More Reflections on The Lord’s Prayer
In preparing for this Sunday’s sermon, I was reminded of this old joke as well as a time in the first year of my ministry as a pastor on my own, that has shaped and continues to shape my understanding and praying of the Lord's prayer.
First, the old joke. A republican candidate and a democratic candidate are waiting in the green room to be called to go out on stage and in front of the TV cameras for their debate. (You know it’s an old joke because they’re in the same room and talking to each other!). The Republican pulls out a bill and says to the Democrat, “I'll bet you $20 you don’t even know the words to the Lord’s Prayer.” The Democrat says, “You’re on” and begins to say, “Now I lay me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul to keep.” In exasperation, the Republican says, “Stop! Stop! I’ve heard enough! Here’s your $20.
The simple truth is many people know the words to The Lord’s Prayer. It is, perhaps, the most widely known and recited prayer in churches today. I would contend it is also the most misunderstood and least prayed prayer in churches across all denominations. We often say the words but how often do we pray the words. And how often do we take the time to really understand what Jesus was teaching his disciples?
Second, a nearly 45-year-old memory, that is as vivid to me as if it just happened. I was concluding a visit to a shut in, having just served her Communion. I thought an easy way to bring this visit to a close was with The Lord's Prayer. I started to say the words that were so familiar to me, however, I could only get as far as the opening phrase, “Our Father who art in heaven” before I drew a blank and could not remember any words that followed. Embarrassed I faked a cough saying, “I must have choked a little bit, let me start again”. The same result! Only this time I heard a very distinct message (to this day I'm not sure if I actually heard the message spoken, but I do know with certainty, the message was clearly received. The message was this, “Lena does not need to hear you recite the Lord's prayer she needs you to pray with her”. I stopped trying to say the Lord's prayer and instead took the time to really pray with her.
I learned two very important lessons that day, long ago. First, never use the saying of the words of the Lord's prayer as a substitute for actually praying with someone. The second, never simply say The Lord's Prayer - always pray The Lord’s Prayer.
At the very least, to pray The Lord’s Prayer means to ponder the words of each of the petitions. There is so much packed into this brief prayer. In and through The Lord’s Prayer we can discover the very heart of what it means to pray.
I look forward to examining the petition, Give us this day our daily bread” tomorrow. It is also intentional that we will be sharing in the Lord’s Supper the same day we examine this petition.
Grace and Peace, John