Lord, Teach Us How to Pray

The Lord's Prayer

Luke 11: 1 - 13

Matthew 6: 5 - 14

When Jesus' disciples asked him to teach them to pray, this prayer was his response (Luke 11: 1 - 4 and Matthew 6: 5 - 14). Because we have this prayer in Jesus' own words, it is the basis of our prayer relationship with God.

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 forever. Amen

The idea of kingdom can be difficult to teach to young children. For those of us who live in democracies with elected officials and presidents, kingdom can seem old-fashioned and hard to understand. Father in Heaven, by Linda Parry, may show an easier way to begin to understand this prayer.

The old translation of this prayer in the King James Version of the Bible uses the familiar form of address that is no longer a part of the English language. In other words, those translators kept in mind that this was the prayer of Jesus, who called his father in heaven abba in Aramaic, which doesn't mean father, but instead means daddy.

This is a good day to sing "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God" from Rejoice.

The division of the Lord's Prayer into seven petitions and their explanations were written by Martin Luther in his Small Catechism.

1. What happens to us when we ask God for things?

God gives them to us, although he sometimes gives them in ways we don't understand, and often at a different time from when we expect them.

2. How does God love us?

God loves us like a loving father, who gives his children what they need.

3. What concerns do we take to God in prayer?

We take everything to God in prayer, from the smallest parts of daily life to our greatest worries and concerns.

Pentecost 9 Lesson | Pentecost 8 Art