“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

– Matthew 6:9-13

These words placed delicately together in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, have been a life source circulated and used all over the world. They’ve been translated into many different languages and recited by many different people. The Lord’s prayer was one of the first scriptures I memorized as a very young child; first in Samoan then English. It was the prayer used to gather us around the small, intimate living room space that my immigrant parents were able to afford. The words, “Our Father…” reminded us every time, that in our circumstances and amidst having nothing on the table to eat, drink, or share…God was with us. When finances were scarce, and my father worked three jobs tirelessly to make ends meet…God was with us. When mother’s limited education and language skills should have been barriers in helping her four children…God was with us. When we on the margins and left to fend for ourselves and no where to turn…God was with us.

The Lord’s prayer is not only a reminder that we are not alone on this journey in life. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, whose ancestors fought to provide a safe and loving space for all God’s beloved children to worship and praise God, as a family. In his book, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, author Henri Nouwen writes, “Ministry is not only a communal experience, it is also a mutual experience…We are called to proclaim the Gospel together, in community…The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God. The leadership about which Jesus speaks is of a radically different kind from the leadership offered by the world.”

As we journey through the next several days of the Special Session of the General Conference, may God’s unlimited and unconditional ‘will be done.’

“Thy will be done”…to love, cherish, support, and provide for all God’s children, now and forevermore.

God was with us, is still with us, and will always be with Us.

God who formed us and is with us still, give us peace, love, and strength as we live into our call to not only speak, but proclaim in our actions Your grace, Your mercy, Your love. Guide our actions and illumine Your people. May Your will be done, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Pastor Monalisa Siofele-Lolohea
Trinity United Methodist Church (Pomona, CA)
Young People’s Council Coordinator (California-Pacific Conference)