Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Saturday, 12 July 2014 "The Lord's Prayer"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Saturday, 12 July 2014 "The Lord's Prayer"
Daily Scripture: Luke 11: Ask for What You Need
1: One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
2-4 So he said, “When you pray, say,
Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”
Matthew 6:7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.
14-15 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.
Reflection Question:
The fact that Luke and Matthew gave different settings for the Lord's Prayer suggests that Jesus taught this prayer to his followers often, not just on one dramatic occasion. (Many scholars believe that was the case with most of the material that we call "The Sermon on the Mount.") Jesus didn't mean the Lord's Prayer to be a museum piece, framed and placed on a mantel or in a display case. It was a prayer for God's people to weave into their lives. That makes it most fitting that at Resurrection we pray this prayer every week in worship.
The existing manuscripts of Matthew and Luke seem to show that neither Jesus, Luke nor Matthew used the "doxology" ("For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever") with which we usually end the Lord's Prayer. Instead, it appears, one or more devout scribes added it later, probably based on the ending of David's prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10-11. But it's a valuable addition. We often use the phrase "nothing is forever," but the Bible tells us that Someone is forever, and calls us to live our life in the light of that reality. What steps will you take to detach your life and affections from this seen but temporary world, and to not only pray but live out Jesus' prayer as a citizen of God's Kingdom?
Family Activity:
Jesus taught us how to pray. He used His words and actions to show others how to pray. Spend time in prayer as a family. Together, walk around the different rooms in your home. Where does your family feel most comfortable and at peace? Where would you enjoy spending time talking to and listening to God? After listening to each other's ideas, discuss and agree upon a special place where you can pray together as a family. Invite each person to place a symbol or an object in the prayer area that will help your family focus on spending time with God. Thank God for Jesus who modeled prayer for us.
Today's Prayer:
Lord God, yours (not mine) are the kingdom and the power and the glory. In your kingdom, the last are first—and you know I hate to be last. Turn my values right side up, that I may truly be a citizen of your kingdom. Amen.
Insight from Grant Zizzo
Grant Zizzo serves as a summer intern in the Technical Arts area at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Grant is a film major at KU.
It is embarrassing to admit, but until recently I misunderstood the 23rd Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” I ignored the punctuation and thought it meant that for some reason we don’t always want God, that following him is hard; we must put aside our hateful thoughts or jealousy, those ever comforting yet truly destructive feelings. Recently, I noticed the semi-colon. “The Lord is my shepherd; [therefore] I shall not want.” While my prior misunderstanding is incorrect, I think the ideas behind it are certainly true. It is not always easy following God.
“Lead us not into temptation.” Looking at this week’s scriptures, the idea of following God is certainly present. We will be delivered from evil if we follow Him. There are many ways into the pasture but only one will lead to salvation, the gate and its keeper. So, the 23rd Psalm strikes me as an overview, an “If you follow Me, then I will provide for you.” The Lord’ prayer however, offers the recipe, a “how-to” follow him. I read “Lead us not into temptation” as “Help us always follow You, not the evil desires we may harbor.” It is a prayer for strength.
Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.
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