The Daily Sip

 

Charles LaFond, above, writes The Daily Sip, a blog that I really enjoy. Charles is a friend. He has a lot of superpowers and super skills. He’s a priest, a fund-raiser, and a consultant. He’s a writer, a cook, and a potter. Loaded.

In the post below, copied in whole from his site (go sign on to receive his daily posts — it’s worth it, particularly if you are connected to faith community and a life of search for divine), Charles offers pretty stunning redo of Lord’s Prayer.

I find myself playing and working (“plrking” — thanks Lina Cramer) a lot with faith communities. I love being with those that are calling in new church for these times. I love using participative leadership as a way to support this. There are a lot of people hungry for it.

Enjoy this below, and thank you Charles!
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Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV) “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”

Charles’ Lord’s Prayer

God, you are Our Supreme Existence and being

but Father is not who you are, as much as Cosmos, or perhaps, supreme lover of souls. You exist in what we call heaven because we have no language which fits time outside of time and being beyond life…so we say heaven for the want of some other word.

Your greatness is un-nameable so we call you “hallowed” as a place-holder. It sounds better than “the great and powerful Oz.”

We want your justice and mercy to flow here on earth which is what me mean when we say “kingdom” and when we ask that “it come.” But really we like kings and queens, Archdeacons, Canons and Bishops.  We like royalty because it makes us feel protected, which is quite far from the truth. So forgive our fetish for worshiping power and prestige. Generation X is trying hard to recover from that and the Millennials will recover from it, while at the same time, dismantling The Church and molting a new version.  Church 2.0 with less money, fewer titles, and more kindness..  Which is fine,  But painful to church hierarchy – so love on them please, because their world is crashing in on itself and they are running out of people to bully and dominate and tax.  Maybe the silent generation and some of the older boomers will capitulate but that’s about it for victims.  So they are sad.  Give the church bullies a hug, Please.  Or a scotch.  Or a foot massage.  Or, in some cases, all three please.

We want your will to be done but we know that “will” is not what we mean.  We mean your “desires.” Because we no longer want to be part of patriarchy, edicts and memos. And we want the same desires you have in the Trinity to flow into us and onto our small planet, the way it flows from the members of the Trinity. Freely. We have read about “your will” in the Old testament and we are appalled. But we trust the “new you” we see in Jesus.

Give us enough food and resources for one, small day.  Secretly we want lots more.  We want desperately for you to give us bank accounts, legal assurances of ownership, deeds, 401K savings, real-estate investments and other sources of wealth which make it needless that we ever speak to you again.  We want to be rich and independent of you, but we know that would end in spiritual ruin as it has for so many wealthy people.  So just give us enough bread and protein for today.  And one night of sleep in one bed.  And some warmth when it is cold. And one person to look in our eyes with real love.  And chocolate.

Forgive us for what we have done. But begin with helping us to forgive ourselves for what we have done and to forgive others for the terrible things they have said about us and done to us. Especially those whom we thought really loved us – since that betrayal is the worst pain imaginable.

Protect us from our own reckless desires and disordered loves. We want stupid things. And we will grab them given half a chance.  Help to gently guide our hands and eyes away from the silly things we choose.  And I don’t just mean the big sins but the billions of small ones. And help us to recover from thinking that the human body is evil and that “sins” are what we do with our body.  Go ahead!  Let us have wild and crazy sex! And protect us from leaders who are not getting enough good sex. But help us not to be unkind.  Help us to recycle.  Help us to bring doggie poo bags. Sex is not sin.  “Mean” is sin. “Bitchy” is sin.  “Slander” is sin. “”not being satisfied with what has been given to us” is sin.  But we have made sin about sex in order to deflect our attention (and yours) away from the REAL evil…unkindness. And protect us from the Church when, in her anxiety, she tries to hurt us in your name.  And love Bishops and hug them.  They are in terrible pain and are afraid that their kingdoms are collapsing around them.  Because they are.  So love on them please. They can’t raise money to save their lives.

But good, authentic non-profits are raising money.  That’s because they deserve it. So abandon the church when it raises money for empire or maintenance and instead flood secular non-profits with tons of money if they ease human suffering. If they deserve the money they are raising.  And get in the way of churches and Bishops raising money for the spiritual eaee of upper middle-class white people. Upturn their tables.  Make a big huge mess.

And help us to be kind to ourselves and to other.  And that is enough.  Really.  That is enough.  Then let us live wonderful, sexy, tasty, delicious lives.

AMEN