We're in the gospel of Matthew and the Lord's Prayer. Most of us have heard the Lord's Prayer,

prayed the Lord's Prayer, recited the Lord's Prayer many, many times. There are only five statements

in the model prayer. And I'm not trying to overstate what God says, you know, a lot of times I've

packed too much into what God said about himself, but maybe God is saying in the model prayer, it's not

that complicated. There don't have to be 117 moving parts for you to have a meaningful conversation

and connection with God. You don't have to have a theological degree to have a meaningful

conversation and a connection with God. You don't have to know all the church words and all the church

terms. Maybe it's simpler than we think to really come to terms with God and to have a shift with God

in a very profound way because Jesus says, when you pray, this is how you should pray. I love

that. He doesn't want us to be just down here praying because we saw somebody else pray or a

guy church prayed or a lady in the Bible study prayed with all, that's how you pray. He says,

this is how I want you to pray. Notice he didn't say this is what I want you to pray.

So our faith is not built on just reciting the Lord's Prayer over and over and over again.

You don't get anywhere with God by just saying, oh, I'm going to say the Lord's Prayer again.

I'm going to start my day by saying the Lord's Prayer again. Oh, I'm going to do my little

thing today and say the Lord's Prayer again. He didn't say this is what you pray. He said,

this is how you pray and he's trying to show us the big shifts of thinking by these five statements.

And if you're in Matthew 6, I'm in the NIV translation and we're going to put that on the screen,

but I'd love us to read the prayer together. Just get it in our hearts together. So out loud

together beginning in verse 9. These are the words of Jesus. This then is how you should pray.

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. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors and lead us

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