Praying the Prayers of the Church throughout the Ages
While Jesus was with us on earth,
He left us a perfect model for prayer:
The Lord’s Prayer.
This prayer is recorded twice in Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
Jesus left us this prayer in response to the disciples’ request to be taught how to pray. Though simple in appearance it is quite profound.
Our Father:
We have a special relationship with God.
He is our all-good Heavenly Father who loves us
and wants what is best for us.
We have nothing to fear or hide. He knows us perfectly.
Hallowed be Thy Name:
We give God the praise and honor due His goodness and glory.
We acknowledge His holiness and his Lordship over us,
Your Kingdom Come:
We ask God to work His perfect plans in the world,
in the lives of others, and in our lives.
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven:
We can tell God all our heart’s desires,
But in the end, we submit to God’s will
knowing that He works all things for our good.
Give us this day our daily bread:
We pray for what we need not what we want.
Prayer is a childish “wish list.”
It is an act of trusting that God will provide all that we truly need.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:
We ask God to forgive our sins.
But we do so in humility knowing that we must offer the same grace we will receive to others.
This reminds us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
And do not bring us to the time of trial:
We ask to avoid temptation,
to be stronger than our sinful nature.
And deliver us from evil:
We pray that when we face life’s toughest challenges,
when we must face the things we dared not face,
that God will be with us and protect.
We boldly trust that we will ultimately be delivered from all evil, suffering, pain, and even death and hell.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Flory forever.
We end where we began –
Giving God the praise and love that is His due.
Amen.
A Hebrew word that means
“Let it be so!”
************************Our culture is very conscious of the importance of exercise. We take care to work out to keep ourselves healthy.
And it is easy to see the benefits of regular exercise. Our bodies get stronger and we have more energy
and accomplish more things. However, too often we fail to realize that we need spiritual building up as well as physical.
Prayer can be seen as a daily workout. It builds up our relationship with God and with others. It helps us see ways to be more faithful and better serve the God we love. Just like physical exercise we can get stronger in our prayer life both through repetition of familiar activities and stretching ourselves by trying new things. But with prayer as with exercise we need discipline, regular commitments, and dedication. And over time, we will find the more we pray, the more we enjoy it and see its benefits. And prayer gives us the best benefit of all – growing closer to God who loves us and made us.There are many ways to “stretch our spiritual muscles” through prayer. We will be doing some of this as we pray prayers from other places and times and grow come to know and admire fellow Christians who have gone before us. After all, we will be with them throughout eternity. Another way is to use our bodies to give prayer a different “feel.”
Think about what you do with your body as you pray. Try a new stance and use your entire body to pray- Stand with raised hands (like the ancient Jews) Fold your hands in quiet supplication. Kneel before the Lord Lie in the shape of a cross Walk and pray Combine prayer with activities you love. Cross-stitch and knitting can be used much like a rosary,
praying as you stitch. Woodwork can be an activity that draws us to Jesus another carpenter. Enjoy exploring praying in new ways!
“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work;
prayer is the greater work."
Oswald Chambers
"Prayer is my chief work,
and it is by means of it that I carry on the rest."
Thomas Hooker
"Our prayer must not be self-centered.
It must arise not only because we feel our own need
as a burden we must lay upon God,
but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own.
To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.“
John Calvin
**********************************
A Month in Prayer This prayer is recorded twice in Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
Jesus left us this prayer in response to the disciples’ request to be taught how to pray. Though simple in appearance it is quite profound.
Our Father:
We have a special relationship with God.
He is our all-good Heavenly Father who loves us
and wants what is best for us.
We have nothing to fear or hide. He knows us perfectly.
Hallowed be Thy Name:
We give God the praise and honor due His goodness and glory.
We acknowledge His holiness and his Lordship over us,
Your Kingdom Come:
We ask God to work His perfect plans in the world,
in the lives of others, and in our lives.
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven:
We can tell God all our heart’s desires,
But in the end, we submit to God’s will
knowing that He works all things for our good.
Give us this day our daily bread:
We pray for what we need not what we want.
Prayer is a childish “wish list.”
It is an act of trusting that God will provide all that we truly need.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:
We ask God to forgive our sins.
But we do so in humility knowing that we must offer the same grace we will receive to others.
This reminds us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
And do not bring us to the time of trial:
We ask to avoid temptation,
to be stronger than our sinful nature.
And deliver us from evil:
We pray that when we face life’s toughest challenges,
when we must face the things we dared not face,
that God will be with us and protect.
We boldly trust that we will ultimately be delivered from all evil, suffering, pain, and even death and hell.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Flory forever.
We end where we began –
Giving God the praise and love that is His due.
Amen.
A Hebrew word that means
“Let it be so!”
************************Our culture is very conscious of the importance of exercise. We take care to work out to keep ourselves healthy.
And it is easy to see the benefits of regular exercise. Our bodies get stronger and we have more energy
and accomplish more things. However, too often we fail to realize that we need spiritual building up as well as physical.
Prayer can be seen as a daily workout. It builds up our relationship with God and with others. It helps us see ways to be more faithful and better serve the God we love. Just like physical exercise we can get stronger in our prayer life both through repetition of familiar activities and stretching ourselves by trying new things. But with prayer as with exercise we need discipline, regular commitments, and dedication. And over time, we will find the more we pray, the more we enjoy it and see its benefits. And prayer gives us the best benefit of all – growing closer to God who loves us and made us.There are many ways to “stretch our spiritual muscles” through prayer. We will be doing some of this as we pray prayers from other places and times and grow come to know and admire fellow Christians who have gone before us. After all, we will be with them throughout eternity. Another way is to use our bodies to give prayer a different “feel.”
Think about what you do with your body as you pray. Try a new stance and use your entire body to pray- Stand with raised hands (like the ancient Jews) Fold your hands in quiet supplication. Kneel before the Lord Lie in the shape of a cross Walk and pray Combine prayer with activities you love. Cross-stitch and knitting can be used much like a rosary,
praying as you stitch. Woodwork can be an activity that draws us to Jesus another carpenter. Enjoy exploring praying in new ways!
“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work;
prayer is the greater work."
Oswald Chambers
"Prayer is my chief work,
and it is by means of it that I carry on the rest."
Thomas Hooker
"Our prayer must not be self-centered.
It must arise not only because we feel our own need
as a burden we must lay upon God,
but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own.
To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.“
John Calvin
**********************************
Praying the Prayers of the Church throughout the Ages
October 16
The next five days we will be praying the prayers of church throughout the ages. You will see the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer reflected in these prayers. These prayers begin when the church emerged from severe persecution at the beginning of the fourth century and continue through the end of the twentieth century. The Reformation period is omitted
as we will pray those prayers later. As you pray through centuries of worship you will notice both similarities and differences with prayers in our time. It is inspiring to watch our unchanging faith continuously transform an ever-changing world.
Eusebius (c.275-339)
Dear Lord,
May I be no man's enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides.
May I never quarrel with those nearest me; and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly.
May I never devise evil against any person. If any devise evil against me, may I escape uninjured and without the need of hurting them.
May I love, seek and attain only that which is good.
May I wish for all humanity's happiness and envy none.
May I, to the extent of my power, give all needful help to my friends and to all who are in want.
May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which rages in me.
May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never be angry with people because of circumstances.
May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good people and follow in their footsteps.
Eusebius (c. 275 to 339) was a Roman historian, exegete, scholar of the canon and churchman. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. Being an extremely learned Christian and famous author, Eusebius enjoyed the favor of the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine and played a prominent role at the Council of Nicaea which produced the Nicene Creed. In his Church History or Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius wrote the first surviving history of the Christian Church as a chronologically-ordered account based on earlier sources from the period of the Apostles to his own time. He wrote many accounts of the martyrs of the early church and the Life of Constantine. This prayer takes on special meaning when one realizes that Eusebius lived in a time of great church struggle. He was nearly excommunicated for his opposing views to Nicea but he submitted to the Nicene Creed.
*******************
Dear Lord,
May I be no man's enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides.
May I never quarrel with those nearest me; and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly.
May I never devise evil against any person. If any devise evil against me, may I escape uninjured and without the need of hurting them.
May I love, seek and attain only that which is good.
May I wish for all humanity's happiness and envy none.
May I, to the extent of my power, give all needful help to my friends and to all who are in want.
May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which rages in me.
May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never be angry with people because of circumstances.
May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good people and follow in their footsteps.
Eusebius (c. 275 to 339) was a Roman historian, exegete, scholar of the canon and churchman. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. Being an extremely learned Christian and famous author, Eusebius enjoyed the favor of the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine and played a prominent role at the Council of Nicaea which produced the Nicene Creed. In his Church History or Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius wrote the first surviving history of the Christian Church as a chronologically-ordered account based on earlier sources from the period of the Apostles to his own time. He wrote many accounts of the martyrs of the early church and the Life of Constantine. This prayer takes on special meaning when one realizes that Eusebius lived in a time of great church struggle. He was nearly excommunicated for his opposing views to Nicea but he submitted to the Nicene Creed.
*******************
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
that I always may be holy. Amen.
Augustine (354-430) was an African Christian theologian whose writings are extremely influential in the development of both Roman Catholic and Protestant theology and Western philosophy. Many Calvinists consider him to be one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation due to his teachings on salvation and divine grace. His father was a pagan and his mother was a Christian. His first insight into the nature of sin occurred when he and some friends stole fruit they didn't even want from a neighbor’s garden. Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle for a time and even said, “Lord, grant me chastity, but not yet.” His mother Monica continued to pray for him until he converted to Christianity. Augustine described his conversion as being prompted by a childlike voice telling him to "take up and read.’ He took this as a divine command to open the Bible and read the first thing he saw which was Paul's Romans 12-15. Augustine was ordained a priest and later served as a bishop. He became a famous preacher and more 350 of his sermons are preserved. Augustine was one of the most prolific Latin authors in terms of surviving works, with more than one hundred separate titles. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and the alleviation of sore eyes. Bob Dylan even recorded a song entitled "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine."
**********
The Breastplate of Saint Patrick (c.390-460) attributed
I arise today through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
through belief in the Threeness,
through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,
through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial,
through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom…
I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,
God's host to secure me…
The Breastplate of Saint Patrick (c.390-460) attributed
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length,
Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
through belief in the Threeness,
through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of Christ.
May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
The Breastplate
of Saint Patrick
(c.390-460) This prayer is attributed to
St. Patrick. Patrick was a Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland who is known as the "Apostle of Ireland". No
one knows exactly where Patrick was born. England, Scotland, and wales have all
been posed. His family was devoutly Christian, but Patrick was not. As a
teenager Patrick was captured by a group of Irish pirates. The raiders brought
him to Ireland where he was made a slave.
Patrick worked as a shepherd and strengthened his relationship with God
through prayer eventually leading to his conversion. After six years of
captivity, he heard God tell him a ship was ready to take him home. He fled to the coast hundreds of miles away
and found a ship that took him home. After uniting with his family, he
continued to study the Christian faith. A few years later he had a vision
urging him to return to Ireland and he convert the people who formerly enslaved
him. Two famous legends associated with Patrick are that he used a shamrock to
teach the Irish about the Trinity and that he drove all the snakes out of
Ireland. Patrick died on March 17 and the day that he entered heaven is now
celebrated around the world as St. Patrick’s Day.
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