I thought at some stage this year in things unseen, we ought to spend a week at least

thinking about the Lord's prayer, and this is that week. And I know it's just possible

that your immediate reaction might be, oh no, not the Lord's prayer again. And I understand

that many of us say every week in church, some of us may be say it privately every day,

since we're supposed to pray for our daily bread. So from that point of view, we might

feel that we are very familiar with the Lord's prayer. And I don't expect that I'll say

anything that's new or fresh or especially insightful this week. But the Lord's prayer

is very, very fundamental to our Christian life because it's not only a prayer, it's

actually a prayer that reflects a very basic guide to living the Christian life. But before

we get into it, maybe I should try and clear up a misunderstanding. People sometimes say

we shouldn't use these words because it's insincere to use someone else's words when

you pray. But that's kind of odd, isn't it? Don't we sing someone else's words in church?

And don't the songs that we sing, even if we are in a church that sings only sams, don't

the songs that we sing reflect the words of the Lord's prayer in different ways. I remember

someone complaining to me about the introduction of a confession of sin into the liturgy of

worship because they said, it isn't sincere to confess your sins using someone else's

words. And yet I knew this same person heartily and cheerfully sang, toply to his hymn,

rock of ages, cleft from me, let me hide myself in the, and each time would sing, foul

and full of sin I am, and confess their sins in someone else's words. So it's appropriate

that we use someone else's words, especially when they're the words the Lord Jesus taught

us. Well, you know how the prayer begins with an

address to God, our Father in heaven. May your name be hallowed or sanctified. It's a

...