On Sunday, our Lenten series on prayer continues as we consider the example of prayer that Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew 6). Most Christians learn "The Lord's Prayer" when they are young and can recite it from memory, often without even thinking about any of the words.
We are going to see what we can learn about prayer by thinking through the Lord's Prayer. What are we supposed to pray for? How are we to pray? On the other hand, are there things that we should not do when we pray?
A cursory reading of the prayer implies that one of the most common parts of our prayers -- asking God to do things for us, especially to heal other people -- should only be a small part of our prayers. In fact, given that God knows our needs, Jesus suggests that we pray simply, "Give us this day our daily bread."
However, the prayer subtly suggests that God has expectations for us when we pray. Not merely whether we say certain things or not, but that God's response will rely on how we live, not how we pray. "Forgive us our debts, as we [also] forgive our debtors." Will God forgive us if we don't forgive other people? Interesting question, and one we'll consider on Sunday.
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