Friday, June 15, 2012

THE LORD'S PRAYER




Try printing the Lord's Prayer in the following arrangement 
for a few weeks in your Sunday Order of Service, 
explicitly asking people to pray it as written, with the emphases marked 
and only pausing at the end of lines.

After three weeks, have a discussion of 
how this affected people. 
Expect that some will just want to do it the way they always have, 
but see if it prompted thoughtful reactions otherwise.

I think that this format can better reveal some more 
of the meaning of the prayer than the places we usually pause.

Our Father,
You are in heaven,
Hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation.
Deliver us from evil.

Yours is the kingdom
And the power and the glory,
Now and forever.

           After three weeks, please post here on Practical Liturgist 
how the experience went in your congregation.

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