January 21, 2018
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
Lord…Teach
Us To Pray
What
are we really asking and praying for…?
Psalm
62:1-2, 5-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)
Matthew 6:9-10 (11-13) (CJB)
Abba’s
Kingdom
The Lord be with you…
And also with you…
Let us pray…
Pray
that the words spoken are not my own but God’s Words…
Please
stand for the reading of the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 6, verses 9-10.
Listen to and for the Word of God for the people of God…Jesus’ disciples…
Good morning. Last week I asked how many of you
remembered the first prayer you ever learned. There were many different answers
but we all had one we remembered. Learning
prayers is a great way for us to remember who God is and what God has done and
is doing in our lives.
We also talked about the fact that
sometimes…prayer can be so mindless and automatic that it loses all its true
meaning. Prayer can become so repetitive that it becomes what we do instead of
what we feel. Because of this, our
relationship with God can become very distant. There is no real intimacy with
God…no closeness and warmth with Him.
We also talked about some of the prayers within
the bible but decided that one of the most memorized, the most prayed, is “The Lord’s Prayer”, the one He taught
His First Disciples. But have you ever really thought about what you are
praying? Have you ever really thought about what you and I are truly asking
from God?
Each part of the prayer has meaning. It is not a
prayer of recitation but a prayer with and of purpose. I proposed that we take
the next 4 weeks before the beginning of Lent and break down the prayer together.
My prayer is that we will maybe recapture, maybe
for the first time, the meaning behind the words we pray.
I don’t want to be a mindless drone just
reciting the words. I want to be an intimate disciple praying, pleading,
feeling every, single, word I speak to God. I think it would be a spiritual and
spirit filled way to prepare for the Lenten Season of contemplation of the
high, wide, and never-ending love of God for His creation as God hung on a
cross in the form of His Son…the babe in the manger we just celebrated.
So, let’s begin:
Our Father Who art in Heaven,
In the Hebrew text, God is referred to as
Abba…Father. When they prayed…when we pray to Abba, Father, we are using one of
the most intimate names for God. We are using the name “Daddy” as we are
calling out to the Maker of Heaven and earth. Think about it, we are using a name that gives us the right to have
that intimate relationship with Him…so intimate we are climbing up in His lap
and being so close that not only can we feel, His heartbeat…we can hear it…that
is the intimacy Jesus had with the Father…with Abba…that He taught His
Disciples to have…
Our Earthly parents birthed out bodies, but our
Heavenly father birthed our souls…We may or may not have a relationship with
our earthly father. There may have been situations that have caused us to be
distant from them. But this is our
perfect Heavenly Father we are talking to. He can’t do us harm…that’s not His
nature. This is the One who gave us
the breath of life. He is the One and Only Father that will never leave or
forsake you. He has promised, and He cannot tell a lie or go back on His
promises…
Hallowed
be Thy Name:
Hallowed:
© Honor as Holy
© Make holy, consecrate
© Greatly revered, respected
As I have said…this is not our earthly
father…this is the Maker of Heaven and earth. His Name shall be Holy. When we
pray this…we are saying…we are vowing…that
we will respect the Name of God. We are vowing that we will not use His name
casually or in a vulgar way. The Name of God…Yahweh…was set apart from all the
other names used for god’s in biblical times. How often have we as Christians used the Lord’s Name in vain and then
went right into praying this prayer or even right after praying it. We are just
going through the motions and not honoring what we are saying. I wonder if God
ever thinks “You talk the talk but are not honoring me with your walk…which
includes your words”?
Thy Kingdom come:
OK…so all together…we are praying for Thy
Kingdom…not My kingdom. Now we are going along in our life. Everything is
going prefect for us. We are building our little kingdom and all the sudden we
are not doing so well. We begin to lose what we have. We are calling
out…yelling out to God to help us. “I
have built all this stuff and now I am losing it. How can You do this to me?
How can You just yank away all that I have done?” What is wrong with this
pray…this statement to God? Give time to
answer. But we do this don’t we? We confuse our little kingdoms with God’s
big Kingdom. We forget we are here for God’s Kingdom not our own. We say we
want His Kingdom but do we really?
Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in
Heaven:
Again…all together…Thy Will be done…not My
will be done. When we do His will here on earth, we are bringing down
His Kingdom to earth from Heaven. By stating this we are also saying that we
BELIVE that one day His will shall manifest itself on earth as it is in Heaven.
We are agreeing that His will should be done so we are vowing to do
His will in our lives and by doing so, we bring His will on earth as it
is in Heaven. And this happens not only n our lives but in the lives around us
as we affect the world around us with the presence of God. We want Abba, Yahweh¸ to bring will to earth so
that we share in the heavenly experience here where we are…We can get a foretaste of Heaven right here…where we stand…where we
live…where we gather…where we are praying…right now. How AWESOME is that!
I believe in thinking before speaking. My
question is, are you and I thinking as we pray or are we being just mindless
drones with no feeling or heart? Do we believe that God is our “Daddy” or and
aloof Deity that watches from afar? Are you and I building our own kingdoms, or
do we believe there is something greater than ourselves? Are you and I willing
to let go of our ambitions and lives and take up the promises and life we are
promised by Abba? Choice is yours and mine. I know what I choose…how about you?
Let
us pray…pray about Abba Father and His Kingdom.
Amen, amen, and AMEN!
=====================
edited January
25, 2018
whispering the
Lord’s Prayer – v2
edited January
25, 2018
breathing the
Lord’s Prayer – v2
edited/new
name January 25, 2018
breathing the
Lord’s Prayer
edited/new
name January 25, 2018
whispering the
Lord’s Prayer
edited/merged
January 25, 2018
whispering to
our Abba Father – v2
two instances
of poems
with the same
title
January 25,
2018
whispering to
our Abba Father - 2
#whispering the #LordsPrayer to our #Abba #Father #God http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2018/01/whispering-to-our-abba-father-2.html
#Christ #Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy #Matthew6 #Psalm62 #prayerwarrior #worship #glory #peace #relationship #believe #mercy #bread #hallowed #kingdom
#Christ #Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy #Matthew6 #Psalm62 #prayerwarrior #worship #glory #peace #relationship #believe #mercy #bread #hallowed #kingdom
edited January
25, 2018
seated in the
lap of God – v2
January 24,
2018
talking with
God - 2
January 24,
2018
these words we
pray
January 24,
2018
spreading
God’s ripples
January 23,
2018
we can hear
God’s heartbeat
January 23,
2018
our breath of
life
extract
January 23, 2018
God is our
Father – 2
January 23,
2018
God’s breath
birthed us
stanza 1
stanza 2
stanza 3
edited January
22, 2018
the intimacy
of Christ’s prayer – v2
edited/ new
name January 22, 2018
climbing up
into our Daddy’s lap
edited January
22, 2018
whispering to
our Daddy – v2
edited January
22, 2018
hearing these
words – 2 – v2
January 22,
2018
hearing these
words - 2
January 22,
2018
within the
prayer of Jesus
edited January
22, 2018
whispering our
prayers to Daddy – v2
January 22,
2018
whispering our
prayers to Daddy
edited/ new
name January 22, 2018
climbing up
into God’s lap
January 22,
2018
climbing up
into His lap
January 21,
2018
teaching us
His prayer
January 21,
2018
seated in the
lap of God
January 21,
2018
the intimacy
of Christ’s prayer
edited/ new
name/ reworked January 21, 2018
whispering to
our Abba Father
January 21,
2018
whispering to
our Daddy
January 21,
2018
praying from
the lap of God
edited January
21, 2018
feeling every
single word – v2
January 21,
2018
listening to
the prayer we offer
January 21,
2018
feeling every
single word
January 21,
2018
not my own
words but God’s words
January 21,
2018
needing to
feel our prayers
January 21,
2018
our prayers
become meaningless
January 21,
2018
pray like this
January 21,
2018
meaning in
these words
edited January
21, 2018
enter the
Father - v2
January 21,
2018
enter in with
God
January 21,
2018
Come to Abba
January 21,
2018
enter the
Father
January 21,
2018
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Week 2
Sermon Series:
Lord…Teach Us
To Pray
What are we
really asking and praying for…?
Psalm 62:1-2,
5-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)
Matthew 6:9-10
(Complete Jewish Bible)
Matthew 6:9-13
(Complete Jewish Bible)
“The Lord’s
Prayer”
and sermon “Abba’s
Kingdom…”
text
video
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
January 21,
2018
&
January 15,
2018
the words
familiar
January 15,
2018
each word a
prayer
edited/ new
name January 15, 2018
dripping with
meaning
January 15,
2018
every word - 2
January 15,
2018
the words we
pray
January 15,
2018
This is how
you should pray
January 15,
2018
The reddest of
letters
the idea of a
“Red-Letter Bible”,
with the words
of Jesus in red
January 14,
2018
praying with
these words
January 14,
2018
just mouthing
these words
January 14,
2018
Save us from
the Devil
January 14,
2018
protect us
from evil
Luke 11:4c
(John)
Wesley’s Notes on the Bible
Luke
11
11:1 Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples - The Jewish masters used
to give their followers some short form of prayer, as a peculiar badge of their
relation to them. This it is probable John the Baptist had done. And in this
sense it seems to be that the disciples now asked Jesus, to teach them to pray.
Accordingly he here repeats that form, which he had before given them in his
sermon on the mount, and likewise enlarges on the same head, though still
speaking the same things in substance. And this prayer uttered from the heart,
and in its true and full meaning, is indeed the badge of a real Christian: for
is not he such whose first and most ardent desire is the glory of God, and the
happiness of man by the coming of his kingdom? Who asks for no more of this
world than his daily bread, longing meantime for the bread that came down from
heaven? And whose only desires for himself is forgiveness of sins, (as he
heartily forgives others,) and sanctification.
11:2 When ye
pray, say - And what he said to them is undoubtedly said to us also. We are
therefore here directed, not only to imitate this in all our prayers, but to
use this very form of prayer. Matthew 6:9-13.
11:4 Forgive
us; for we forgive them - Not once, but continually. This does not denote the
meritorious cause of our pardon; but the removal of that hindrance which
otherwise would render it impossible.
&
January 14,
2018
starting with
God
Luke 11:2b
“Father,
hallowed be your name.” (NRSV)
edited January
14, 2018
praying daily
– v2
January 14,
2018
praying daily
January 13,
2018
we breathe in
His prayers
January 13,
2018
teach us, Lord
Jesus
January 13,
2018
submit to
Christ’s teaching
January 13,
2018
do you just
mouth the words
January 13,
2018
in prayer, in
trust, in submission
January 13,
2018
modeling
prayer
January 14,
2018
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
Lord…Teach Us
To Pray
What are we
really asking and praying for…?
Luke 11:1-4 (The
Voice)
“The Lord’s
Prayer”
Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)
“The Lord’s
Prayer”
Psalm 139:1-6,
13-18 (Complete Jewish Bible)
1 Chronicles
4:10
“Prayer of
Jabez”
Number 6:24-26
“Nate’s Theology Quiz”
and sermon “Lord Teach Us to Pray…”
text
video
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
January 14,
2018
All of my
poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See
all 46,090 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church, bread, hope, journey, Psalm 139, Luke 11, pray, prayer,
prayer warrior, Lord’s Prayer,
#Christ #God
#Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy
#Luke11 #Psalm139 #prayerwarrior #LordsPrayer #worship #glory #peace #communion
#relationship #believe #petitions #compassion #mercy #bread #hallowed
#kingdom
================
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church, bread, hope, journey, Psalm 62, Matthew 6, pray, prayer,
prayer warrior, Lord’s Prayer, Abba, Father
#Christ #God
#Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy
#Matthew6 #Psalm62 #prayerwarrior #LordsPrayer #worship #glory #peace #relationship
#believe #compassion #mercy #bread #hallowed #kingdom #Abba #Father
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