Every week, at some point in worship, we pray the prayer that Christ has taught us… together. It is the same words the English-speaking church has used for ages, even if we do debate about one particular line’s translation. Yet, when we say the words each week, do we stop to think about their meaning? Do we really mean what we say – do we want God’s Kingdom to come? Or God’s will be done, even if it means we have to give up our own control?

Like many things in our life, when we continuously say or do the same thing repeatedly, without introspection, we lose something in the practice. We forget what we’re actually saying. And often we are simply going through the motions.This summer, we are going to endeavor on a sermon series that will hopefully snap us all awake.

Each week that we partake in this sequence, we will examine one segment of the Lord’s Prayer in depth. We will consider why we pray about a kingdom, why we are saying we will forgive others, and even whether it is really debts, trespasses, or sins. By the end of the next few months, our prayer is that God will enliven our speaking of the prayer that Christ did teach us to say.

Keeping all of that in mind, as we prepare to enter into this practice together, I invite each of you to consider what you do know about the Lord’s Prayer. What have you learned about what we say over the years? In addition, I hope you will think through these questions as well:

• What is the “right” way to pray? Why?
• What are some prayer practices that you know about?
• How do you pray?
• What does the Lord’s Prayer have to do with our other prayers?

I will also be thinking through my own answers to these questions as I prepare for this series.

As the heat envelopes our city, we hope that you will come inside and cool off for a while as we look at this central practice of our life of faith. And maybe even bring a friend with you – you never know what insights we can gain as we all worship together.

Blessings,     Janie