Ask a Theologian: Through Christ
Dear Theologian,
Why do the liturgical prayers of the Church typically end with the words “through Jesus Christ our Lord”? What does this mean, anyway?
Faithful Church-goer
Dear Church-goer,
Your question points to the fundamental dynamic of Christian faith life. It is only Christians who address God in this peculiar way. To ask why they do this is to be drawn more deeply into the mystery of Jesus the Christ. This is a matter of every-day spirituality for all believers, not merely a question of liturgical correctness.
From the very beginnings of Christianity, believers have had to consider how Jesus the Crucified and Risen One was involved in their relationship with God.
The Church’s liturgical way of praying “through Jesus Christ our Lord” expresses clearly the mediating function of Christ. We find the same pattern in nearly every Collect prayer. It is expressed most powerfully in the climactic words of the Great Thanksgiving in the celebration of the Eucharist: “By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.”
This way of praying establishes the pattern not only for our “asking” but for our very existence in relationship to God.
Our faith in Jesus as “the Christ” or “the Lord” does not terminate in him; rather it leads us through and with him into his eternal relationship to the Father in the unity of the Spirit.
Jesus recognized as the Christ brings people to the Father, so that they become intimate sons and daughters of the living God. In this relationship of utter intimacy there is no place for fear or shame, as we cry out to God with the same word that Jesus used, “Abba! Father!” (Gal 4:6, Rom 8:15-16)
Notice the consequences of this truth for everyday faith-living. We have confident “access” (Eph 3:12) to the unspeakable mystery of God because we are baptized into a permanent union with Jesus our brother, a fellow human being who is like us in all things except sin, but whose humanity is united inseparably with the eternal Word.
It is by God’s sheer graciousness that we have been brought into this “family relationship.” When the celebrant of the Eucharist introduces the Lord’s Prayer, we are reminded that it is an act of staggering audacity to address the eternal Mystery with the intimate family word, “Father.” It is only because we have been made one with Jesus the Son that we dare to do this. “And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say ... Our Father.” [1]
All this is implied in the simple liturgical formula, “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” To become aware of it is to enter more deeply into our day-to-day living of the great mystery of our baptism.
To let this influence our thinking may help to resolve some of the nagging uncertainties that sometimes trouble our minds. Instead of asking, “where is Jesus in my relationship with God,” we may wind up asking, “where am I in that identification with Jesus which makes my relationship with God intimate and saving?”
Faithfully,
The Theologian
The Rev. Dr. Wayne L. Fehr wrote a column for a previous version of the diocesan newsletter called Ask a Theologian. He answered questions from ordinary Christians trying to make sense of their faith. Now he's back with a monthly column once again. You can find and purchase his book on Tracing the Contours of Faith: Christian Theology for Questioners here.
[1] BCP, p. 363.