Luke 11:1-2

     Jesus must have had a dynamic prayer life. Observing it. The disciples came to him that day and asked him to teach them how to pray. Jesus proceeded to teach them what we have come to call the Lord’s Prayer, simply because it’s the prayer he taught. It is likely that he was not trying to institute a particular set of words, but to do what the disciples asked - teach them how to pray. The prayer he taught includes brief statements that he may have intended to point at subject matter.
     A significant moment for Moses was when he stood at the burning bush and asked God's name. He knew, of course, that this was divinity, holy beyond imagination. He was ready to do what God asked of him. But he wanted to be able to say something more to the Israelites than "this voice spoke to me out of a burning bush..." And the voice said to Moses "tell them that 'I AM' has sent you." That is probably about as much as we humans could handle in a name. After all, how do you sum up the infinite God in a name? God is. The Israelites took this name to heart. Later they wrote it down in what we call the sacred Tetragramaten. YHWH.
      The Israelites received the Ten Commandments. They heard that they should not take the name of the Lord in vain. The New Revised Standard Version translates it as "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God." However, there is something to be said about "not taking the Lord's name, specifically, "in vain." Merriam Webster's definition of "vain" is helpful. 1. devoid of worth or significance. Synonyms: empty, hollow, idle and a few I've never heard before like nugatory and otiose. Related words are profitless, unprofitable, useless, valueless, void, worthless, ineffective, ineffectual, fruitless, futile. To speak God's name in vain is not just swearing or using foul language. It is to speak God's name in ways that are empty, hollow and idle. It is to speak about God in ways that are profitless, useless, valueless, void, worthless, ineffectual, fruitless, and futile. To speak God's name in vain is to speak of God with as little thought as we give to the rug we walk upon. To pop pebbles idly into a pool, with no purpose and no profit. It is to take the holy out of God's name and person.
     The Israelites were faithful to the commandment. You might even say they went overboard in their faithfulness. Eventually, they forbade anyone to ever speak the name of God aloud. Instead, they used titles such as Lord or king. They wrote the name down. YHWH. No vowels. Everyone knew what the vowels were and it was always necessary to save space, so the vowels were left out of all ancient manuscripts. Of course, after a few centuries of never speaking God's name out loud, and given a few wars, changes of language and other difficulties, no one now knows how to pronounce God's name or what the original vowels were. The written name was also revered. Any bit of writing that contained the name of God was saved. Even a schoolboy's practice copying from the scriptures was preserved. There was a medieval synagogue that was excavated some years ago. In a special vault under the floor were centuries of scraps of paper. Saved, because they held the name of God and you don't casually set aside anything having to do with the most holy.
      Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
      Some scholars suggest that Jesus did not intend this statement to hang by itself. A few phrases later we hear, "on earth as it is in heaven." The scholars would say Jesus was pointing to a condition "hallowed be thy name on earth as it is in heaven." Or in other words, "may we humans hold your name holy in our minds and hearts. May we never speak of you fruitlessly or pointlessly." And, if we really mean the prayer, it calls upon us to live in ways which hallow God's name -- that those who see the name of God connected with our lives will know that it has meaning, because our lives will be evidence of it. A witness to those for whom God is simply a word which slips out thoughtlessly when they hit their thumb with a hammer. A testimony to those who do not take God into account as the authority for their lives. A light for those who do not understand that God is a loving parent who will eagerly, gladly give meaning and purpose and hope to living. Pray then, and live, in this way: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."
   
Aside from the obvious response (profanity) In what ways is the name of God not kept holy in today’s world?

How can we live in such a way that God’s name appears as holy to the people around us?