“Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven ... ”

This being, as many of us know by rote, the opening lines of The Lord’s Prayer. Growing up in the educational environs of one of our countries traditional religions, I and my schoolmates all knew this prayer by heart. This prayer was indeed used for a variety of purposes, prayers of petition, prayed in response to penance as an act of contrition, and as well prayed at a pivotal point during the celebration of the mass.
These among many seasoned and well timed uses of the prayer by itself, leads me to believe few, if any, prayer is said so much by so many. It is by virtue of whom it is addressing, cause for both reflection and inspiration.

Sometimes however, as we become accustomed to something, as we become used to its presence, we may have a tendency to overlook the sentiments attached, not that we indeed take it for granted, but more so that we don’t continuously and sincerely comprehend the true potential of the petition. I believe it is safe say, when we pray “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” even praying this in reverence and faith we rarely stop to think of what that would truly look like. Well, the Grand Valley experienced a fulfillment of this petition this past weekend. By witnessing something called Sharefest. Sharefest, when in unity, near 25 percent of the local Churches participated in an outpouring of God’s will, joining together in an outpouring of servant hood to their fellow man. Sharefest, what a true embodiment of the Spirit; neighborhoods got adopted, yards got cleaned, decks got built, handicap ramps got installed, houses got painted, weeds got pulled, houses got fixed, just to mention a few of the 250 some projects adopted and worked on by upwards to two thousand volunteers.

This along with a tremendous partnering by the for profit sector, business men and women , owners and managers of hundreds of businesses donating an estimated two hundred and fifty thousand, over a quarter of million dollars, in supplies, equipment, tools and materials. It was joyful explosion of energy. All drawn from a faith in one born and resurrected some two thousand years ago, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ; the one who distilled the mosaic commandments from ten to two, these being, Love God and Love thy Neighbor. How better to live into that, than to truly go out and serve those you know and those whom you did not, with love and tenderness. It was a miracle of purpose, and many blessings were indeed experienced by all involved. These neighbors of ours, who, by virtue of their acts of kindness and servitude gave us all a glimpse of what we have been praying for all these years, and that is a bit of God’s glory. On earth, as it is in Heaven.