By Steven Norris
One of my favorite parts of the worship service at my church is the singing of the Doxology. I have sung it since I was a child. There is something familiar about the rhythm and the spirit of praise that it evokes. The word “doxology” — a word of praise. In many ways, the Lord’s Prayer concludes with a word of praise: “For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever.”
(Let me pause for a moment to acknowledge that many of the earliest manuscripts of Matthew’s Gospel do not include this phrase. In many modern Bibles, it has been relegated to a footnote. Therefore, some churches elect not to include it in their liturgy.)
“Yours is the kingdom.” Earlier in this series, we’ve discussed the role of the kingdom in Jesus’ teaching, healing, and exorcisms. When the Devil tempted Jesus in the desert, he took Jesus up on a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. He offered Jesus a “shortcut” to the throne that would bypass the cross. In the book of Philippians, it tells us that Jesus’ obedience to death directly resulted in his exaltation to “the highest place” (see Philippians 2:5-11). The kingdom of God is without boundaries, for it covers everything in all creation.
“Yours is the power.” God is without peer or rival. The prophet Jeremiah prays, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents ’sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds” (Jeremiah 32:17-19). It was through God’s immeasurable power that the world was spoken into existence. It is through God’s power that the world will be brought to its intended conclusion.
“Yours is the glory.” When we talk about God’s glory, often we think of it in terms of blinding light, God’s majestic beauty, or a halo or crown. That is a bit different from the Hebrew concept of glory, which has to do with weight. In Hebrew, the word is kavod and refers to something heavy or something with substance. This is in contrast with that which is light and blown around by the wind. A boulder has kavod; a leaf or a feather does not.
The glory of the earth’s kings will come and go, riches are passed down or seized by more powerful kings, moths and rust destroy, weeds take over the land, and buildings crumble and fall. In short, every major empire in history has collapsed. Their glory fades and withers away. By contrast, God’s kingdom, power, and glory extend forever.
So hear the invitation to praise — to say clearly, “You are first and I am second.” Recognize the invitation to distinguish between king and servant, strength and weakness, glory and dust. Embrace the invitation to say unashamedly, “Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory, forever.”