"Our Father, which art in Heaven "Hallowed be thy Name"
Thy kingdom come "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"
Give us this day our daily bread" And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against
us"
And lead us not into temptation" "But deliver us from evil"
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and
ever. Amen
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name"Jesus
begins this prayer with a plural word “our”. This is not a “me and Jesus”
prayer. Instead we are united with others throughout the globe, people who pray
in a variety of languages and hold customs far different than ourselves. We
seek ways to keep God’s name holy, by using God’s name for prayer, praise and
thanksgiving. But, we may need a push here. We also keep God’s name holy as we
proclaim God’s wonderful deeds. God’s holy name is not intended to be kept
silent.
"Thy Kingdom come"let us
pray to be open to ways God might use us to bring God’s reign to this earth.
How might we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to those who do not know of
the love of God? How might we be part of God’s team?
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"Much
hinders God’s will, but we pray that we might not be ones who prevent God’s
will from happening. We pray that we are not stumbling blocks for others to
hear of God’s love made known in Christ. Let us pray for wisdom and open
spirits to allow God’s will to be done in and through us.
"Give us this day our daily bread"Evangelism
is proclaiming good news in word and deed. How can someone hear the Good News
of Jesus when her children are starving? How can someone hear the Good News of
Jesus when he is exhausted from thirst?
"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against
us" By the grace of God, we let go and embrace the day. Slowly our
hardened hearts yield to a life with joy and hope. By God’s grace, we witness
to the freeing power of forgiveness in Christ.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We
pray we might not be deceived by all that draws us from God. It is so easy to
confuse our busy schedules with lives which truly serve Jesus Christ. For our
sake, Jesus kept it very simple: Love one another; Tell everyone about my love.
Yet, we succumb to the daily temptation to not be a witness to Jesus.
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and
ever. Amen" We give God glory by offering our lives to follow Jesus Christ.
Happy Father's Day
