Responsively YoursResponsively Yours
"Lord, teach us to pray...."
That was the request of the disciples to Jesus after they had seen and heard him praying. They knew the importance of prayer to Jesus and had heard his critique of the methods used by the Pharisees. They earnestly wanted to know how to pray.
Jesus gave the disciples a pattern or model prayer, known today as The Lord’s Prayer. He did not intend it to be the only prayer of his disciples, but that it help them and us in our praying.
There are two versions of this prayer in the Bible. The first is in Matthew 6:9-15 as part of the long section in chapters 5 and 6 known as the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew, the prayer is preceded by comments regarding prayer. It is here that Jesus denounces those who pray in public so that they can be seen and heard. He encourages praying in your room where others cannot hear or see you. Jesus also encourages prayers that have meaning and are not just empty phrases.
The second version of the prayer is in Luke 11:2-4. This shorter version is given to the disciples in response to their request to be taught how to pray and came when Jesus returned to the disciples after having spent time away in prayer. Jesus gave the prayer to his disciples as a gift to assist them in their prayer lives.
There have been several versions and additions to The Lord’s Prayer throughout the history of the church. Various words have been used to give particular meanings to some of the prayer’s phrases. In this column, I will refer to the version found in "The Word and Table Service I" in The United Methodist Hymnal. It reads:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen."
A prayer of all believers
Within the prayer the word our is used three times: our Father, our daily bread, our sins. The word us is used five times. The words are our, not my, and us, not me. This prayer is a prayer of the believers -- all believers in God whether they are sitting in the same church or located in remote spots praying by themselves. The prayer recognizes that:
The Lord’s Prayer is often used in congregational worship. It is important to understand the communal aspect of this prayer for even when we are praying it alone, we are praying for many others. In the prayer, we acknowledge that God is much more than a personal deity. God is:
When we pray, "Our Father," we are affirming that every person in the world is made in God’s image, that everyone is a child of God and thus a person of worth. We are reminded again that each of us are important to God. No one is excluded from God’s presence or love.
The prayer ties us together with all of creation and reminds us of God’s holiness, majesty and awesomeness. Through this prayer, we acknowledge our individual relationship and our corporate relationship with God. We affirm God’s love for each of us and for all people.
We also acknowledge in this prayer that our commitment to Jesus requires us to be concerned about our neighbors, about all God’s children. In asking God to give us bread, we may be asking for basic food or spiritual nourishment. Biblical scholars do not agree on interpretation of this phrase, but in either case, we are not only concerned for ourselves, but for all who hunger for food or God’s presence. This reminds us to be concerned about poverty, hunger and other injustices in our world.
We are also reminded that as disciples of Jesus, we are to witness to the Gospel to those who have not heard nor heeded the message.
Sins is not a popular word even in the church today. It indicates that something is not right, that we have not done all that we should, that we have done something wrong, that our actions or thoughts are against God and outside the teachings of Jesus. In The Lord’s Prayer, we ask for forgiveness of our sins, which can be individual or corporate sins.
It is often easiest for us to identify our individual sins, both those of omission and commission. We may feel repentant at the moment and then proceed to do the same thing again and again. Sin in each person must be addressed daily and steps taken daily to turn away from the many temptations.
There are also corporate sins that groups or nations inflict on others, such as racism, sexism, economic oppression and control of power. When we pray, Jesus indicates we are to ask forgiveness for these corporate sins. He also implies we must change the way we operate to eliminate these sins in society.
The prayer does not stop with the petition for forgiveness, but goes on to say we are to "forgive those who sin against us." The conjunction as between the two parts of the phrase is bothersome for it expresses that God’s forgiveness is dependent on our forgiveness. If we do not forgive others, we are excluded from God’s forgiveness.
Forgiveness is hard work. It involves giving up the need for revenge and seeking good for the one who has hurt us. This is not easy either individually or as a community but is required to have a right relationship with God and our neighbors.
A prayer of hope and intercession
The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer of hope. It contains petitions that we are not able to assure ourselves. It is based on faith in a God that is known to care for, intercede for and provide for people. The hope articulated in this prayer can strengthen us because we are assured of God’s presence even in times of trial and temptation. It can give energy to our actions of dealing with injustices, and it can help in the acknowledgment of sins and the forgiveness of others.
God has a vision of what the world should be. In this prayer we articulate that vision. It’s a vision of:
When praying this prayer, we are interceding for the world. We are asking God to bring in the reign of God. We are engaging God in the struggles, fears and frustrations that we see and experience.
The prayer is not only in words, but also becomes our way of living. As we pray, we recommit ourselves to the work of kingdom-building.
When we pray
Responsively Yours ,
Joyce D. Sohl
Deputy General
Secretary
Women's Division