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Our Father - taking a closer look at the Lord's Prayer


As part of the service last Sunday (28th July 2013) we looked at Jesus’ teaching on how to pray (Luke 11:11-13 and Matthew 6: 9-13). In so doing, I asked congregation members to re-write the Our Father to explore its nature more fully. Once you start, you realise how hard it is! How will you name God; how will you express your desire for the world to be a better place; how do you understand the offer of forgiveness and God’s command that we forgive in turn?  At the end of the prayers reproduced below is an analysis of the structure of the Lord's Prayer to help you write your own.

Matthew 6:9-13
“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.  
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.  
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’


Some samples of the re-written prayers are reproduced below. 
Thanks to all those who took part.


Our Father,
Who loves us whatever we do.
Help us listen to you as you listen to us.
Give us what we need and help us contain our greed for more.
Forgive us for this, as we forgive others for the faults that could so easily have been our own.
Help us recognise and turn away from evil, however tempting it is.
For everything that is of value is yours.
Now and forever,
Amen.                                                                                                                                            


Our Messiah, in God’s kingdom,
Forever praise your name,
Your home is mine,
Your will is obeyed, in the modern world,
As it is in the future life,
Sustain us through our lives,
Grant us forgiveness and a second chance,
Guide us on the path to kindness,
For ever we trust the power of the kingdom
And may it last for an eternity.                                                                                                   
Holy Spirit,
Guide and Protector of us all,
Lead us into your Heavenly Kingdom,
Change our negativity into positivity,
Feed our spirit each day with your love,
So that we too may love our fellows,
Guide us on the path to forgiveness,
Enable us to close our senses to the influence of evil,
Surrounded by your beautiful world,
We acknowledge your Divine love for us all.                                                                    
Dear God,
Your are our Saviour,
Your good heart,
Has a place for all of us,
Only you know the truth,
Forgive us, guide us
We need your kindness,
Help us with our daily sins,
Our hearts are open and full of hope,
Your love will save us,
So we may join you in eternity.
Amen                                                                                                                      
Lord of all, in us and around us,
Your name be glorified above all others,
Continue to spread your ways for all to see,
Provide us with all that we need,
Give us sparingly what we may want,
So we may continue to ask,
Forgive us our wrongs,
And remind us to forgive the wrongs of others,
Remove us from temptation,
In thought, word and deed
And let us never forget the Holy One,
The Only One,
Amen


Lord, our source, our way and our end,
Blessed be your name,
Change our world to reveal your perfection,
Sustain us day by day,
Help us to forgive all that hurts us,
Make us aware and forgive our sin,
Guard us when tempted,
Grant that your power will protect from evil,
All right, goodness and beauty
come from you, Lord of all.


Our friend, blest throughout the universe.
Give us the common mind to bring your purposes to fruition,
Provide us all with our necessities for our life today.
Help us to personify your forgiveness in all our actions.
Prevent us from harming others and ourselves.
We glorify you for your wonderful
gifts of this earth on which we live.


Dear God,
Holy yet close to us
Make heaven a place on earth,
Give me enough for today and no more,
Forgive us our sins,
So long as we are able to forgive.
Protect us from the evil in the world
For you are the heartbeat of the universe.
Amen


Lord of all, family and friend,
Bring your light to all, far and near,
Shine a light on your love,
Show each our strength, in and from you,
Within your strength, help us to be strong,
To resist today’s hurt, and see the true path,
Nourishing from you within, and within you and shining.
Amen 

Our loving God,
Creator of the world, father and mother of mankind,
Holy is your name,
Fill us with your Spirit
To bring your kingdom to this world
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,
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.

Loving parent
Please help us to do your will for us,
Just for today, give us food and spiritual succour
Forgive us our mistakes and wrongdoings; we forgive others
Please protect us from temptation and save us from evil
For you are the source of all strength 
And all in heaven and earth are yours. 

Father of all
Teach us to strive for your will
To share our daily needs
To forgive others though we sin ourselves
When we are tempted towards evil, Lord help us to overcome
We thank you and praise your name. 

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
We glorify your name, we magnify your name.
We thank you for all you have done
And for all you will do for us, daily
We ask for your forgiveness and ask for 
Your grace to help us forgive others.
Holy Spirit, guide us so we do no evil
Be with us Lord God, always and forever,
Amen. 

Our dear father in heaven
Spread your eternal love amongst us
Give us peace which passeth understanding
And the joy and happiness of your presence
May I be forgiven the sins I have committed
As I forgive those who have committed sins against me.
Give us the strength to resist the evil in the world
For your beauty, truth and glory shine eternally
And all dominion and power is yours. 

Our Saviour
You are glorious
We pray that we can do our bit
To transform the world into what you would wish it to be.
Look after our daily needs
And help us to forgive others who may have hurt us
In the same way that you forgive everyone who does wrong.
Help us to resist all manner of temptations 
And protect us from doing wrong,
For everything that is good on earth is from you
Thank you.  

Holy Trinity, 
Our Lover, Sustainer and Friend,
Blessed be your name. 
Make present your truth in our time and space
And transform our reality.
Our daily bread provide,
In forgiveness model your charity,
So that we may in turn forgive,
Bar in front of us the path to sin
And deliver us in Christ from all that is evil, 
For your beauty, truth and glory shine eternally
And all dominion and power are yours.
Amen 
 
                                

The structure of the prayer:


Naming (of God)

- Jesus teaches us to call God, Father. What other revelations of God’s names has there been; would you like to use one of these other names in your prayer? Do you find it easy to relate to God as Father? If not, how might you address God? How will you express the fact that God’s name is holy ‘hallowing’?



Desire for Change

-How can you express in your words that desire for the world to be under God’s rule? What does it mean for you to pray that God’s will be done? Do you think of God in Heaven, if not how might you express that gap between God’s reality and our own?



Asking for what we need

-Jesus teaches us to ask for our daily need. Is it important, do you think that we restrict our needs to what we need today, rather than looking far into the future? How would a commitment to focusing on our daily needs transform our relationship to possessions and money?



Forgiveness

-The command that we forgive as God has forgiven us is essential to Christ’s teaching. How will you express this? Debts, sins, trespasses –what word do you find most descriptive of human failing?



Temptation and Evil

-This section shows that there are influences in the world other than God’s love and goodness. It is essentially a prayer for protection and guidance. How would you like to ask God to help you stay on the path of goodness?



Final Doxology

- A chance to praise God in your own words and to recognise His dominion.


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