Prayer Unit
Goals:
1. Understand and take ownership in my Christian faith.
2. To live faith as a child and servant of God.
3. Grow in the life and mission of the church.
This week we turn our attention to the Lord’s Prayer and God’s desire for heart felt communication from us in our ongoing relationship with Him.
Unit Prayer (Introduction) "Our Father who is in heaven" Given Scripture references The Lutheran Study Bible, Small Catechism, and class discussion, students will know that prayer is talking to God in an ongoing relationship, recall the three reasons we pray, contrast our understanding of prayer to worldly false teachings by identifying the four disclosures of "Our Father in heaven" that enforces our position.
Lesson Notes Prayer 1
Terms
• Advent - Coming. The season prior to Christmas; anticipating the coming of Christ.
• Agnus Dei- “Lamb of God”; a liturgical chant usually sung before Communion.
• Amen - Hebrew word meaning “so be it” or “truly”.
• Art in - Archaic phrasing from the Lord’s Prayer: “who is in heaven”
• Benediction - Blessing pronounced at the end of the worship service.
• Chancel - The area where the altar is located.
• Confession & Absolution - The corporate acknowledgment of sin and declaration of God’s forgiveness.
• Doxology - A hymn of praise to triune God (“Praise God from whom all blessings flow”).
• Easter - The resurrection of Christ from the dead.
• Epistle - A letter from the New Testament
• Eucharist - Holy Communion
• Evil - That which is opposed to God’s will
• Gloria in Excelsis - “Glory to God in the highest” – a hymn of praise to God
• Hallowed - Archaic phrasing from the Lord’s Prayer: “Holy be Thy name”
• Introit - An entrance chant, psalm, or hymn
• Kyrie - “Lord, have mercy”
• Law and Gospel - A key Lutheran theological distinction
• Lectionary - A schedule or table of readings for each Sunday
• Lent - A 40-day season before Easter focusing on repentance, rebirth and renewal.
• Narthex - Gathering at the entrance to the church.
• Nave - Where the congregation sits.
• Pericope - A section (portion) of Scripture.
• Prayer - Communication with God; No relationship can survive without heart felt communication
• Sacristy - The room where the pastor and elders robe up. We call it the brides room.
• Sacristy (Working) - The room where Communion is prepared by the Altar Guild
• Sermon - The spoken Christ center message in the worship service
• Sin - A transgression against God’s will, in thought, word, and deed
• Temptation - The enticement to sin (of which God does not do) or test of faithfulness (of which God can do) (“lead us not into temptation”).
• Thy - Archaic phrasing from the Lord’s Prayer: “Your will be done”
• Trespass - An old term for sin or wrongdoing.
Reason we pray
• Need (We have a need to communicate with God)
• Commandment (God told us to do it)
• Promise (God promises to hear our prayers)
| Aspect | Vain Babbling (Matthew 6:7) | True Prayer |
|---|---|---|
| Heart/Mind | Mechanical, empty, without faith or understanding | Sincere, from the heart, in faith |
| Attitude | Thinks many words or repetition compels God | Trusts God's promise to hear for Christ's sake in faith |
| Purpose | Trying to manipulate or impress (God or others) | Talking with God in faith |
| Examples | Prayers done without faith | Prayers done in faith |
2nd Commandment
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
What does this mean?
We should fear, love, and trust in God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but
call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
Lesson Notes Prayer 1 Part Two
Prayer is the faithful conversation of God's children with their heavenly Father, offered in Jesus' name, empowered by the Holy Spirit, trusting God's promises and seeking His gracious will.
Prayer is done in faith. Faith in Christ. We should do it regularly and often.
God always answers prayer.
• Yes, Wait, No. (Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light)
• Never a maybe answer because His is never uncertain or undecided.
1st Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean?
We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
Prayer with others
- We do not participate in interfaith prayer because God has revealed Himself only in the Triune God through Jesus Christ, and prayer directed apart from Christ is not directed to the true God.
- We are cautious about public prayer with Christians of differing confessions because public prayer communicates a shared confession of faith. We do not want to suggest a unity in teaching that does not exist.
Disclosers that Our Father in Heaven Reveals:
• God loves us and wants us to pray (Personal not impersonal) Q205
• We are children of God (Informal, not formal) Q206
• God has the power to grant requests (Near not distant) Q207
• Heirs not slaves/servants/hirelings
Lesson Notes Prayer Two
Introduction: Our Father in Heaven
Discloses that our relationship with God is…
• Personal not impersonal
• Near not distant
• Informal not formal
• We are Heirs not slaves/servants/hirelings
First Petition: holy be Your name
• God’s name is already holy
• May God’s name be holy among us.
• That we use God’s name with reverence
• That we don’t use it as a curse
• As children of God, that we live out our name (To live faith as a child of God)
Q215 The Good and Gracious Will of God
• His Name be kept Holy among us
• That His Word is taught correctly
• that sinners be brought to faith
• That we lead godly lives
Every Small Catechism answer can be derived by knowing the Will of God.
Q210 How is God’s name kept holy?
God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!
2nd Commandment
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
What does this mean?
We should fear, love, and trust in God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but
call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.