Lent (#2): Prayer is About Heaven and Earth Overlapping in Time and Space

In this second of a series of blog posts from NT Wright's book, Lent for Everyone - Matthew, I've chosen to quote a portion from "Week 1: Tuesday" about the Lord's Prayer. (See here for part 1 of this series.)

In his book, Wright is presenting thoughts for Lent from the book of Matthew, giving focus on the kingdom of heaven. In that context he says the following about prayer from Jesus' words in Matt. 6:

"At the very heart of Jesus' vision of the kingdom - of heaven's kingdom coming on earth - we have a picture of one person, secretly in their own room, praying.

"Prayer is a mystery. I've often heard people saying...'It doesn't go beyond the ceiling, you know.' But the point of prayer...is that it doesn't have to. Your father, he says, is there in the secret place with you. He sees and knows your deepest thoughts and hopes and fears. He hears the words you say. He hears too the things you can't put into words but want to lay before him anyway...Prayer is a symptom, a sign, of the mystery: the fact that heaven and earth actually mingle together. There are times when they interlock; there are places where they overlap. To pray, in this sense, is to claim a time and place - it can be anywhere, any time - as one of those times, one of those places.

"If prayer is about heaven and earth overlapping in time and space, it's also about them coming together in matter, in the stuff of this world, the clay from which we are made. To pray, in this sense, is to claim - think about it and realize just how daring this is! - that the living God, enthroned in heaven, can make his home with you, within you...

"But, when you do (pray), realize one more thing. If prayer is about heaven and earth coming together at one time, in one place, within the lump of clay we call 'me', then it's going to change this person called 'me'. In particular, it's going to make me a forgiver...All of us have been hurt, wounded, slighted, annoyed by other people. How much more have we ourselves done that to God! Yet we want him to be with us, to hear us, and - yes! - to forgive us. How can we not be forgivers too?..."

Lord, teach us to pray; teach us to forgive; make us your people. Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory."