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Pray Like Jesus

In the midst of declining religious commitment in America, one thing remains constant: prayer! Commenting on a recent study by the University of Chicago, the Washington Post reports: “American religion is on the ropes, but is has a prayer.”

Author Scott Clement writes,

Since 2006, the percentage of people describing themselves as ‘very’ or ‘moderately’ religious has declined eight percentage points, from 62  to 54 %. The share affiliating with a particular faith has fallen from over 90% in the 1980s and 1990s to 79 % in 2014. Just over 4 in 10 report attending worship services at least once a month, down roughly 10 points from three decades ago. All are record lows.

And yet, Clement continues, 57% reported praying at least once a day – up from 54 % in 1983! – and 3 of 4 respondents said they pray at least once a week.

In other words, the majority of us pray regularly.

Some religious traditions meditate, while others chant. Some hang prayer flags, while others spin prayer wheels. Some pray in community, while others in solitude.

There are many different ways to pray… But what would it be like to pray like Jesus!?

This summer at Good Shepherd we’re learning from one of history’s most well known and beloved prayers, The Lord’s Prayer. Many of us know it well:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
   on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.’

But have you ever notice what Matthew records Jesus saying right before the Lord's Prayer? Jesus declares:

This, then, is how you should pray:

In other words, the Lord's Prayer is not something we merely recite each week, but rather, it should be a sort of pattern for our prayers. And throughout the past 2,000 years, the church has uncovered a number of ways to do so!

Join us this summer at our 9am Classic Gathering or our 10:45am Modern Gathering as we together learn to Pray Like Jesus! If you'll be visiting for the first time, click here for what to expect.

Study guides are available every Saturday on The Weekly e-mail (subscribe at gspc.org/contact) or at the Welcome Kiosk on Sunday morning.

Pastor Curtis

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