermon.
Grace and Peace, John