The Lord’s Prayer according to Us

By Amity Lantz-Trier and 2022 confirmation students
​
Our confirmation students recently gathered for an end of the year retreat filled with too much soda, the right amount of pizza, 6 dozen cupcakes, and a faith focus on the Lord’s prayer. We wrestled with the questions; what even is the Lord’s Prayer? What does it teach us about ourselves and how we pray, and how did Jesus use it to teach us about God?

After reading Martin Luther’s explanations and understanding of the Lord' Prayer, we came to the conclusion that sometimes using such formal language makes the prayer feel unrelatable and maybe even confusing. Together as a group we looked at this very familiar prayer and line by line and explored what it means to us, and how we can put it into language that is more comfortable and gives a closer connection to God. 

Our Father who art in heaven.
Big Pal, chillin' in Big Pal place.

Often we get caught up in God the Father being conformed into our human understanding of gender but we know God is so much bigger than that. This God is a creator, a father, a mother, a caregiver, a forgiver, and so much more. This God is our pal, the biggest pal we have. We know that where God is, we are not, but we know that place is amazing and wonderful and better than where we are now. 

Hallowed be thy name, 
You are holy, please share some holiness with us,

When coming up with adjectives to describe God we found that something that we can’t achieve on our own is being holy. That is very much a God thing, and can only be shared with us. We cannot achieve holiness on our own. 

Thy kingdom come, 
Share some of the energy from Big Pal place with us here on earth. 
We know where God is, it is free of so many of the things that make Earth a hard place to be. We ask that some of that is shared with us, both to give us a glimpse of what is to come and to make being here a little easier sometimes. 

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven
We will try to be your hands and feet to share your holiness with everyone

We are called to do God’s will in the world. To be our best selves through the holiness God shares, and we want to share that with every person we encounter. 

Give us today our daily bread. 
Please remind us that you give us everything we need to survive. 

Everything we need. Every day. Both physically and spiritually. We need to be reminded daily of the amazing gift of love we received from Jesus and also that our daily needs are being met. 

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Forgive us when we do wrong, and help us be as forgiving as you to others

Forgiveness is one of God’s most amazing gifts for us, and we ask that we can share that forgiveness with those around us even when it's very hard and we definitely don't want to. 

Save us from the time of trial 
Be with us when the world is chaotic, hard and messy

Life is hard, and we ask God to be with us through the ups and downs. 

And deliver us from evil. 
And when we get caught in a sticky situation, step in and save us. 

We know that there will be hard times but we also know that sometimes only God can be with us through the hardest, toughest times.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, Forever and ever. Amen
You are everywhere and everything, be with us always. 

Amen and Amen. 

Amity Lantz-Trier and the 2022 confirmation students