Life's Inanities and Ironies

In a world bombarded by distractions, self-help mantras, and fleeting spiritual trends, it's easy to lose sight of the simple, profound way Jesus taught us to pray. As followers of Christ who hold firmly to the inerrant Word of God, we must return to the Scriptures for guidance. Today, we're diving into Matthew 6:9-13 , where our Lord provides the ultimate pattern for prayer—not as a rigid formula, but as a divine framework to align our hearts with heaven. This isn't about mystical experiences or emotional highs; it's about obedient, Scripture-based communion with our Heavenly Father. Whether you're a seasoned believer or new to the faith, let's explore this timeless model and see how it can transform your prayer life. Starting with Adoration: Honoring God's Holiness Jesus begins His instruction with these words: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Right away, we're reminded that prayer isn't a wishlist or a therapy session—it...

 We are going to be starting a series from Matthew on prayer today.  How you communicate with God is as important as how He communicates with you. I want to give you a little background on this series. It is one that I wrote nearly 45 years ago as an exercise in homiletics class . We were asked to take a portion of scripture and draw out of it as many sermons or homilies as we could without significantly repeating ourselves. This draws from Matthew 6 and "The Lord's Prayer" The object was to show that God's word has no limitations. I'm hoping that you will enjoy this exercise as much as I did then and as much as I did in bringing it up to date. In a world filled with performative spirituality —social media posts showcasing " prayer warriors " and public displays of piety —it's easy to lose sight of what true prayer really means. As followers of Christ, especially within fundamentalist Christian communities where we uphold the Bible as our ultimate a...