However you choose to reflect on The Lord’s Prayer during these eight weeks, I believe that God will bring new insights to your mind, and new appreciation to your heart.
Join with me now as we pray this prayer together. We are going to pray The Prayer as we always pray it on our communion Sundays. You’ll notice that the doxology — those words about God’s power and glory — were not in our text this morning. Many scholars believe they were added as The Lord’s Prayer was adopted into the liturgy of worship. The doxology brings the prayer to a fitting conclusion. Even though those words are not in the scriptural text, they have been part of the tradition of the worshipping community for centuries, and they are familiar to us. So, we’ll pray Matthew’s prayer, allowing ourselves to add this doxology as all the saints that have gone before us have done.
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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever. Amen.
