Lord Teach us to Pray The Lords Prayer

Lord, Teach us to Pray The Lord’s Prayer, Part 1

Prayer • Primary speech – humans reaching out to God • Old as humanity itself • Takes many forms

Prayer in Greco-Roman World • Greeks prayed to a pantheon of gods • Greeks believed the gods wanted to be honored • They believed one could offer gifts and receive benefits (reciprocity) • The offering of gifts often came with a cultic ritual The Lord’s Prayer, C. Clifton Black, p. 4 -5

• Prayer in ancient Rome had political and military dimensions • Like the Greeks, they believed in reciprocity • Like the Greeks, they prayed to ideals, such as reason and law, personified • Prayers were rendered to the pantheon and the emperor The Lord’s Prayer, C. Clifton Black, p. 8 -9

Prayer in the life of Israel/OT • Psalms • Many Genres • Two poles – praise and lament, and back again • What was consistent was the one God to whom the prayers were offered and the knowledge that • This God is faithful • Fundamentally dialogic – in prayer, boundaries are permeated

• proseuchomai – a request or promise to a deity • eucharisteo – give thanks • doxazo – praise God • erotao – ask, request • aiteo – to ask, request • deesis – urgent request

A Model Prayer • The prayer Jesus taught • Pervasive in Christian Circles • Prayed and Sung • Memorized and Repeated • Central to many liturgies • Formative and Informative

Appears 2 x in Scripture • In Luke 11: 2 -4 • Part of a larger narrative where the disciples observed Jesus praying and asked him to teach them, “just as John taught his disciples” (11: 1) • Matthew 6: 9 -13 • Part of the Sermon on the Mount. Set up as a part of didactic teaching. When you pray, don’t do this, do this. • Pray where and how • Pray what

Luke 11: 2 -4 • Father, • Hallowed be your name, kingdom come. Matthew 6: 9 -13 Your • Our Father, in heaven, • Hallowed by your name, Your kingdom come. • Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

• Give us each day our daily bread. • Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our sins, for we And forgive us our debts, as we ourselves forgive everyone forgive our debtors indebted to us. • And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the of trial. evil one.

The Lord’s Prayer/Matthew • In sermon on the Mount • In the middle – preceded by 116 verses, followed by 114 verses • Three invocations • Hallowed be your name • Your kingdom come • Your will be done

• Three requests for human need • Give us this day our daily bread • Forgive us our debts • Do not bring us to the time of trial/lead us into temptation

Our Father… • This construction is unique: • • My father Our father Abraham Father Jesus made reference to God as father 173 times in the gospels Father in Greco-Roman world is a starting point Doorway and not a destination Metaphorical Theology Relationship/father/Matthew 7: 7

• God provides • God secures the inheritance • God has authority • AND…

• God gives birth • God nurtures the people

1. Hallowed be your name • Request or a blessing – many Jewish prayers include the phrase, “blessed be the LORD…” • It is constructed as a petition… • The significance of names, naming… • Birth narratives/Name changes/Revelation of God’s name • The name, ha shem

2. Your kingdom come • The reign of God in OT comes with the Day of the LORD • In NT, we have the Kingdom of God/Heaven • Jesus talks about it all the time • Do we understand it?

Metaphor • Like “father” starts with what we know but doesn’t end there • God reigns, is the ultimate authority –theocentric • USA – founded on Judeo-Christian principles • Reign of God, transforms our understanding of monarchy and kingdom • “A reign transcending domain…eternal kingship…” • Characterized by Justice and Mercy

3. Your will be done • What is God’s will? • Where have we seen God’s will enacted? • Jesus… • Do we really want God’s will?

The Lord’s prayer • In this first section • Is subversive… • Risky • Counter-cultural, counter to our will, outside of our control • Utter abandonment to one we can only know by metaphor and experience