What does the Lord’s Prayer mean?

 Luke 11:1-4

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread.

4 Forgive us our sins,

    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.’”

So, here’s one of the most famous parts in the Bible. Lots of people around the world take it to heart and say it all the time, maybe every day or at least every Sunday. And there’s a good reason – it really does cover all the bases. This Luke version is just a tad shorter than the one in Matthew with which everyone is probably more familiar. Here in Luke we don’t get the bit about ‘your will be done’ or ‘deliver us from the evil one’, which is surprising because those sound like really important details.

I want to take a moment to look at the very first sentence, particularly the word ‘hallowed’. It always sticks out to me as the fanciest part. Even modern translations insist on using this very unusual word. In fact, just searching on Bible Gateway, the NIV only uses it here in the Lord’s Prayer. ‘Hallowed’ just means ‘made holy’ or ‘glorified’. There’s nothing spooky about it, even if it might make you think of Halloween, or even Deathly Hallows.

It helps, when praying, to know what you’re actually saying.

Head: What does it mean for God’s name to be ‘hallowed’ or ‘glorified’?

Heart: Does the Lord’s Prayer have a significant meaning for you?

Hands: Do the prayers you say most often sound anything like the kind of prayer Jesus describes here?

Prayer: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. Amen.

A song to listen to: Father, You Are All We Need

Zoe Harland – Living Church Creek Road