Tag: Lord’s Prayer

Pastor’s Notes 8/21/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

“As it is.”

I first learned that phrase as a child, while looking over the “want ads” in our local newspaper. The “Giveaway Guide,” was my first stop every time I picked up the Globe Gazette. That is where I would find listings with language like, “Free bicycle. You haul. ‘As is.’”

I realized quickly that few things are truly free, there is always a catch. To work properly that bike could need a new tire tube or a chain fix or a cleaning and tune-up. “As it is” required some care and investment on my part to use and enjoy the bike.

Curious that when Jesus is teaching how to pray, he encourages us to acknowledge God with, “your will be done, on earth ‘as it is’ in heaven.”

“As it is.”

God in heaven, for your will to be done on earth, some care and investment on our part is required. We are the ones who are responsible for the “as it is”. For God’s love to be felt, we must share it. For the needs of God’s people to be met, we must acknowledge those needs.

This is the section of the Lord’s Prayer that requires heavy lifting. This is where we invest our energy. This is where we say, “God your people are hurting, the marginalized are overlooked, the sick need healing.” In essence what we mean then is, and for your love to be known on earth as it is in heaven, your faithful followers need to be invested.

The benefits of our relationship with the Holy are ours in eternity, but as is promised, we need not wait. God’s desire is for love, grace, mercy and blessing to be known in this earthly life and as followers of Jesus, we are the ones to make it so. We are the ones to make God’s will known.

I look forward to worshipping with you in the chapel or on YouTube!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 8/14/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ‘Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. –Matthew 6:9

Last Sunday we concluded our series about the Fruit of the Spirit and focused on the gift of self-control.

What do we allow to receive our attention? What controls us? Is it the ‘stuff’ of this earthly walk and the temptations on our humanity or are we able to center ourselves on godly pursuits?

The more realistic question for us to ponder coming out of this series is, how do we return to our center and tap into that space in our core where God dwells? What practices help us regain our focus upon the holy?

The most accessible answer for returning to God is prayer. Over the next four weeks we will listen more intently to Jesus’ model for how to pray from Matthew 6:9-15. The Lord’s prayer is more than a litany we recite every Sunday. It is the template for expression. Prayer lays the groundwork for putting into words what we want God to know.

The first stop along this journey is to “name and proclaim” who God is. There is a lot that can be said by addressing who God is to us and why God is worthy of our attention. “Creator who breathed life into existence.” “Comforter to hold us when we are weak.” “God of yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

Making that first step and welcoming God back into the conversation is saying a mouthful. Simply naming and proclaiming who God is, opens the line of the communication. Getting started can be the hardest part. But once the invitation is extended the Holy Spirit can go to work through us and for us.

I look forward to exploring prayer with you in person or on YouTube.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes: 8/30/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  –Matthew 6:12-15

The word ’embedded’ is an adjective meaning: fixed firmly and deeply in a surrounding mass; implanted. Faith is defined by Webster as a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. So, when we put these words together, we find an embedded faith to be a deeply rooted belief about God.

Theologian David Hartkopf says embedded faith is simply the assumed components of Christian belief, concepts and ideas that are taken as truth without thought on the part of the hearer. Often these are ideas and understandings we grew up with or learned along the way and they have taken hold as our core understanding.

This rationale makes sense when we engage in dialogue about Matthew 6:5-15. What is the “proper” language to use when reciting the Lord’s prayer whether we prefer debts, trespasses or sins. We all have a preference, and it is often an embedded belief we pick up as we grow in faith. “It was how my grandma prayed.” “The church I grew up in taught me.” “It is the language that makes the most sense to me as an adult and helps me understand with deeper meaning, the words I am confessing before God.”

As we can see in the italicized quote to introduce this message, both debts and trespasses appear in Matthew’s gospel account. If we were to summarize the concept even more, as some Biblical translations have, we can also trust that Jesus was addressing sin. Bottom line, there are many ways to find meaning in the Lord’s prayer and as a community of faith we make room to recite these faithful words as each person chooses (it is the closest the Disciples of Christ come to speaking in tongues).

Our diversity in faith is truly a gift and Sunday we will focus our attention onto what draws followers of Jesus together through the Lord’s Prayer rather than that which divides us. I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube.

Brett