Category Archives: Prayer

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Spontaneous Prayer

You may or may not have heard of the Voice. I don’t mean the show, i mean the Bible “translation.” Their headline on their website reads, “A new Bible translation that reads like a story with all of the truth and wisdom of God’s Word.”

In the latest blog post from the Voice, David Capes writes about spontaneous prayer verses scripted prayer. In it, he writes the following:

I come from a tradition that privileges “spontaneous prayer” and looks suspiciously on scripted prayers or prayers written beforehand.  According to this perspective, spontaneous prayer means prayer from the heart while prescribed prayers or prayers written down beforehand are not from the heart.  I accepted this myself for many years until I met some remarkable Christians and began to read and reflect on Scripture.

He later goes on to say, “As I have listened to others pray publically, I realize that in many ways spontaneous prayers are not that different than prayers scripted beforehand.”

He then includes the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 from the Voice.

Our Father in heaven,

let Your name remain holy.

Bring about Your Kingdom,

Manifest Your will here on earth,

as it is manifest in heaven.

Give us each day that day’s bread—

no more, no less—

And forgive us our debts

as we forgive those who owe us something.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13; The Voice)

 

As he concludes the post, he writes the following:

Any good commentary on Matthew 6 and Luke 11 will advocate that Jesus wanted his disciples to pray this prayer and he also wanted his followers to pray prayers like this.  One is scripted.  The other is more spontaneous.  Peter Davids, one of the scholars who worked on The Voice, has written a wonderful piece recently on the Lord’s prayer.  You can read it here.

 

I have to ask the question if this is how Jesus would really want us to pray the Lord’s Prayer. If He wanted us to pray it like this, then wouldn’t He have spoken it as such? Yes, I know that all of our English translations are not the words that our Lord spoke. Our New Testament was written in Koine Greek. Scholars throughout the centuries have produced translations based off of the original, but this one is not a translation as much as it an interpretation of Jesus’ prayer.

What are your thoughts?

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Ash Wednesday

Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

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Changes

imageChanges are happening at Trinity Lutheran Church. Earlier this month on March 6, our senior pastor, Rev. Scott Firminhac, received a call to be the pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Torrington, Wyoming. After prayerful consideration, he announced today that he has accepted that call. His last Sunday here at Trinity will be on Palm Sunday, April 17.

I would ask for your prayers for Trinity and for me as we transition from a two-pastor ministry to a single-pastor ministry and for Our Savior and Pastor Firminhac as he begins his ministry there. This will be a difficult transition and time for both congregations. Pastor Firminhac has served at Trinity for 13 years. Our Savior’s previous pastor has served there for 30 years. Having a new pastor for them will be a very big transition.

As Pastor Firminhac said in his letter to the congregations, this is not his Church and it is not the congregation’s Church – it is God’s Church. God’s Church will continue, both in Gillette and in Torrington, regardless of who is behind the pulpit. God’s Word will be preached and His Sacraments will be administered. We pray that God’s Church will grow and many will hear the saving message of Christ crucified for us sinners.

Heavenly Father, You give to Your Church faithful men to be ministers of the Gospel. We thank You for the ministry that You have given to Pastor Firminhac at Trinity over his tenure here. As he has accepted the call to be the pastor of Our Savior, give to him that wisdom that comes through Your Word as he ministers to the saints of Our Savior. Bless his ministry as continues to be a faithful servant of the Word as a servant of Your Church. Continue to be with me and my ministry at Trinity, that these saints may continue to be fed by Your blessed Word and Sacraments. Continue to remind the members and pastors of these congregations that this is Your Church and You will give to her servants those tools that are necessary for the furthering of Your kingdom here on earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.