The Lord's Prayer

This Sunday, I will be finishing the 5th of 5 sermons on the Lord's Prayer.  I broke it into verse 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and focused on one verse with supporting other passages each week.  Up to this point, I have used the lectionary scriptures as the basis for each week's sermon.  This has been a fulfilling study for me.  I have also appreciated the comments from others of the deeper meaning they have found in praying and learning about the Lord's prayer.

Most common responses:

• Importance of praying on the whole churches behalf, not just my own requests, and yet, on the other hand, the significance of changing the pronouns to first person reminding us our individual responsibility.
• Importance of not just repeating prayers and expecting magic to happen, but also recognizing that repeating traditional prayers can shape or re-energize our spontaneous prayers.
• This prayer is such a simple prayer that can be understood at our first reading, however, in depth study of this prayer continues to reveal fresh learning about the heart of God and our relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.

Blessings, and keep praying!