Some of us are the kind of people who, when we pray, really appreciate what Jesus says in this passage. Some people pray loudly and with great fanfare. Others of us don’t. Either way, we need to be sure to hear Jesus’ point here in that good prayer is less about form than it is about avoiding the hypocrisy of praying in a particular way just to be heard. (Often, praying loudly seems to be doing just that.)
It was about twenty years ago I began reading a book called Prayers Plainly Spoken. It changed how I pray. There’s nothing wrong with desiring good theology (in fact, we should). But good theology doesn’t necessarily require big theological words.
If we’re looking for good theology to shape our prayers, there is nothing better than what Jesus gives us in what we usually call The Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. While it’s okay to begin with understanding that prayer is “just talking to God,” as we mature in faith, we realize Jesus is more specific than that. And the specificity comes in the Lord’s Prayer.
But be careful that its memorization does not lead to apathy or unspecificity or lack of true feeling and intent. Feel free to change the words of the Lord’s Prayer, using it as a form, while sticking with its spirit.
Matthew 6:5-15
“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.
“When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. Pray like this:
Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
Give us the bread we need for today.
Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,
just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
And don’t lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
“If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your sins.
Prayer1
God,
Humble us Mary-like before the cross of your Son, our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth, so that through the Spirit we may be joined in the one body, the Church, thus becoming your mighty prayer for the world. Gracious God, whose grace terrorizes and sustains us, we pray for courage as we begin this course. Invade our lives, robbing us of fear and envy so we might begin to trust one another and in the process discover a bit of the truth. In this serious business grant us the joy and humour that comes from your presence. And for your sake, save us from being dull.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.
From Prayers Plainly Spoken, by Stanley Hauerwas.