Prayer In Community
Stop.
Close your eyes and quiet your mind. Take some deep breaths. As you breathe in say, “You know me.” As you breathe out say, “You hear me.” Repeat as many times as you need.
Listen.
[Jesus said] “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that 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. Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” – Matthew 6:7-9
Reflect.
Since our series on worship talks about prayer this Sunday, it makes sense to talk about the prayer we hear most often in worship: the Lord’s Prayer. It is so called because our Lord, Jesus Christ, is the one who taught it first to his disciples and by extension to all followers. Both Matthew and Luke have a version of Jesus teaching this prayer. In both cases, Jesus teaches the prayer as a response to other teaching on what prayer is and how to do it.
In Matthew, Jesus teaches the prayer in the midst of many cautions on how not to pray. Jesus tells the disciples that they should avoid showy, dramatic acts of piety intended mostly to show off how important you are, both to God and other humans. Instead, Jesus offers a prayer that assumes our God knows what we need and doesn’t need to be coerced.
In many ways, this prayer serves as a powerful model for our own prayer, in worship or otherwise. It praises God’s name. It recognizes the power of God’s will first. It asks that God would continue to provide and forgive as God has always done – and that we might do the same for others. It begs for God’s ongoing protection. All these things are excellent foundations for any prayer.
Because the Lord’s Prayer is known by Christians around the world in all traditions, it also makes a powerful center point for our weekly worship. These words unite all believers. We might say them in different languages, translations, or versions, but the words and intent remain the same. From this prayer, taught to us by Jesus himself, we not only come together as a praying community but also receive support and encouragement for how to build a prayer life of our own.
Pray.
Jesus, our Lord, you have taught us to pray and revealed God’s will to us. Thank you for this gift and how it unites us with you and each other in faith. Continue to guide and teach us as we pray, worship, and live as you call us. Amen.
Carry On.
Do you have the Lord’s Prayer memorized? If not, try to memorize it this week. If so, do you have more than one version of the Lord’s Prayer memorized? Understanding that different traditions translate the prayer in different ways, can you have other styles at the ready? How does it expand your understanding of the Lord’s Prayer?