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"The Lord's Prayer" Matt 6:7-15
Kansas City is a self-proclaimed city of fountains. Perhaps the crown jewel of this claim is the large circular fountain near the Plaza that features horses and other figures frolicking in multiple jets of water. Approached from the west in the early morning, the towering plumes of spray catch the rising sun and magnify it in a rainbow play of light and water. By late afternoon, people will be sitting on the edges with their feet in the fountain or standing in front of it for pictures.
A drastic budget contraction for the city had earlier threatened funding to keep the fountains going. But like swimming pools in the central city as the summer heats up, the human importance of these water works became evident. Fountains lift the spirit. Swimming pools cool the body and tap off frustrations that might go back into the community. We need public signs of vitality to soothe and inspire, bring us together for beauty and comfort.
Jesus promises abundant life, an inner fountain of confidence and creativity. When he taught his disciples to pray, he was aligning them with the very Source of life. Stand in relationship with God, God's will, God's generosity and forgiveness, and you will experience daily sustenance that never fails. Clear your inner pipes of clogs and twists and turn on the tap, feel the surge of life flow to you and through you.
The Lord's Prayer is an expanded version of the Sh'ma, the daily prayer all Jews say to be open to the Source, the one God who calls us into intimate union, orders and aligns us within the divine economy of perfect love flowing freely, ceaselessly, sustaining the universe, seen and unseen, an eternal city of fountains.