Faithful Conversations #126

Introduction to Readers

As Christians, we regularly engage with the origin stories of our faith—moments when the ordinary becomes sacred and helps shape our identity. This week’s Gospel reading offers one of those moments. An unnamed disciple asks Jesus to teach them how to pray, and in just a few verses (found in both Luke and Matthew), Jesus offers what we now call The Lord’s Prayer. If you grew up in the church, you’ve likely spoken this prayer thousands of times. As Lutherans, we place it at the center of liturgical life. When we say it aloud, we form community, build trust, and reconnect with God’s reign. Over time, I’ve learned that this prayer echoes the Jewish Amidah—a daily sequence of blessings that praised God’s name, asked for sustenance, and sought deliverance. Jesus knew and practiced that tradition.

Early Christian communities quickly embraced the prayer. Around 95 CE, the Didache instructed believers to pray it three times a day. That simple practice helped shape early Christian ethics and identity. The Didache also introduced a doxology—“For yours is the power and the glory forever”—which added depth to the scriptural text. The longer doxology many of us know—“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory…”—doesn’t appear in the earliest manuscripts. It entered worship through fourth-century church orders and became prominent in Protestant traditions thanks to the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. Lutheran liturgy kept it as a bold affirmation of God’s sovereignty

Martin Luther spoke often about prayer, and especially The Lord’s Prayer. In the Small Catechism, he highlighted its simplicity. He’s reputed to have said, “The fewer the words the better the prayer.” He also criticized Christians for praying it without thought: “The Lord’s Prayer is the greatest martyr on earth. For everyone tortures and abuses it; few take comfort and joy in its proper use” (doesn’t that sound like Luther!)

Today, we Lutherans debate which translation to use on Sunday mornings—a squabble that always leaves me a bit amused. In the 1960s, a more contemporary version emerged and entered our Lutheran Book of Worship (the green hymnal) in 1978 and beyond. Traditionalists favor the King James phrasing, so the real debate often comes down to which Bible translation we prefer. I’ve included some resources below that will give you a greater sense of that, including how the prayer sounds in German and Norwegian, the language of many of our ancestors in the upper Great Lakes region.

Thanks for visiting this space again this week—I deeply appreciate your commitment to digging into these readings with me. The ELCA calendar offers several commemorations this week; check out page 16 of the ELW to explore them. One standout is the remembrance of Mary Magdalene on July 22. Mary was a woman of fierce devotion, personal transformation, and fearless witness. After Jesus delivered her from seven demons, she followed him faithfully, stood by the cross, and became the first to proclaim the resurrection. While history often misunderstood her, today the ELCA rightly honors her as an Apostle.

This week’s reflections center on the Gospel, with a nod to Psalm 138. I’ve also included a prayer reflection and a powerful musical interpretation of The Lord’s Prayer by a contemporary composer.

** Note 1: Links to outside references are bolded and italicized and are meant for further reading or research on your part. While the text I am including in the blog is my own, I am pulling from a multitude of sites for ideas and connections.

** Note 2: In my increasing use of A.I. (Copilot), I will cite sourcing of how I am using the tool, if necessary. I don’t want that to be overly cumbersome, but I am gradually incorporating more tools. And, by the way, I am exploring the A.I. world this summer prior to my next teaching semester. As you can imagine, it is a great challenge right now and will forever change the face of education!

** Note 3: The images I include in the blog are drawn from Wikimedia Commons to the fullest extent possible.

Common Themes Among the Readings

Reflections: The Sacred Audacity of Prayer

Long ago and far away, perhaps on a hillside near the Sea of Galilee, something powerful happened. A disciple asked Jesus to teach them how to pray—recall they had seen Jesus pray multiple times. It was a simple request that unlocked one of the most enduring texts in Christian tradition. Jesus responded with the Lord’s Prayer, a model of beautiful simplicity — he likely spoke the words in Aramaic. These few lines (verses 2-4) speak of a God who is both holy and near, whose kingdom breaks into daily life and whose mercy sustains our relationships and our souls. The prayer itself reveals not just how to speak to God, but how to see the world—through dependence, forgiveness, and trust. There are multiple versions of this prayer. I recently read the First Nations Version (2021), drawn from Luke’s Gospel, and it is filled with delightful imagery. Consider these opening lines: O Great Spirit, our Father from above, your name is sacred and holy. Bring your good road to us, where the beauty of your ways in the spirit world above is reflected in the earth below. Hard to improve on that.

Jesus goes on to tell a story (verses 5-13): a midnight visitor knocks persistently on a friend’s door, seeking bread. The friend eventually rises not out of kindness, but because the visitor refuses to quit. The parable honors shameless persistence, reminding us that prayer isn’t about polished words—it’s about bold approach. Jesus follows with the familiar triad: ask, seek, knock. These aren’t passive gestures; they signal movement toward a God who responds with generosity and gives the Holy Spirit to those who truly ask.

Psalm 138 deepens this theme. The psalmist recalls a time when they called to God—and God answered. Not only with words, but with strength: On the day I called, you answered me; you increased my strength of soul (verse 3). I love that line! The Psalmist echoes Luke’s midnight visitor who dares to knock, and the disciple who dares to ask. Both the psalm and the Gospel proclaim a God who hears and strengthens, a God whose steadfast love endures and whose purposes do not falter.

In the week ahead, I encourage you to sit with this prayer and let it resonate. In his 1535 letter A Simple Way to Pray, written to his barber (that really humanizes Luther, doesn’t it?), Luther described how he personally used the Lord’s Prayer as a framework for deeper meditation—sometimes lingering on a single petition if it stirred his heart. He emphasized quality over quantity, urging believers to pray with sincerity and attentiveness rather than rote repetition. The prayer calls us into a bold intimacy with God and guides us on the road of transformation.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Prayer Reflection: Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer

Alfred Delp, a Jesuit priest, was executed by the Nazis on February 2, 1945, for his refusal to condone the Third Reich and leave the Jesuit order — resistors like Delp and Bonhoeffer are amazing. While in prison, he meditated on the Lord’s Prayer. Here are excerpts of his thoughts on the words, “Hallowed be thy name.”

Human nature is so constituted that it must have something holy that it can worship, otherwise it becomes cramped and distorted, and instead of a holy object of veneration something else will take its place. I ought to know for I have just emerged from a murderous dialogue with such a self-appointed object of veneration. These substitute values are far more autocratic and demanding than the living God himself. They have no idea of courtesy or of waiting for their turn…All they know is demand, compulsion, force, threats and liquidation. And woe to anyone who does not conform . . . The word of God should evoke and receive the great veneration this phrase suggests: praise, reverence, awe…The name of God is the holy of holies, the central silence, the thing that above all others calls for humble approach. We not only ought to believe in the truth at the center of our being, in the purpose of our existence, but we should also bear testimony to this belief by the proper fulfilment of our life’s purpose. We should subjugate everything to this law of holiness and reject everything that does not harmonize with it. God, the great object of our veneration, will then also be our whole life . . . Prayer is our way to freedom and education in the method of prayer is the most valuable service that we can give to humankind. It makes it possible for the temple and the altar to again occupy their rightful place and for humanity to humble itself and measure its responsibilities in the name of God.

Source: Plough Magazine, Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer, 2 February 2025.

A Musical Offering: The Lord’s Prayer (Lucy Walker)

Faithful Conversations Updates

Our regular gatherings for discussing the weekly lectionary are on a pause. Summer worship at ELC is at 8:30 in town and 10:15 at Hatfield by the lake. The 8:30 service will be streamed. Please stay in touch!

Looking Ahead: “Bible 365: Journey Through God’s Word, One Day at a Time”

Have you ever wanted to read the entire Bible in a year? Starting this September, our church invites you to do just that through the Bible 365 Challenge. It’s open to everyone—individuals, families, and small groups—and designed to help us explore Scripture together. As Lutherans, we believe God’s Word is at the heart of our faith. Martin Luther once said, “The Bible is alive… it lays hold of me.” When we read daily, we grow in connection—with God and with one another. Our intention is to offer two choices regarding approach, traditional and digital. More details are coming soon in worship, online, and in the bulletin. We’ll walk through this journey as a community, offering support along the way. Are you ready to take the journey? Let’s read, grow, and deepen our faith—together!