Dear Friend,

This past week, I preached on a part of the Lord’s Prayer. This short prayer given to us by Jesus himself is such a gift. There is so much to learn from it about God and ourselves. There is so much power in it, despite its brevity. I take great comfort in knowing this is the prayer that has been on the lips of generations of Christians in every corner of the world.

The words we take into our hearts matter. The words we memorize and recite and hold onto through our lives shape us and sustain us. I have been with countless people when they are sick or troubled or dying and prayed these words together. Even when the person no longer remembers me or their own name, they can often say these words.

There is so much noise in our culture. There is so much busyness. There is so much demanding our attention every day. But we should take care (as the Something To Read article will reinforce) with what we allow to take up space, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

What words are you memorizing? What messages are you holding on to day after day? Jesus invites you to hold onto this short prayer – when you don’t have your own words or when there are too many words to wade through. As I said in my sermon: may it be a comfort and a nudge, an invitation and a reminder, of who God is and who we are called to be.

Blessings,
Pastor Jenny

Center for Christianity and Public Life Monthly Newsletter

by Michael Wear

In the Faith and Politics class Pastor Sarah is leading, the book The Spirit of our Politics has come up and then in last week’s Midweek Musings she shared a video of the author, Micahel Wear, speaking. I’ve signed up for the newsletters that come from Wear’s organization the Center for Christianity and Public Life and thought what Wear had to say this week about noise and silence very helpful. Here is a snippet:

“We do not partake in silence in order to avoid or evade, but as an expression of our desire to go deeper, to gain perspective, to reject the noise, to listen and to hear from God. We take our silence with us. There has been so much noise lately. It is by design. I believe that our response is deepened, not weakened, by silence.”

Read the full article here.

The Lord’s Prayer
(Deliver Us)

Selah

This past Sunday I preached on the Lord’s Prayer, specifically “give us this day our daily bread.” After the sermon I shared Andrea Bocelli singing the Lord’s Prayer which I know many of you enjoyed. After worship, one member asked if I’d ever heard this version of the Lord’s Prayer and I hadn’t, but I checked it out, thought it was beautiful, and thought you might enjoy it too!

Evening Family Faith Practices

Tracy Smith

If you have children or grandchildren you put to bed, check out this video of suggestions for bedtime prayer rituals for families. She suggests 4 options, but I would add a 5th could be saying the Lord’s Prayer together every night.

Lord’s Prayer from the New Zealand prayer book:

Eternal Spirit, Earthmaker, Pain bearer, Life giver, Source of all that shall be.  Father and Mother of us all.  Loving God, in whom is heaven; May the hallowing of your name echo through the Universe!  May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!  May your heavenly will be done by all created beings!  May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and may it come on earth.

With the bread that we need for today, feed us. In the hurts that we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love.  Now and forever, now and forevermore.  Amen