The Lord's Prayer, of course, contains all of those things but it is not a mantra, it is not an end in itself, it is a path to travel. A path which will look different in the the seasons of life, a path which sometimes we tread, doggedly putting one foot in front of the other, which we sometimes run down, wander through or even stand for a while, remembering this familiar place and seeing it again for the first time.
This is the only time in the Bible (the same story is in Matthew and Luke) where Jesus gives words for prayer, but it is certainly not the only time when Jesus is mentioned in relation to prayer - Jesus often prays - he goes away to refuel. We have a few of Jesus words to God recorded but we can only imagine what his personal prayer life looked like.
The words Jesus gives are only the first clue to prayer. He then goes on to talk about the character of of both God and our prayers. This whole passage is sometimes interpreted as a sort of "bully God enough and you will get what you want" message. This is clearly not true. Jesus at no point condones an attitude which bends God's ear to the point where God simply throws his hands up in the air and says "Whatever!"
In the passage, the man who is going to his neighbour for help is trying to fulfil his duty to a visitor - that is hospitality - in fact the previous few chapters of Luke have had a bit of an undertone of hospitality in them. Don't get knocked out of shape says Jesus to the 72 is hospitality rules are broken, no Peter cannot call down fire from heaven on the inhospitable Samaritan villages - and, as if to prove the point,this man's neighbour is refusing to get out of bed and help in the most basic of needs.
Of course this is in contrast to God. Whilst we may have to pester our fellow humans in our efforts to do the right thing we will not have to pester God to aid us in our doing of what is right and good.
This leads into the next passage. The early Christian writer Origen points out, in a sermon on Luke 11, that sometimes prayers go unanswered and this presents a problem for people. Seek and you will find, Jesus says, knock and the door will be opened - surely this is obvious, you get what you ask for. No, says Origen, because prayer is not simply about lining up our wants, prayer is also about aligning our wills with that of Christ.
“Someone might ask why some people pray and are not heard. To this one
should answer that the one who comes to ask in a suitable way and
neglects none of the things that contribute to obtaining what he is
concerned about, he will surely receive what he asked to be given to
him. But, if one who moves outside the aim of the prayer that has been
handed down to us appears to ask, but does not ask as he should, he does
not ask perfectly.”
In the words of the Lord' Prayer it is about
bringing the perfect will of the heavenly kingdom to fruition in this
earthly kingdom - and this is a big ask because it is not an overnight
happening but a slow and gentle conforming of the whole person, the
whole Church and the whole world.So how do we use the Lord's Prayer? As with any set of words we need to use is as two way communication - the second we call something prayer which is mere recitation, in which we have no capacity to listen, we have ceased to pray.
Of course there are times in life where putting one foot in front of the other is all we can manage, where the mere recitation of words is almost too hard for us, where we find that we have to read the familiar from the page and those words echo in our darkened soul. Then words, familiar words, are vital. This process of growth often known as the dark night of the soul, is a place where repetition can be a vital link to the life which we have lost sight of, but even in this place we can listen, not for long, the silence is deafening, but for a while.
But for most of our journey the repetition of words offers all sorts of possibilities, there are the words themselves, of course. Words which, in the case of the Lord's Prayer, look to the reality of God and of a Kingdom which is to come and yet already breaking in. Reliant on God we are called in it to become mould breakers and kingdom makers. Those who are fed and forgiven, those who forgive and live in and through glory.
But words have another function too, words give us something to do - and this is OK. Familiar words, liturgy, songs can all be like spiritual doodles, in and of themselves something, but also releasing us to something else, allowing our lips to praise and our hearts to dwell. This mixture of active prayer and contemplation, of saying and being, is important to hold on to. There is distraction, of course, the shopping and the cat, but there is a path which goes beyond the words as well and these two are not the same thing.
This function of repetition becomes more immediately obvious in a highly repetitive devotion like the Rosary - the words spoken simply occupy the mind, keep the discipline of attention whilst the true contemplation moves to the mysteries of Christ.
This multiple function of the words of the Lord's Prayer is important to hold on to. So if I recite the words and get caught on bread and the contemplation of bread, perhaps that is not just distraction, perhaps that is God speaking. If on the mention of glory I gasp at the vision of heavenly places, then perhaps that is an invitation to rest there a while.
Perhaps all my prayer forever could be just this prayer.........
Maker of us in heaven
Holy be made the name of you
Brought in be the kingdom of you
Carried out be the will of you
So as in heaven, thoughout the earth.
Bread be given to us according to the needs of the day
Our sins be let go as we are letting go of the sins of others
Do not bring us to the time of trial
But deliver us from the hands of the wicked one. Amen
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