“Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name….” 

What is your relationship to the Lord’s prayer? If you’ve been in any Christian context throughout your life, you have almost certainly been exposed to it. Some of you recited this prayer each week, without much thought about the actual words. Others of you know the prayer, but it hasn’t affected your life. Still others of you treasure the prayer and use it daily. If you didn’t grow up around church or Christianity, you may not know what I’m talking about.

Whatever your situation, I would argue that the Lord’s prayer is the most important prayer in the Bible. The great reformer Martin Luther certainly thought so. When giving prayer advice to his barber he once said, “To this day I suckle at the Lord’s Prayer like a child, and as an old man eat and drink from it and never get my fill. It is the very best prayer…”

The Lord’s prayer is the perfect prayer. However, it is not intended to be used as a magical incantation or good luck charm. It is not intended to be dusted off every so often in religious gatherings and then put away until next time.  No, the Lord’s prayer represents Jesus’ instruction about how his followers should pray. It is the template to use if we want to flourish in our relationship with God.

Join us on Sunday as we explore this majestic prayer from Matthew 6:9-15 and get ready to be (further) equipped to pray.

Pastor Eric