Prayer is a vital part of our spiritual journey and spiritual growth. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray. From one source, I found that Jesus prayed 25 times in his ministry. St. Paul prayed over 45 times in his missionary work. In fact, there are over 650 prayers in Old and New Testament.
Last year in our worship, I was giving a message on the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew 6:9-13 (NRSV)
9 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial
but rescue us from the evil one
An important part of our worship service is we set aside a time for our “young disciples” (the children at worship). My wife, Anne, does a children’s story. There were several “young disciples” there and Anne was sharing lines from the Lord’s Prayer. After she went through several lines of the prayer, she asked if there were any questions. A 6th grade boy asked, “Is that why there so many signs that say no trespassing on fences where we want to go hunting?”
You know the sentence in the Lord’s Prayer that states: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.” She answered that question no.
If you have been to other worship services, you have heard the Lord’s Prayer prayed using the word “trespass, debts, and one modern’s Lord’s Prayer uses the word “sin”. Following that question asked on that Sunday, our worship team begin using the word “sin”.
The word “sin” is clear and precise. My dictionary states that sin is: (a) “breaking the law of God deliberately, (b) an action that is felt to be highly reprehensible, (c) wrongdoing of any kind; immoral act.”
The 20 century Preacher Billy Graham defined sin as: “A sin is any thought or action that falls short of God’s will. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His perfection is sin.” Since I am not perfect, I have sinned. I have fallen short of the will of God for me and in my spiritual life journey.
As we pray the Lord’s Prayer we have used the word sin. Last weekend I attended a church service in Shoreview, MN. The Pastor Gary Walpole had revised the Lord’s Prayer with the help from the Storm Mountain Service Team. I asked Pastor Walpole for permission to use this revised Lord’s Prayer. I share it with you for your reflection.
“Guilder, Truth Seeker, Friend, your whole breath continues to sustain us and our universe. You are love. Give us daily a collective heart to care for creation. Heal us so we may be instruments of your peace in a violent world. Lead us from a self-centered economy to one where all profit. Deliver us into compassion so we may understand that loving our neighbor allows us to more deeply love ourselves. May your governing grace guide us. May your desire for the common good inspire us. And may the power of your love infuse us, always and everywhere. Amen.”
As you worship, perhaps this prayer will help you grow in your spiritual journey. I pray that you will reflect upon the meaning for your spiritual life. I invite you to worship in the church of your choice this Sunday and every Sunday.