Our Father

When I gave the talk at the service on 15 June, as it was Fathers’ Day, I chose the subject of ‘Our Father’. You see, we say that every time that we say the Lord’s prayer and, for most of us, we have said that prayer innumerable times in our lives but, what do we mean by it?
 
‘Father’ can mean a lot of things: parent, founder, creator to name just a few. Jesus, at least once as recorded in Mark 14:36 used ‘Abba’ which, colloquially, means ‘Dad’. He used it when he was in Gethsemane and was asking his ‘Dad’ to let him off the hook and not go through with the pain and suffering of crucifixion. Clearly, this was an intimate and intense time for Him. The rest of the time he used the more formal ‘Father’ perhaps connoting awe and respect but still trusting, indeed expecting, that His Father would always deliver. Jesus had complete trust whilst respecting that the power was not His but ‘came from above’. I think that this reflects the incredibly close and personal relationship that Jesus had with his creator. He underlined this with his quote in John 10:30 that “I and the Father are one”. He was also clear that we are like Him and one with Him so we are also one with the Father.
 
Traditionally in Unity we might more typically refer to the ‘Father’ as the ‘Christ within’ but it is all the same and we can each get the same support, guidance and power as Jesus. This is why, for me, Jesus is our wayshower; showing us what we can all do if we have faith ‘the size of a mustard seed’. Whilst the Lord’s prayer isn’t always used that much in Unity, I still use it everyday as part of my prayer practice albeit with some words changed to make it more apposite for me (incidentally, we are always free to change words to suit ourselves indeed, doing so make them more personal and powerful). I find that the prayer helps me connect with and remember our wayshower and the wonderful example He gave us.
 
So, what does ‘Our Father’ mean to me? It affirms for me that there is a greater power that flows through me and emphasises that I am not alone. It reminds me that my ‘Father’ is my one true self.

​Rev. Paul Mapletoft
Unity Minister

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