“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you shall 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.”
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:5-15 NIV
The season of Lent has begun and if you did not know that, then welcome to the party. Lent was always a weird thing for me growing up. I didn’t understand it. I remember the altar vestments being purple and I remember being in worship every Wednesday night, but other than that Lent was not something we really observed. And when I say we did not really observe, I mean we did not give things up and we did not give up meat on Fridays. I do remember my Grandma Hartman would bring Fish sandwiches from McDonald’s for supper on Fridays, though. She lived in Waverly, where McDonald’s was, and brought the $0.99 sandwiches to the farm. It was the best! I still eat those sandwiches, not sure if it’s the tartar sauce or what, but they are definitely delicious! Oh, the memories of being a kid during Lent.
As time moved forward, I started to realize Lent was more than giving something up. It was a time of self-reflection and a time to be spent with God. This can be difficult for many of us because of our hectic schedules or the fact we just do not know how to sit in the stillness and listen to our breathing—let alone listen to God speak to us. Many of us have a spiritual practice of lectio divina, which is a type of practice where one reads the Bible in a meditative way to deepen one’s relationship with God. Lectio involves reading a passage of scripture aloud, slowly, and reflectively by oneself or in a group. It is a great spiritual practice, yet there are many that are not able to take a half hour to even do this. So, what can we do to quiet ourselves for 5 or 10 minutes? Well, I’m glad you asked.
During this season of Lent, I am taking my two congregations through the Lord’s prayer. I am utilizing Rev. Adam Hamilton’s Book, The Lords’ Prayer: The Meaning and Power of the Prayer Jesus Taught. When the six weeks are done, they and I will probably be exhausted with the reading of Matthew 6:9-15; however, this prayer is the most common and used prayer in our worship settings. I cannot think of many mainline denominations that does not say the Lord’s Prayer. Those that do not say it in their worships are the Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses. They do not believe the prayer was intended to be used as a repetitive prayer format and that personal, spontaneous prayer is more important.
What I learned from just week one: There is a lot of depth in this prayer that I have not considered. And, if I have not considered things, then I know the people in the pews also have not. For example, there are many prayers in scripture that the disciples used, yet they asked Jesus to teach them to pray like John’s disciples. Jesus opened the prayer with “Our Father” because it stood out from the other prayers and makes God the priority of the prayer and invites us to pray for others around us. “The “Our Father” reminds us that Christian faith is not meant to be lived alone and to acknowledge God as our common Father, is to recognize our obligation to our neighbors, all of whom are made in the likeness and image of God” (pp. 6-7 of The Lord’s Prayer).
Some will squirm at this because of the male image of God and not including the female image of God. Yet, as Adam points out, is it possible Jesus used “Father” not because God is like our earthly fathers, but because “so many of us long for the love of a father they never had and so God is the pattern and example of what a father is meant to be: steadfast, faithful, loving, kind, compassionate, merciful, and present.” (9). However, we pray the prayer, I ask for us to remember Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” We can fight all day long about which pronouns to use for God yet we must remember God is bigger than all of that. And, when we pray the Lord’s prayer, we are not to be focusing on any of that, we are to be focusing on God and God alone.
So, as we all enter this season of Lent, I invite you to pray The Lord’s Prayer keeping God’s name holy, quieting yourself, listening to God’s call, and being ready to God and serve. All of this can be a challenge for many of us, yet for the next six weeks, I am certain many of our lives will be changed by just reciting this prayer in the car, before a meal, before bed, when we wake up, or even in the shower. God is asking us to be connected and be reconnected to Them. So, let us 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 use from the evil one. Amen.
Rev. Dixie Laube
Osage United Church of Christ, Osage, IA & Eden Presbyterian Church, Rudd, IA
Northeast Association of Iowa Deacon
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