January 12, 2022 — “Break a Leg!” (Matthew 6:5-13)

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’”  Matthew 6:5-13

“Break a Leg!”

How many times have we heard someone shout, “Break a leg!” to someone going onstage? This is a phrase that seems to be counter intuitive. Certainly, you don’t want someone to actually break their leg during a performance. So, what is going on here?

Eric Partridge in his Dictionary of Catchphrases suggests that the term originated as a translation of a similar expression used by German actors: Hals- und Beinbruch (literally, “a broken neck and a broken leg.”) The German phrase traces back to early aviators, possibly during World War I. So, how did this “wish for dreadful injury” turn into one for good luck? It is suggested that it is a reverse psychology of sorts. Popular folklore is full of warnings against wishing your friends good luck. To do so was thought to tempt the fates – actually thought of superstitiously that it might tempt evil spirits to do someone harm. Instead, they would wish their friend bad fortune.

The Greek word “Hypokrites” comes from the world of acting – where a “Hypokrite” was someone who “put on the face of another” or was a “pretender”. Jesus accused the Pharisees of being hypocrites, people who acted one way, but lived their lives in another way – usually in the opposite way of how they pretended to the world.

Jesus wants us to live our lives the same way all of the time – to be genuine and honest and humble – whether people see us or not. If we say we are Christians, then that should define how we live, what we say, and whom we love. As the song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love…..” There is no way to fake that kind of love and Grace.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we are worried every day that some calamity will strike us, our family or our friends. When we put our trust in you, we have no need to worry about tempting the fates – for your death and resurrection secures our eternal future. Amen.

Pastor Dave