Church buildings are constructed to communicate something about God and community. I had the opportunity to visit Winchester cathedral in England. It was my first experience in a church like that. The vaulted buttresses were higher than I could imagine climbing, the artwork breathtaking – beyond approach. Every visitor was a small speck from the vantage points above. The place said loudly, “God is beyond us – greater, higher, awesome.” This was unlike the church buildings I’m used to: low ceilings, a short stage, simple decorations. That building said, “God is close – near, loving, and caring.”
There is something incredibly human about how we create these places. People long for something beyond themselves. It’s the feeling we get when we look at the expanse of stars, or the beauty of mountains or the ocean – the awe and amazement of the transcendent. Humans also long for what is imminent or close by – holding our children, calling a loved one, helping a friend, or quality time with a partner.
Prayer is one of the few things in life that can unite both sides of our desire for the imminent and the transcendent. The first line, “Our Father in heaven,” captivates the longing of something near to us. God is Father – not that God is a male, but is a fatherly, motherly, parental being. This loving God is in heaven, above us and beyond our understanding or control. God is not conformed to our preferences but made all things and sustains all things.
Jesus, who teaches this prayer, reveals that both statements are united in truth. God, who is beyond us, is also close by. That means we know God in the intimacy of relationships with others, of serving the needy, and knowing God through the Holy Spirit. The God who has come near is at the same time beyond us. Therefore, God can handle all the things we cannot do like cleansing sin, forging hope, and changing lives. The beauty of the Gospel is that in God, all of our longings for meaning and truth, for what is awesome and for what is close to the ground can be found.