Val, a member of our church reflects on the Gospel for the Tuesday of the First week of Lent. Originally from Brighton, Val lives in Manchester and is in his 2nd year of studying Anthropology at the University of Manchester.
Here is a summary of Val’s comments:
Being such a well know piece of scripture, it is interesting to study and reflect on it in depth. However, because it is so often used in worship it provides me with a sense of comfort and peacefulness.
The words “Our Father” really stood out for me. Because it reminds me of how lucky I am, to be part of a relationship with God, the passage reminds me of God’s Fatherly qualities to us. To me this passage tells us that God is a father to all, and we are all invited to be in this relationship with God.
To me this is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read because it encapsulates the Christian message. The Lord’s Prayer informs my own life and how I treat others, it also reminds me of the importance of forgiveness. As well as this, it has a missional quality to it, and reminds me to share the invitation to others of the promise of eternal life.
The words of the prayer, bring me closer to Jesus, as Jesus taught us this prayer. Recently I listened to an Aramaic chant version of the prayer to get a feel of the original language Jesus would have spoken in.
One of the things that stands out of me in this passage is the nature of prayer, especially looking at the words “empty phrases”, this reminds me to praise God and put him at the centre of our prayer lives rather than ourselves.
Thank you Val for these thoughts.
Prayer moment: Pause and be still. Say the Lord’s Prayer very slowly.
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