…deliver us from evil.For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Many versions of the Lord’s Prayer end with the words, “deliver us from evil.” But some manuscripts continue with the words, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” […] Read more
Lead us not into temptation… I’ve always found this portion of Jesus’s prayer challenging as I never thought the Father would lead us into temptation. In James, we read, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, […] Read more
Forgive us our debtsas we also have forgiven our debtors… I think forgiveness is the centerpiece of Christian belief. Humanity, in the hands of Adam and Eve, fell into sin thus condemning us all to death. And just as Adam and Eve hid from God in the garden and covered […] Read more
Give us this day our daily bread… When I come to this portion of the prayer, I think of Exodus and God raining down bread upon the Israelites. The Israelites had been complaining that they had nothing to eat so God said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain […] Read more
Your kingdom come,Your will be done,On earth as it is in heaven. Jesus tells us that we should pray that God’s kingdom on earth would look like God’s kingdom in heaven. He tells us to pray that God’s will should be done on earth in the same way that God’s […] Read more
Your will be done… One of the most asked questions I heard when I taught Bible classes was how we know the will of God. Somewhere along the line, the students had been told, or they had reasoned, that the will of God had primarily to do with the path […] Read more
Your kingdom come… The British Empire, The Roman Empire, The Spanish Empire, The Russian Empire, The Caliphates, Chinese Dynasties, Mongols, Aztecs, Greeks, Macedonians, Egyptians, Mayans, Babylonians, Huns, Assyrians, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Michael Jackson. These all have at least two things in common; first, they ruled or […] Read more
Hallowed be Your Name… I had a discussion the other day about the “unforgivable sin.” One person said it really wasn’t scriptural; God forgives everything. Another person told how their church said certain sexual sins were unforgivable; premarital sex, homosexuality, bestiality, and the like. But most said they weren’t sure […] Read more
Our Father in Heaven… Jesus told us to pray to Our Father in Heaven, not our earthly father. This important distinction needs to be addressed because many have had horrible-no-good-very-bad-fathers; and they are the only sort of father we can imagine. But even those who have had good fathers still […] Read more
Our Father… Luke’s genealogy of Jesus begins by saying Jesus was thought to be the son of Joseph and concludes by saying he was the son of God. The first record we have of Jesus’ speaking is in his twelfth year when he replies to Joseph and Mary who were […] Read more