PAULSGROVE BAPTIST  CHURCH

"Teach us to pray" - The Lord's Prayer in the Christmas story

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One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray…’ (Luke 11:1)

 

In response, Jesus taught them what we now know as ‘The Lord's Prayer’:

 

‘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.

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.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

 

Here are some questions for our time:

• If there is a God, how do we know Him?

• What sort of a God is He, and can we find peace with Him?

• Life seems so uncertain – can God help us find our purpose and offer us contentment?

 

The Christian hope of Christmas is not that it is a distraction from life's problems, which seem to be never-ending, but that it is the answer to our greatest problem in life.

 

That deep problem we all face is the truth that through our own fault we are separated from the God who made us and loves us, and that what our hearts really need is to be reconciled with God and be close to Him.

 

In His amazing love, God sent His Son, Jesus, to us, to show us what He's like, and to draw us back to Him.

 

And so, Jesus taught his followers how to pray to God as 'Our Father in heaven', and teaching what a life of faith looks like.

 

We're going to spend this advent period learning how we can pray the Lord's Prayer by reflecting on some parts of the Christmas story which demonstrate how Jesus has re-created for us a relationship with God.

 

I hope it will help us to know who God is, how we might grow a relationship with Him, and bring us hope and joy, not just at Christmastime, but for a lifetime!

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29th November 2020

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your Name (Matthew 6 v 9; Matthew 1 vv 21-23)

[Notes] [Watch / listen]

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6th December 2020

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6 v 10; Luke 1 vv 32-33)

[Notes] [Watch / listen]

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13th December 2020

Give us today our daily bread (Matthew 6 v 11; Luke  1 v 53)

[Notes] [Watch / listen]

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20th December 2020

And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One (Matthew 6 vv 12-13; Luke 2 v 11)

[Notes] [Watch / listen]

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20th December 2020

Carol Service - "The Christmas we didn't expect"

[Watch]

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25th December 2020

Christmas morning celebration

[Watch] Unfortunately the first minute is with low / no sound.