I have recently just returned from 2 months in America having exchanged with a minister of the United Churches of Christ. During my time at  St Charles Congregational UCC (40 miles outside of Chicago) I led a six weeks Bible Study looking at the Lords Prayer.

We know that the Lord’s prayer has a loyal following;  it is a  prayer that  unites Christians of every tradition. The Lord's Prayer is foundational to our faith and one which Christians learns by heart, it is also a model for all prayer. It appears everywhere in the church's life, in its liturgy and sacraments, in public and private prayer. So we could say that this is a familiar prayer for Christians.

As familiar as this pray is, as we explored each petition week by week, new revelations and understanding took place.  We used the Kergyma booklet which had  a taught section but also lots of group activities allowing the exploration of ideas and  beliefs. Looking at each petition through seventeen sets of eyes was revealing as well as challenging. This facilitated the development of new  growth as well as consolidating on long held beliefs.

What was the biggest revelation for me is that no matter how often I look at the Lords Prayer I always learn something new, gain new insights, have fresh revelations. This prayer, that is so familiar that it can become rote,  offers a deeply spiritual experience if we truly engage with the words and its meaning.

 Of course you will be aware  that The phrase "Lord's Prayer" does not seem to have been generally used or  familiar to many before the Reformation. The Bible, of course, nowhere calls Jesus' prayer "The Lord's Prayer," nor is it called the "Our Father . I am sure that you are also aware that the doxology (For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen) was not present in the original version of the prayer, but rather was added to the Gospels as a result of its use in the liturgy of the early church. In fact it was the Christians living in the eastern half of the Roman Empire  who added the doxology when reciting the prayer at Mass. Official "Catholic" Bibles including the Vulgate, the Douay-Rheims, the Confraternity Edition, and the New American have never included this doxology.

We can find the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples in two of the Gospels.

In Matthew Jesus gives the prayer as a type of prayer which complies with the instructions which he has given about prayer in general. Specifically he has told them not to pray like the hypocrites (v5) or to heap up empty phrases (v7).

Lord’s Prayer in Matthew (Chapter 6:9) NIV                  

"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.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

In Luke however the prayer is not only an example which complies with his teaching, it is also a specific prayer which must be prayed by his followers.

Lord’s Prayer in Luke (Chapter 11:1) NIV                                     

One of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:

 "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

 And lead us not into temptation.'"

We know that the commonly accepted version of the Lord's Prayer is the version of Matthew and it is  sandwiched between the discourse –the sermon on the mount.

The Lord's Prayer, like so many more of the discourses ascribed to Jesus, is taken from his Jewish heritage. "The so-called 'Lord's Prayer' was learned by  Jesus  as the 'Kadish' from the Talmud." The Kadish, as translated by Christian scholar, Rev. John Gregorie, is as follows:

"Our Parent which art in heaven, be gracious to us, O Lord, our God; hallowed be thy name, and let the remembrance of thee be glorified in heaven above and in the earth here below. Let thy kingdom reign over us now and forever. The holy men of old said, Remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done against me. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing. For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory for ever and for evermore."

Whilst the Lord’s Prayer has been likened to the opening of the Kaddish prayer of the Synagogue and other Jewish prayers, it is unique in its finished form. Jesus uses the prayer to encourage his disciples to follow his example of spending time talking to God, seeking God’s will and following patterns of prayer.

And so, the disciples asked Jesus  ‘Teach us how to pray," (Luke 11:1) Have you ever wondered why would they ask Jesus how to pray? These disciples had been praying all their lives, had long ago memorized the prayers of the synagogue which they recited every Sabbath in worship. Didn't they already know how to pray? Clearly there was something about the prayer of Jesus which made the disciples feel they were missing the mark, their prayers lacked the power and meaning Jesus' had.

Jesus answered by teaching them the Lord's Prayer.

There is not space here to go into every detail of the petitions of the Lords Prayer. There are many good publications on that very subject and I would encourage you to read them. What I learned from once again studying the Lords Prayer in depth, was a reminder that  it is a prayer above and beyond all others, capturing in a few sentences the essence of all prayer. As we pray the Lord’s Prayer we acknowledge God for whom God  is and for the claim which God rightly has over our lives. We also join our concern and commitment for people and the world with God’s. This is a spiritual journey which will take place over many years as we seek to obedient and grow in love of God. If you have not yet started this journey then there is no time to delay, for it is a pilgrimage in which Christ goes with us and there is no better path to follow.

Amen