"Thy kingdom come."
The Second Petition wins the award for being the shortest of all the petitions. Three words long: "Thy kingdom come."
It probably also wins the award for being the most "abstract" - the most difficult to understand. But the beauty of the Small Catechism is that it turns big concepts into small, accessible ones. The kingdom of God is a big thing, and yet here it fits into one sentence:
"God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity."
Now I've boldened some of the words. That's because I noticed something new. The words in bold mention three things: grace, faith (that's what "believe" means), and the Word (Scripture).
If you want to know what the Lutheran Church is about, a good answer is, "It's about three things: Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone."
As a Lutheran, I've known that for most of my life. What I didn't see until now is that they're listed under the Second Petition!
Lutherans, I think, will find that a little bit exciting.
