“This, then, is how you should pray:

 ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’”

Matthew 6:9 – 15

This is a life-altering prayer.  I am struck by its meaning.  I would like to walk carefully through the prayer, noting how astoundingly radical it is.  Who but Jesus could have prayed this sample prayer for his followers!

It assumes the prayer is the prayer of a community of faith, not that the individual is left out, but that our prayers, as taught by Jesus here, are communal.  This is a prayer of believers whose arms are linked together in unity and purpose. “Our.”  What I need, all need.  I am in the flock of God along with all those who follow him wherever he goes.

What makes us one, regardless of culture, race, language, nation, social class, etc?  It is because we all have the same Father.  He gives us birth, so to speak, a family, a home, a place to belong.  All hearts are drawn to the love of our Father.  And all who believe and who have received the new birth are brothers and sisters in our Father’s house.  Jesus makes no reference to Jew, Gentile, etc., but declares that all of us find that we love the same Father!

All prayer is an experience of family, the family of those who are followers of Jesus of Christ.

It is not wrong to pray as an individual for special personal needs.  But our overarching family prayer is prayed in the context of a loving family, all of whom are born anew by the saving work of Jesus and all are in love with our gracious Lord.  It is truly a family that is bound together by our common love for God and his love for us.