In our series at the Red Brick Church on the Sermon on the Mount, one of our central emphases has been to pray rather than chant the Lord’s Prayer. It is of no value to mindlessly recite the Lord’s prayer. Rather, praying the Lord’s Prayer means understanding what each phrase means and how it should guide our prayers.
Think of the Lord’s Prayer as “hand rails” we hold onto as we pray. But we must walk through the prayer in our minds as we engage with God.
If you are unsure what each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer means, then follow this link (Westminster Confessions and Heidelberg Catechism on the Lord’s Prayer) to a document I created which brings together the explanations given by the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms as well as the Heidelberg Catechism. These catechisms give beautiful and elegant explanations of the Lord’s Prayer.
The below video from the New City Catechism will also help you understand the Lord’s Prayer.
So funny you are going through this right now because I am listening to Matt Chandler’s sermon series on the Apostle’s Creed and I decided to review the Westminster. It is sitting on my coffee table along with a devotional for families based on the catechism.
I’ll bet you are enjoying Chandler!