Background to the Lord’s Prayer
Near the close of every service at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church Green Bay, we pray the Lord’s Prayer together as a congregation. This has been a common practice in the Lutheran Church for centuries, but where did this prayer originate and under what circumstances?
Holy Scripture records the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth (beginning at Matthew 4:11). At the age of thirty, He began to teach and preach in the local churches (known in the Jewish faith as synagogues), and He was causing quite a stir. Obviously, being one with God gave Him insights that other church leaders (known as scribes and Pharisees) did not possess, and this was very troubling to them as it represented a definite challenge to their authority. As Jesus’ ministry developed, huge numbers of people were now following Him everywhere… so many, in fact, that it forced Him to address them from locations that could handle such crowds, such as lake fronts and mountain sides!
Jesus Teaches Us to Pray
Toward the end of one of these gatherings, at an event which became known to all history as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to the crowd about prayer, and offered up a simple model for connecting with our Heavenly Father. Here are the words of Jesus, recorded just for you:
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:5-15
The Promise and the Warning in the Lord’s Prayer
Notice that the Lord’s model prayer includes an introduction, then makes seven requests consisting of both spiritual and physical desires, and finally contains a conclusion. But Jesus found it necessary to put special emphasis on the importance of forgiveness – in particular, our willingness to forgive others. Go back and read those verses now once more:
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors . . . For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:12, Matthew 6:14-15
* For further or deeper study, read Luther’s breakdown and explanation of this beautiful prayer.