Friends,

Starting this Sunday in our on-line worship, Pastor Dick and I are embarking upon a new sermon series to explore the Lord’s Prayer.  The series is entitled, “Pray Then Like This: The Lord’s Prayer for Our Time.”  We will examine Matthew 6:9 in detail, and over the next five weeks cover one phrase per week: Our Father, Thy Kingdom Come, Daily Bread, Forgive Us our Sins, and Facing Temptation.  You will be amazed at how much meaning is packed into every last word of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.  Additionally, you will be surprised at how political and counter-cultural the prayer really is:  It calls for heavenly ways to be integrated with our own.  Spoiler alert:  Rome didn’t like Jesus upending the status quo, and our current political systems don’t much like that either.  Also, the prayer points us far beyond ourselves to greater inclusiveness and a broader reality.  Prepare to have your understanding of this seemingly-simple and succinct prayer much enlarged!

Happy New Year!

Co-Pastor Sandi