the incredible disappearing Vicar

have been moving so fast I've been a blur lately (with a person my size that's quite an achievement) this has left me pretty tired and when I've had energy to blog I've not had the time, and when I've had the time - well, you get the picture. Apologies to those of you who do make the effort to check things out here regularly and have had the same thought since Ash Wednesday.

It is now 4pm here and I have spent most of the day at a 'team prayer day' where we spent some time in worship and prayer and listening to the teaching of a Ugandan preacher called John Mulinde - challenging and thought provoking. It was a good day day and reminded me of a little card i picked up years ago about the Lord's prayer (much of the talk was structured around Matthew 6 and the version of Jesus' prayer found there), the content of which follows:

Can I say the Lord's Prayer?

I cannot say OUR if I live in a water-tight spiritual compartment
or if I think a special place is reserved for my denomination alone
I cannot say FATHER if I do not demonstrate this
relationship in my daily life
I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so occupied with
earthly things that I am laying up treasure there
I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I,
who am called by his name, am not holy
I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not
doing all in my power to hasten its coming
I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I am questioning of,
resentful of, or disobedient to God’s will for me
i cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not
prepared to devote my life here to his service
I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if
I am living on past experience
I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I
harbour a grudge against anyone
I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I am not
prepared to fight evil in my life and in my prayer
I cannot say THINE IS THE KINGDOM if I do not
give the ruler the obedience of a loyal subject
I cannot say THINE IS THE POWER if I fear
what people might do to me or what my neighbours might think
I cannot say THINE IS THE GLORY
if I am seeking glory for myself
I cannot say FOR EVER AND EVER
if my horizon is bounded by the things of time
I cannot say AMEN, if I do not add
"cost what it may', For to' say this, prayer properly
will cost everything

Comments

Bill ~ {The Old Fart} said…
Beautiful Alastair, I love this prayer - I just wish more Pastors would use it in their services.

Thankyou for sharing. It was my Mum's favorite prayer.
4:42 pm
Dr.John said…
I wish I had had a copy of this when I was in the active ministry.
1:37 am
Margaret said…
This is a great post! Too often the Lord's Prayer is sing-songed through and it includes so much. Thanks for sharing.
10:18 pm
Rachel Starr Thomson said…
Marvelous. Really, really well said.

I love this prayer: I wrote a book about it and what it reveals about God. You can read excerpts at www.littledozen.com/h2hexcerpts.html if you like.
10:09 pm
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