Sermon 27th July 2025 – 7th Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Luke 11:1-13 –
Lord teach us to pray
Today’s Gospel reading
reflects on one of the most profound and cherished teachings of Jesus: the
Lord’s Prayer. This prayer is not just a
set of words to recite but a journey that ventures deep into our relationship
with God. It is a spiritual journey, and a call to a deeper understanding of
our purpose in life. Jesus disciples came to Him with a desire to understand
how to pray. The disciples didn’t ask
Jesus how to preach or perform miracles—they asked Him how to pray? “Lord, teach us to pray,” It’s like Solomon who asked for Wisdom but
received much more because of his heart to desire God’s Spiritual gifts rather
than material possessions. Jesus gave them something so simple yet so profound:
A prayer that has echoed through
centuries and across continents, across denominations, across generations. Not just a set of words, but God’s blessing for
how to live and relate to God. Jesus responded not just with a prayer but with
an invitation to experience the heart of God—the Father who cares deeply for
His children.
Our Father in heaven
So the prayer begins
with an intimate address: “Our Father in heaven.” Not a solemn address like “dear God almighty
in heaven”
But an intimate address
– Our Father in Heaven. Jesus revolutionizes the world’s understanding of God
as not a distant unapproachable Godhead
but an intimate Father who invites us into a relationship—intimate, personal,
yet still divine. When we say “Father,” we acknowledge that we are part of a
family of believers which may challenge us to reflect on our understanding of
God and our relationships with each other – siblings as Children of God.. Do we
see God as a distant deity; unapproachable. Or do we see him as our loving
Father who desires to walk alongside us? By using "our," Jesus
invites us into a shared experience of prayer with him, reminding us that we
are part of a larger community, a family bound by love and grace.
Hallowed Be Your Name
We then declare,
“Hallowed be Your name.” Yes our
relationship is intimate but this is a call to reverence. A recognition of
God’s holiness and majesty. We live in a
world that forgets to honor the sacred. We lack respect for authority – for our
elders. Here we are reminded to uphold the sanctity of God’s name in our lives.
How can we live in a way that reflects the holiness of God? By remembering Jesus response to the Greatest
Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and
strength. To honour God’s name is to live out the values of His Kingdom in our
daily lives as his light in a world that dwells in darkness.
"Your Kingdom
Come, Your Will Be Done"
This part of the prayer
is also radical. Often, we ask God to
bless our plans that we have devised. But
here, Jesus invites us to submit ourselves to His will—to live with heaven’s
priorities in our earthly decisions. The
kingdom isn’t just a future hope; it’s a present calling.
Every act of justice,
every word of mercy, brings heaven to earth. It pushes us to seek God’s vision
for the world, prioritizing His Kingdom above our own desires. As Jesus prayed
in the Garden of Gethsemane so he prays here – not my will be done – but your
will be done. When we pray for God's kingdom to come, we actively participate
in bringing about His justice, mercy, and love, living life here on earth as we
hope for it to be lived out in God’s Kingdom in eternity. It calls us to stand
against injustice, to care for the marginalized, and to work toward peace. And this challenges us to keep asking
ourselves – how can we be agents of this kingdom in our families, churches, workplaces,
and communities?
"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
“Give us this day our
daily bread” acknowledges our dependence on God for our physical needs. Just as Jesus refused Satan’s temptation to
provide his own bread when he was hungry so too we seek first God’s Kingdom and
his provision for all our needs. Yet, it also serves as a reminder that we are
called to care for one another who lack the provisions of daily bread: For I
was hungry and you gave me something to eat. In fact Paul goes beyond that and
says – if you see your enemy hungry – feed them. In praying this, we recognize that we are not
just solitary beings in need, but part of a body where we share our resources
and support one another. As we pray for our needs, let us also be reminded to
be generous to those around us in need from our abundance. We are called to share our bread—whether it be
physical sustenance, emotional support, or spiritual encouragement—with those
who hunger. As Jesus says in the Beatitudes - Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. And, Blessed are the
merciful, for they will be shown mercy. It’s tempting to pray for abundance—but
Jesus shows us the beauty of enough. We’re
invited to trust God not for surplus, but for sufficiency. One day at a time, not worrying about
tomorrow. Give us today our DAILY bread.
"Forgive Us Our Sins"
In asking for
forgiveness as we also have forgiven others, we discover the depths of God’s grace
to us. We acknowledge our brokenness and
our need for God’s mercy. But if we
cannot forgive others then have we fully understood God’s grace to us? Like the
servant in Matthew 18 forgiven millions of dollars debt to the King but would
not forgive a few measly dollars owed to him by one of his servants. This part
of the prayer transforms our hearts, reminding us of the importance of
extending forgiveness to others. Let us consider the weight of grudges we carry
because if we do not forgive then they are given the power to continue to hurt
us. Holding onto unforgiveness can be damaging
to our faith and relationships. Not that
God withholds forgiveness from us but our souls don’t find the comfort that
forgiveness offers. Jesus teaches us that just as we seek forgiveness, we must
also forgive in order to understand our own forgiveness. To be forgiven is to
be changed; To forgive is to become like the One who forgives us – even crying
out from the cross – forgive them Father for they know what they are doing. The
same Father we are praying to in this prayer. In the act of forgiveness, we free
our hearts from bitterness and make room for God’s grace to flow freely.
"Lead Us Not into
Temptation, but Deliver Us from Evil"
Finally, we pray, “Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Here is where we learn of our continued vulnerability
to the attacks of the evil one - Satan. Satan
never rests in leading us away from God. We acknowledge that we are in a
spiritual battle and that we cannot navigate it alone. We ask for God’s guidance and protection
against the temptations that seek to lead us astray. Even though we know that
God will forgive us the spiritual scars remain and become a constant point of
entry for Satan who is also known as the accuser. Even though God has forgiven
us the memory remains in us – not in God. And Satan has his foothold to torment
us – “you call yourself a Christian”? Through this petition, we affirm our
trust in God’s power to deliver us from evil and in particular the Evil One. We do not fight this battle with swords but
through prayer, faith, and community with the armour of God because our battle
is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil.
Conclusion:
The Lord’s Prayer
encapsulates the simplicity and complexity of our relationship with God. The
Lord’s Prayer is more than words—it’s an invitation to transformation. Praying Jesus’ prayer we become Christlike in
all we say, think and do. What begins in humble request from the disciples
becomes an invitation for holy living. It’s
not about saying the right things—it’s about becoming the person God has made
us to be – created in his image to reflect his love in the world as children of
our Father in Heaven.
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