Pray very Simply

In times of uncertainty, overwhelm or stress, we can turn to the rhythms and rituals of our lives to ground us. Just as seasons of grief, winter or wilderness force us to wrestle with discomfort and uncertainty, so too, these are opportunities to lean into the practices that sustain us and explore new ways of connecting with God that can nurture our soul.

In the liturgical season of Lent, the stretch of time leading to Holy Week and Easter, there is often an emphasis on fasting, a spiritual practice that is intended to make more space for God. You may well choose to give up something for the coming week. Perhaps you will commit to taking on a particular spiritual practice to enrich your connection with God. 

Prayer is one of the primary practices of faith. Modeled by Jesus, the ancient words of the Lord’s Prayer are ones we may have memorized in our elementary Sunday school class. And as with other familiar words, these lines may have become rote, stripped of their meaning and epiphanies. 

Over the next seven weeks, we invite you to reflect on the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer. Regardless of your giving up or taking on, you are invited to consider these familiar words in new ways; to embrace and embody the promises and practices to which these words point. 

May our journey together with the Lord’s Prayer through Lent bring us all some comfort and joy. 

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.

-Matthew 6:9-13 (The Message)