October 8, 2025, Luke 11:1-4

In this passage, Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them to pray. In response, he teaches them the most basic words of the Lord’s prayer. This prayer reflects both the power, glory and sacredness of God and at the same time our very human needs for physical, emotional, social, and spiritual nourishment. From this we learn that it is fine to pray for our daily needs; prayer does not need to be lofty or theologically advanced. It is fine to be ordinary. In some ways, the more we simply are, just being in God’s presence, the closer we are to Christ.

From this Gospel passage we can also deduce that the disciples, having just seen Jesus in prayer, felt a need to be taught how to pray. The prevailing religious culture was consumed with rules, regulations, and the letter of the law, rather than with inner spiritual development. Does this preoccupation with the letter of religious law remind us of our current time? Jesus often reminded those he encountered that God prefers our offerings of kindness and mercy over all the burnt offerings in the Temple. Let us take mercy and kindness as our guideposts.

Fall is coming. It will be rainy. It is a good time for quiet and retreat.  The next steps will become clear as the dust settles. But regarding society at large and the conflicts it now faces, this big topic will have to wait for another time. Amen.