RoboPreacher

what if it knew you by your name Final sermon on the last three petitions in the Lord's Prayer : Finally, we come to the last sermon in our series on the Lord’s Prayer. Thus far, we’ve taken our time . Covering only eight words in total. But now , for our last sermon, we’re covering three petitions in one shot! Abrupt as this shift may be, it makes sense. The first part of the Lord’s Prayer has dealt with God : God’s name, God’s holiness, and God’s kingdom.   Each one of these final petitions, though, deal with us : “Give US this day our daily bread.” “ Forgive US our sins , for WE ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.” And, “do not bring US to the time of trial .” …The first thing Jesus tells us to pray for, after praying for something as exalted as the hallowing of God’s name and the coming of God’s kingdom , is mundane . “ Daily bread.” For those who imagine God’s holiness and God’s kingdom looks anything like the world defines i...

but i'm ready A sermon on the prayer Jesus taught us, Luke 11:1-4 : Even though there’s still one last sermon in our series on the Lord’s Prayer, I’m just going to go ahead and show my hand. This entire prayer Jesus teaches us is a simple prayer. A simple prayer that is by no means easy to pray… Often we think prayer is just trying to get God to come around to our way of seeing things. In the Lord’s Prayer, though , Jesus teaches you to pray for the exact opposite !   To pray that God would hallow God’s name. That God would give us enough to eat. That God would forgive. That God would spare us… Well, you get the idea. The cumulative effect of this prayer is that God would bring us around to God’s way of doing things!   Which is tough to pray for, isn’t it? I know from experience; you and I like to be the ones who are in control —the ones who are in charge . For as difficult as all this is to pray for, though, it’s the petition I left o...

when you're around A sermon on the first petition in the Lord's Prayer : Today we get to the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “hallowed be your name.” Or, “hallowed be thy name,” depending on how you pray it. But either way, it’s just four little words.   Four little words that are easy to say, but hard to understand.   For a whole multitude of reasons, too. Reflecting on these words, “hallowed be your name,” Luther remarks in the Large Catechism that this an odd phrase. He says it’s not a natural way to speak in German. Well, it’s not a natural way to speak in English, either! Is it? As it turns out, though, this little phrase, “hallowed be your name,” encapsulates the entire Lord’s Prayer! In fact, it even sums up the whole of the Christian life! And here’s a wild thing; just making this supplication helps bring it to pass, too! Now, I know that’s a little ambiguous . But for now, I want to leave it at that.   In the meantime, thou...

parading you home A sermon on the Lord's Prayer as recorded by Luke 11:1-4 : Teaching about prayer has to be one of the dullest things a person can do. Who wants to hear talk about prayer, when you can talk directly to God in prayer?   There are a million miles of difference between those two things. Isn’t there? Talking about and talking to . It’s the difference between explaining how fireworks operate, and lighting the fuse. …When the disciples come to Jesus wanting instruction about prayer, Jesus doesn’t hem and haw with any of that. Does he? No, instead, he just gives them a prayer . And what a humdinger of a prayer it is. He lights the fuse with one simple word, “ father .” Say it with me, “ Father .” _________ …Now I know exclusively masculine descriptions for God isn’t always helpful. Bear with me, though, because Jesus does intend to trip you up with this word. But not because it’s masculine. No, Jesus intends to trip you up with this wo...