The Lord’s Prayer
My final sermon series as your pastor will be on the Lord’s Prayer. Both Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:2-4) include this prayer in their gospels. I will be using Matthew 6:7-13 for this sermon series. The Didache, (“The Teaching”) which was used in the early church to help teach people about following Jesus Christ, includes the doxology, “for thine is the power and the glory forever.” In addition, it offers these words of wisdom (also in bold in the early text): Pray thus three times a day.
Working on this sermon series over the past several weeks I have come to realize The Lord’s Prayer teaches us not only how to pray but also how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a great deal for all of us to learn on both counts.
Does Matthew 6:7-8 help us better understand the Lord’s Prayer or lead us to ask the question, why pray if God knows before we ask? The word Father is for some a painful word. Would it be better to just substitute another word like Parent? Or one might ask, is it sins, trespasses, or debts Jesus is referring to Matthew 6:12? Could it be it’s all 3? And what about the doxology that we protestants include in the Lord’s Prayer. Should we or shouldn’t we pray this? The list could go on.
Anyone who has been part of a church or raised in a Sunday school class can no doubt recite the Lord’s Prayer. But there is a big difference between saying or reciting the Lord’s Prayer and praying it. And hearing it as a prayer that calls us to a deeper understanding of who we are as disciples and what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ, opens new horizons. I look forward to exploring these with you.
April 24 Our Father…Hallowed Be Thy Name” Mathew 6:9
May 1 Your Will Be Done Matthew 6:10
May 8 Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread Matthew 6:11
May 15 Forgive Us Our Debts Matthew 6:12
May 22 And Lead Us Not Into Temptation Matthew 6:13
May 29 For Thine Is The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory Forever
Grace and Peace, John