The Lord’s prayer - along with this series - ends with a dramatic claim of God’s sovereignty and divinity. After petitioning for all that we need - our sustenance, our forgiveness and our protection - we reorient our eyes and hearts back upon the one who has already fulfilled it in Himself. But there’s more- Jesus is inviting us to relax in the closeness and safety of our Father's loving arms. We do not need to fear or worry because it is His Kingdom, His power and His glory and we can simply enjoy Him!
How to Pray - Deliver Us
Spooky season or not, this is undeniably not the moment that most of us want a discourse on evil and the devil’s role in how we screw up. And yet, there’s to escaping that we’re told to pray: “Lead Us Not into temptation and deliver us from evil.” We look at what is (eh-hem) MIS-leading about the translation, and how, if we understand this properly, we see how vital a nuanced understanding of the forces of good and evil really is. The ultimate test for all of us is whether or not we can prayer “not my will, but yours” and Jesus shows us how this is done. It starts, and ends, with knowing just how good, God really is.
How to Pray - Forgive Us, As We Forgive
Forgiveness. Our culture doesn’t talk much about forgiveness, preferring tolerance, or condemnation (not necessarily bad things) instead. But Jesus asks us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Real forgiveness is deeper and richer and stronger and more lofty than we often understand. And it is the hallmark of Jesus’ kingdom - because it is on the path of forgiveness that we find freedom - not just for ourselves but the whole creation. But forgiveness is rarely easy. So let’s remind ourselves again about the power of God’s forgiveness, and commit to being the people we are - forgiveness people.
How to Pray - Give Us This Day
Jesus is inviting us to pray for our needs with a whole new framework. It's one that recalls God's faithfulness to provide in the past while looking to the future when the kingdom is fully established and there is no lack. So when we make our petitions, we can be confident of God's readiness to provide in the big and small details––knowing that we can be unashamedly bold and broad in our requests because we're His children.
How to Pray - Your Kingdom Come
Carrying on with the Lords Prayer series…Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. Jesus often taught about his Kingdom through parables, using subtle, complex, interesting language that sort to subvert. They reveal that those who knew him face-to-face found it as difficult to grasp the kingdom as we do, because the truth of the kingdom is too complex and other-worldly to be fully revealed. It won’t fit on a billboard. It doesn’t translate into slogans. It isn’t interested in winning. A challenging truth in these days, but one vital to our comprehension of who we’re called to be, and what we’re called to pray.
How To Pray - Our Father in Heaven
Kicking off our new series on the Lord’s Prayer, this week: ‘Our Father in heaven.’ We have a loving father whose ear is attentive to us - he always wants to hear from us. But his fatherliness doesn’t just mean beloved intimacy, it also speaks of deliverance. And as we pray to him we collaborate in the revolution where the first are last, justice reigns and God’s kingdom comes to God’s earth.