Slideshow image

Luke 11:1-4

1[Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”2So he said to them, “When you pray, say:
 Father, may your name be revered as holy.
  May your kingdom come.
  3Give us each day our daily bread.
  4And forgive us our sins,
   for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
  And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
Luther writes:
"Our Father in heaven.
WHAT IS THIS? or WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
With these words God wants to attract us, so that we come to believe he is truly our Father and we are truly his children, in order that we may ask him boldly and with complete confidence, just as loving children ask their loving father."
Luther writes in other places that the Lord's prayer is the best prayer ever to be crafted. In part because our Lord and Savior himself prayed this prayer, and if it was worthy of Christ to pray, then certainly we can pray it, and also because it encompasses all that we need in prayer. I mentioned this in my sermon (which I forgot to record... sorry), but I want to dive deeper here in saying that the Lord's Prayer gives us a basis for how we can begin all prayer - in relationship with God. 
You see, we begin prayer with understanding this relationship of one that is parental. A relationship of one who cares for one's own children and will not abandon them, but instead, provide them with all that they need. Just in our introduction, in our way we choose to address God, we are establishing an understanding of this relationship and all of the baggage that goes into this relationship, good and bad. We recognize all of the good that has come from God and that God will deliver us because God has done so before.. And we remember all of those times when our prayers seemed to go unanswered for a distant God. But, that too, we are invited to take to God.
Our Father, our Mother, our Divine Parent hears us and all of our laments. All of our Joys. All of our burdens. Because that is what God has promised to do.