Amen

Do you pronounce it with a long a sound at the beginning? Āmen (the a rhymes with hay). Or a short a sound? Ămen (the a rhymes with baa). Or do you say it one way and sing it another?

However you pronounce it, what do you mean when you say it? For many people, the word stands as a mere formulaic expression marking the end of a prayer, much like a period marks the end of this sentence.

The word itself is an affirmation, ratification, and confirmation. It indicates something is true. That the speaker stands in agreement. Amen, the final word.

In more modern parlance: So be it.

Or as Captain Jean Luc Piccard of Star Trek’s The Next Generation Enterprise often said, “Make it so.” Or, more simply, “Engage!”

Now that we’ve reached the final word of endorsement, affirming the things we’ve been praying for, let’s review. Following a pattern featured in the Amplified Bible, which includes expanded explanations within the text, I offer the following version of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples.

Dear God, Our Father,

You are our divine parent, the source of our spiritual identity and belonging. You are my Father. Jesus’s Father. The Father of my friends and family and everyone I hold dear. Help me to remember that you are also the Father of people aligned with cultures that differ from mine. People who live in other countries. You are the Father of everyone I don’t like, the Father of the people I call my enemies. In Your family we are brothers and sisters, and I offer this prayer on behalf of us all.

Who art in heaven, everlastingly. You inhabit heaven, which is above us, yet somehow within us. Stretch the internal essence of who I am upward so that I can glimpse what is above in Your realm.

Hallowed be thy name. Your attributes encompass awe, wonder, and respect. All the names by which you make yourself known and all the titles that have been bestowed upon you give us only glimpses into your vast majesty. The reality of who you are takes my breath away.

Thy kingdom come. May your rule extend and may the number of citizens in your domain continually grow and increase in devotion to You. Please help me to carry your kingdom with me everywhere I go.

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Rejoicing in all the good things that happen and celebrating in the face of joy, and grieving when bad or tragic events occur. In the midst of unbearable pain, let me be Your ears, Your eyes, Your hands, and Your feet. Let me bring to this planet where I live a reflection of Your heavenly realm so that people can see You at work in the world.

Give us this day our daily bread. Please provide for the physical and spiritual sustenance of Your people, all of them, even the ones I don’t recognize as Yours. Help me understand and faithfully fulfill my role as your servant so that Your provisions can effectively reach those in need.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. I stand before you as guilty. Sometimes of small lapses and sometimes of major transgressions. I fail to offer You the honor, esteem, reverence, respect, and obedience You deserve. Please wipe away my debt and remind me to do the same for other people who may have wronged me. Even if they don’t deserve it. Because You expect me to be as merciful to them as You are to me.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Guide me through life’s challenges. Surround me and keep me on the right path. I am weak, please uphold me. Please help me avoid trials that would cause me to stumble. Please protect me, protect all of us, from the actions and influences of evil. I beg You to keep me from being an instrument of evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Always. Everlastingly. From before time began and enduring even after the last tick of the universal clock. For all eternity, Your reign, Your authority, and Your splendor endure.

Amen. I concur. Make it so. So be it.