The Lord’s Prayer · piece 16 of 26
The First Request
From Luther’s Small Catechism, 1529
Practice mode shows the first letter of each word. Say the line, then tap it to check.
May Your name be holy. (Matthew 6:9)
What does this mean?
Of course, God's name is holy in and of itself, but by this request, we pray that He will make it holy among us, too.
How does this take place?
It happens when God's Word is taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy lives as God's children based upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father, to do this! But anyone who teaches and lives by something other than God's Word defiles God's name among us. Protect us from this, Heavenly Father!
In plain words
God’s name is already holy, which means it belongs completely to God. In this prayer you ask God to make it holy among you too. This happens when God’s Word is taught clearly and truly, and when you live by it as God’s child. You also ask God to protect you from teaching or living against God’s Word.
Our summary of Luther’s explanation, for reading after his words, not instead of them.
Where Jesus says it
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John 17:17 Jesus prays that the Father will make his followers holy through the truth of God’s word.
Read John 17:17
17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
Translated by Robert E. Smith for Project Wittenberg (revised 2004) and placed in the public domain by the translator. How we checked it, and the whole Catechism on one page