Luke 11:1-13
1. How to preside at the Eucharist,
2. How to conduct a Funeral,
3. How to sing with a little more confidence,
4. How to lead a PCC meeting
5. How to lead a Standing and Finance committee meeting.
6. How to set up the church for worship.
7. How to fill in a quarterly return for the Diocesan office.
8. How not to fall over when walking through a wobbly graveyard,
9. How to stay warm in a freezing cold church on Boxing Day
10. How to roll up the St Barnabas carpet (albeit very poorly).
This small and incomplete list is just some of things I have learnt during my time here as Curate in the Bexley Team. Learning is a lifelong skill. The moment we decide we’re not up for being taught anything any longer, then we’re running into a sticky sort of situation.
Thankfully I’m sure that everyone here is up for a bit of teaching…..I can’t see anyone asleep just yet. But that may change over the course of the next few minutes.
Today, in our gospel passage, Jesus is in teaching mode. Why?
Well because He is asked to teach His disciples how to pray.
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
What follows are perhaps the most familiar words in all of scripture. Using the words of Jesus and what we now call ‘The Lord’s Prayer’, Jesus teaches all of His followers (that includes us as well as the people sitting on a hillside in 1st Century Palestine) how to pray to God.
So, I don’t know about you, but I think that might be worth taking notice of. I think, that if the Son of God himself teaches us how to pray, it’d be a good idea if we sat up and listened, because it may just have the potential to change our prayer lives for evermore.
Now it’s worth pointing out right here that there are two versions of this passage, one in Matthew’s Gospel and the one we have today in Luke’s. And Luke’s is shorter and more succinct, so the prayer we have is a little different to the Lord’s prayer that we know oh so well. But the gist is the same.
In Luke’s gospel, when asked to teach His disciples to pray, Jesus gives five instructions. Only five. That’s it. 5 things to remember when we pray to God.
So here we go.
Firstly…..Father.
That’s it, number one instruction is ‘Father’.
Well actually it isn’t Father. A closer translation of the original word would actually be ‘Daddy’.
Just as a child greets their parent after a long day out at work, or an infant calls out when they’re scared in the middle of the night, so do we call out to our Father, our Daddy, when we pray to Him.
This is important, why?
Well, because by calling God Father it tells us two things. Firstly that Jesus is God’s Son. And secondly we, you and me here today, are encapsulated into this wonderful hybrid family of faith by being invited to call on our Father in Heaven.
OK, number 2…. ‘Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come.’
Now this might sound like two different statements, but when we look at them together, they take on an altogether different meaning.
I, as you may have noticed, am a rather laid back kinda guy. It takes a fair amount to get a rise out of me. And when I lead our worship here it takes on a laid back kind of feeling. But….the downside to that, which I am well aware of sadly, is that God is not only our best friend with whom we can feel utterly comfortable; but He is the God of the universe. He is the almighty, the beginning and the end. He is the holiest of holies. And we can lose sight of that when we only think of God as our best mate. This prayer reminds us of God’s awesomeness. And it is that awesomeness that we seek on earth. Your kingdom come, O lord. Your kingdom, full of justice and love, grace and mercy; that is the kingdom we seek here on earth, here in Bexley, here in our homes and our hearts.
Instruction number 3 - Give us each day our daily bread.
Do you remember, during the pandemic lockdown number 1, when we all panic bought loo rolls and rice…...that long life products were in high demand! Long life milk, long life bread, long life grains and pulses. And long life mash potato! Let’s face it, it doesn’t compare to a fresh loaf of bread does it?
Give us each day our daily bread suggests two things….firstly the provision will be daily. No need for long life mash in the Kingdom of God. And secondly that we will always be provided with what we need. After all, it says bread, not sourdough focaccia with olives and rosemary. Just bread. Enough to get by on. Enough to share. O lord, give us our bread.
Instruction number 4 – brace yourself, it’s not an easy one like the bread.
‘Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.’
This is a sermon all on its own, isn’t it.
We know that we are forgiven. We ask for it every week. In fact we’ve asked for it already today. But how often do we address the forgiveness we need to give, rather than that which we need to receive? When was the last time that we offered forgiveness, even to that person who is really awful?
Because, I hate to say it, but it would seem to be quite important to God that we offer the same forgiveness to others, that He extends to us.
Lastly, number 5 - And lead us not into temptation.”’
Everyone is tempted by something. Everyone! You and me, big people, small people. Everyone walks towards temptation at one point or another. If we’re lucky we’ll be drawn towards something tempting that really doesn’t seem to bother other people all that much.
A desire for chocolate hobnobs perhaps. Or a fascination with collecting teddy bears?
But sometimes our temptation leads us to places that we’d really rather not be. The feelings of lust we have for a work colleague, the draw of a drink, and another, and another.
And yet, it is not the Lord who leads us towards it….no, we do that by ourselves. God will not lead you into temptation. Unfortunately this is one of those occasions where the English translation just doesn’t quite cut it.
In fact Pope Francis back in 2019 actually approved of a word change to the Lord’s prayer when prayed in Catholic churches. Instead of ‘lead us not into temptation’, He suggested ‘Do not let us fall into temptation’.
However we experience it, temptation is all around. We pray daily for the Lord’s strength to guard us from such terrors. We are all but reliant upon the Lord’s mercy.
So there you have it. A whistle stop tour of the Lord’s prayer. I wonder if that has helped you in any way? I wonder if you saw something differently, or whether it’s made you question something you’ve held dear for so long.
The truth is, the Lord’s prayer is all about….well prayer, isn’t it. However we do it, however often we do it. Whether we wander about in a fancy frock or walk silently through the woods, whether it’s a fleeting thought as our head hits the pillow or a scream of anguish as we see a loved one suffer, prayer is always a good idea. It’s never too late. It’s never too little. He is always there, and always listening.
So go on, give it a go. Who knows where it’ll lead you to.
Amen.
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