Sermon On The Lord's Prayer
In the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
For some people, talking about their prayer life is as uncomfortable or unseemly as discussing politics, money or sex. Frankly, it’s no one else’s business.
In typical fashion, Jesus doesn’t worry about these sensibilities. He told his disciples how to pray and what to pray. Initially some of the instructions from Jesus about how we should pray seem a bit counter intuitive – he tells us to pray in private, and yet elsewhereJesus said, ‘whenever two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there also.’ If we are to be fishers of men, then surely, we need to model good practice? I think Jesus is telling us not to show off about it. ‘My prayer life is better than yours’ is not a good look. Don’t be showy or obvious about our prayers and praise, but to get on with it quietly. It is the spiritual equivalent of ‘no photos, no comments!’ It is the same with giving money to charity and fasting. Those who draw attention to themselves for doing these things entirely miss the point. It isn’t about them, it is about God and God’s plans for the kingdom, so don’t be like them!
Jesus taught Jesus taught the disciples to pray using the words of the Lord’s Prayer. There are two versions in the Gospels, Matthew 9 and Luke 11, and tonight’s reading from Matthew is the longer one. It is said daily, privately, in groups, in churches, all over the world on countless occasions, when a baby is born, when someone is dying, at weddings, in times of stress and pain, in school assemblies, at all times. Somewhere in the world people will be saying it at this very moment. That is a wonderful thought.
Over the centuries, the prayer was translated into the vernacular, local languages, long before there was a copy of the Bible. It was a useful tool for people studying other languages because you can spot linguistic patterns and shapes.
I wonder how many times the Lord’s Prayer has been said in this place…? I wonder how many times we have heard or said or read the Lord’s Prayer….? Perhaps you sang it to the Rimsky Korsakov setting at the 1100 eucharist this morning? Maybe you’re more of a Cliff Richard Millennium Prayer version? It can be sung, said aloud or in silence. I have learnt to say it in sign language, though I am not very fast.
The Early Church Father, Tertullian, described the Lord’s Prayer as a summary of the Gospels. “Without exaggeration, a summary of the whole Gospel is to be found in the prayer”, because it includes the ultimate questions in life: how is God is our father, what the kingdom of heaven is like, the battle good and evil, and forgiveness. It’s got it all.
Feeling lonely? Our Father. Our means me and you, Father means we can have a personal relationship with a loving God, whose name is holy.
Feeling uncertain about the direction of your life? Thy will be done.
Needing nourishment of body and soul? Give us this day our daily bread.
Feeling guilty? Forgive us our trespasses.
In need of reconciliation? As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Being pulled in different directions or want an easy, expedient way out? And lead us not into temptation.
Scared? But deliver us from evil.
Following the text in the Gospels, older versions and some Christians, for example Roman Catholics, stop after ‘deliver us from evil’, and pop ‘Amen’ there. The added phrase of “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.” is known as a doxology, which means glorifying, so it is a short hymn of praise to God. They were used by St Paul and in Old Testament writing, so at some point, adding the doxology seemed a fitting thing to do. Ironically, it is this part of the prayer that is my favourite bit.
There are seven statements or petitions in the prayer. 7 is a special number for Christians. It can symbolise completeness and perfection. Examples from Scripture are God resting on the 7th day, Jesus spoke 7 statements from the cross, he tells Peter to forgive people seventy times seven, and many more. The importance of the number 7 helps to highlight the importance of the Lord’s Prayerwith its 7 statements. In a blog post from 2017, Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, explored why saying the Lord’s Prayer is good for your mental health. I have included some of his ideas here with my own.
1. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
That first word is crucial; it is OUR father. At no point in this prayer do we refer to ourselves in the singular. It is always we, us and our. Our Father, Our daily bread, our trespasses. This is really important because it shows how faith is a community, whether you like each other or not. The sign language movement for us and our is to take your two index fingers, hold them up next to each other in front of you and bring them to your sides, thus indicating that this shows togetherness, more are inside the circle.
We are to call God father. We are called to have a personal, intimate relationship with God. Parents and children can have rocky relationships, but the idea is that love is constant, even if getting along isn’t.
2. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. It is pertinent to note that we are exploring the kingdom of God on the Accession Day of King Charles III. We have earthly rulers, but it is God’s rule alone that is perfect. We must have courage to live well in an imperfect world, where there is suffering and evil; God is at work within it, but we have to play our part to bring about justice and peace. It isn’t about us and what we want. It is about God, and what God wants for each of us.
3. Give us this day our daily bread. Jesus teaches his followers to pray each day not for more but for just enough. In a society where we have been trained to think we do not ever have enough; we must try to be content and find joy in this life: to realise and appreciate what we have. It isn’t just about physical hunger and need, it is also spiritual hunger, which can only be satisfied by God.
4. Forgive us our trespasses. We must learn to live with our imperfections, but we need to acknowledge them and apologise for them. Jesus gives us a prayer to say which acknowledges that we fall short. We can come to God and ask forgiveness, seeking help and strength for the day ahead.
5. ….as we forgive those who trespass against us. We don’t want to ruin relationships by not forgiving others for their imperfections when we are not perfect ourselves. It is a package deal. Want forgiveness? Show it to others! All of the little slights as well as the big arguments.
6. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
We need to be resilient in a challenging world with new temptations, social media, photoshop, the increase in being armchair experts, sending nasty messages online because we can but we wouldn’t have the courage to say them to someone’s face. To pray the Lord’s Prayer each day is to prepare yourself for whatever difficulties lie ahead, acknowledging that God is with us always.
7. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. This reminds us that a life lived well is a life lived with purpose to the glory of God. It takes us back to the beginning. It reminds us that in the end, God holds the end of the story. God will bring all things to completion. God will watch over us through this life and welcome us, beyond death, into the life to come. In sign language, kingdom is said by placing a crown on your head, then reaching your hands over your invisible subjects; power is holding your fists tightly; glory is hiding behind your hands held up to shield you from the glare of seeing God; for ever and ever is your two index fingers touching horizontally, then taking one of them and making circular movements as you move it away into eternity. Amen is two thumbs up bouncing to touch each other in front of you. It is beautiful.
The Lord’s Prayer is an integral part of the Christian tradition. Knowing that other Christians around the world are using it fosters unity, our shared kingdom values. It puts us in our place and God in THE place in our lives. I think that the Lord’s Prayer is a radical prayer. It gives us the chance to share an outpouring of all we are experiencing, laying it all on the lap of God. And we can do this for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 119:41-56
Exodus 14:5-end
Matthew 6:1-18
Choral Evensong sung by the Lay Clerks and Choral Scholars St Paul’s Service Michael Walsh Responses Walsh The Lord is King Boyce Psalm 119.41-56 Preacher: Kitty Price, Cathedral Reader Hymns 205, 391 373(Coe Fen) Voluntary: Voices of the World Iain Farrington
PRAYERS
Let us pray.
Today we commemorate the Accession of King Charles III, monarch and Head of the Church of England. We pray for him, Queen Camilla, and for the Royal Family. We pray that we and they remember that, in words from the psalms sung just now in our anthem, that the Lord is King over all earthly monarchs. We pray for countries where their leaders are hard hearted like the Pharaoh, that they might be released from slavery.
King of kings and Lord of lords,
hear our prayer for Charles our King and
all who share with him in the government of this country.
Bless him in those he meets and the
authority committed to his charge.
May he be an instrument of your peace and justice
that this nation may proceed in unity and concord
and be a beacon of hope to the world,
through Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace
and the source of true glory. Amen.
We pray for those for whom this night will be one of sadness, fear and anxiety, loneliness, depression, financial worries, sickness, mourning and death. We pray for those who support them.
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake,
or watch, or weep tonight,
and give Your angels and saints
charge over those who sleep.
Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Your weary ones.
Bless Your dying ones.
Soothe Your suffering ones.
Pity Your afflicted ones.
Shield Your joyous ones,
and all for Your love's sake. Amen.
We pray for the Church around the world,
In the Anglican Communio for the Church of the Province of Myanmar; in the Porvoo Communion for the Diocese of Salisbury and the Diocese of St Asaph.
In the Diocese of Portsmouth, for The Bishop, Jonathan Frost, and Philip Poulter, the Diocesan Secretary, and for those who work in Resources and Strategic Implementation.
As we continue on our journey of faith into a world desperately in need of prayer, forgiveness and reconciliation, hope and faith, we think of a phrase from the psalm: your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home, that in the week ahead we hold Christ as the cornerstone in all we think and do.
We give thanks for the way that music enriches our worship, praying for the Cathedral choirs as they start a new academic year.
As the Cathedral of the Sea,
we pray for our seas and oceans:
for all helping to conserve our marine environment
and those whose livelihood depends on the sea;
for all who are at sea this night,
and those who serve to keep others safe.
Creator and Father of all,
we pray for those who go down to the sea in ships
and serve upon the waters of the world.
Bless them and all who minister to their needs,
that they may put their trust in you
and find in you a strong anchor for their hopes
and so be filled with your peace
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore. Amen.