Reclaiming the Truth
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6.9-13
Redeeming the Time
What do we pray for in a season like the one we are living in? How do we know what to pray or what to say? When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He taught them to pray communally. Notice the plurality in His prayer.
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”
Our relationship with Jesus is personal; it’s never private. Love is never self-seeking, self-protecting, or self-serving. Love is always for the sake of others. In this season of scarcity and individualism, the Church intercedes communally. We pray together for each other. We pray “on earth as it is in heaven.” Not just for me and my family, but for us and His Family.
One of the most beautiful passages of Scripture that describes the early church is Acts 4.34. “… there were no needy persons among them.” Let’s be a church that is, “in Christ for the sake of the world.” Let’s engage the people around us, seeking out places where we can bless those who feel cursed, touching the wounds of the sick and inviting in the stranger.
Paul writes to the little church in Galatia, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 6.5)
Reflection
- When thinking about the Lord’s prayer, how often do you view it communally?
- What is your greatest temptation to make/keep your faith private?
- Love is never self-seeking. What’s one way you can fully love another today?
Resting in His Redemption
Today we’ll pray along with Ted Loder. Rest and receive – His presence is with us.
Lord,
plunge me deep into a sense of sadness
at the pain of my sisters and brothers
inflicted by war,
prejudice,
injustice,
indifference,
that I may learn again to cry as a child
until my tears baptize me
into a person who touches with care
those I now touch in prayer:
victims of violence
of greed,
of addictions;
prisoners in ghettos,
in old age,
in sexism;
people with broken bodies,
with broken hearts,
with broken lives,
whom I remember now in silence before you
because I have too often forgotten them in the shuffle of my fretful busy-ness.
