HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME
My family and a few friends have a regular "house church" in our homes. One of the books we've began to read is The Prayer of Jesus by Mike Nappa. Basically what this book does is outlines the prayer that Jesus teaches us to pray. Each chapter segments a phrase (Our Father, In Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name, etc.....). The book goes into detail about what each small phrase or word means to us as God's children. I had never thought of how the phrase Hallowed be Your Name really reflects how we should act as a part of God's family. Here is a story from the chapter that may make you think of things a little differently (a little long, but read it anyway).....(pages 53-54) Perhaps you've heard of Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. A career soldier, he was an American hero during the Civil War. He was wounded at the Battle of Antietam in 1862, yet managed to recover well enough to continue fighting and even achieve the rank of brigadier general. At one point (by order of Abraham Lincoln himself) Joe was given charge of the Union's main fighting force, the Army of the Potomac, and entrusted with winning the war for the North. He was a decorated soldier as well, and received a prestigious "Thanks of Congress" award for his stellar defense of Baltimore and Washington D.C. Only fifteen generals in all of the Civil War received this congressional designation! Even if you don't know of Fighting Joe, chances are you know his name. You see, this American hero was recognized for more than just his fighting prowess. Whenever his army encamped at a new location, Joe was known for rounding up local prostitutes to "serve" his men and "improve moral". Charles Francis Adams Jr. (grandson of president John Quincy Adams and great-grandson of president John Adams) described Joe's headquarters this way, "A place where no self-respecting man liked to go and no decent woman could go. It was a combination of bar-room and brothel." Joe's reputation reached the streets of Washington D.C. itself. When a "red-light" district of sorts arose in a seedier side of the capital city, the locals there quickly branded it with the general's name. Civil War historian, Bruce Catton, reveals, "During these war years, Washingon developed a large [red light district] somewhere south of Constitution Avenue. This became known as Hooker's Division in tribute to the proclivities of General Joseph Hooker and the name has stuck ever since." It wasn't long before that designation was shortened to "Hooker's," then simplified to "hookers" and used as slang references to prostitutes nationwide. Now, more than a century later, few Americans can tell you that Joseph Hooker was a war hero. Millions, however still recognize his name-as just another synonym for a sex peddler.
So my point is, what lasting impression are we going to leave to the unsaved about God's name and His family by our behavior. Even if we think we are doing something good, we have to think of what others are thinking about it as well, because they will remember God that way.
posted by We Three Spences @ 3:39 PM
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