We had our annual "Lent Workshop" this past Sunday. I use this time as a chance to dive more deeply into one aspect of the season (we also have an Advent Workshop each year). Our focus for this year's Lent Workshop was on the Lord's Prayer.
We began by sharing memories and stories about our experience with the Lord's Prayer. One of my earliest memories is of singing the Lord's Prayer together at bedtime.
Another memory comes from my time as a chaplain at a nursing home during seminary. There was a weekly service on Wednesday mornings in the Personal Care area. The nurses wheeled in some of the residents for the service, and I preached and sang and prayed to a group that was mostly slumped over and asleep. During that first worship service I remember feeling more and more discouraged as things went on.
But then we got to the part of the liturgy where we prayed together the Lord's Prayer. And suddenly other voices joined with mine - some quiet, and unsteady, but present. Even when other memories and the ability to have a conversation escaped them, this prayer was written on their heart.
Following our opening discussion, we moved around to different tables. For each petition we read from the Small Catechism and had related discussion or an activity.
Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name.
Every name we use for God is a metaphor, because no one name can encompass all that God is. What are some names we use for God? What qualities or characteristics of God does each name emphasize?
I shared a list of names for God that I had compiled for a Confirmation lesson - no where near exhaustive, but long enough to make the point that we limit ourselves when we only refer to God as "Father". Some of the other names/metaphors included: creator, rock, potter, laboring woman, shepherd, fortress, mother hen, king, judge, love, helper, nursing mother, redeemer, healer.
What names for God are most meaningful for you?
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
What does God's kingdom look like? We looked at some of the parables and other descriptions from the Gospel of Matthew that begin to paint a picture of what the kingdom of God is like.
Give us this day our daily bread,
I brought some pumpkin cranberry pecan bread for us to share while we talked about how "daily bread" is much more than literal bread, but rather everything we need to live. Of course, literal bread is good, too!
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
We talked about how forgiving others is more about our own well-being than the well-being of the person who hurt us. Carrying around a grudge is a burden too great to bear. We also were sure to clarify that forgiveness does not mean that we condone the hurt that was done to us - just that we're not allowing that hurt to have power over us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
We shared our prayer requests and followed each petition with the words "O Lord, deliver us."
Lord's Prayer beaded keychain
The gold bead reminds us of the wonderful, everlasting promises of God, to whom belongs the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
The cross at the bottom reminds us of Jesus, who taught us to boldly pray this prayer.
Participants also took home a copy of the Lord's Prayer coloring sheet I made. You can download a copy of the Lord's Prayer Coloring sheet.
In Saturday and Sunday worship throughout the season of Lent we are using the sung version of the Lord's Prayer found in our green hymnal (Lutheran Book of Worship). We talked about how shaking things up a bit by singing instead of speaking gives us a nudge to pay closer attention to the words. It can be easy to skim over things mindlessly when we know them by heart, so it's nice to have an opportunity to do otherwise.
Overall, the participants appreciated the opportunity to take a closer look at the Lord's Prayer (some for the first time since Confirmation classes!), and I enjoyed sharing in conversation with everyone!
We began by sharing memories and stories about our experience with the Lord's Prayer. One of my earliest memories is of singing the Lord's Prayer together at bedtime.
Another memory comes from my time as a chaplain at a nursing home during seminary. There was a weekly service on Wednesday mornings in the Personal Care area. The nurses wheeled in some of the residents for the service, and I preached and sang and prayed to a group that was mostly slumped over and asleep. During that first worship service I remember feeling more and more discouraged as things went on.
But then we got to the part of the liturgy where we prayed together the Lord's Prayer. And suddenly other voices joined with mine - some quiet, and unsteady, but present. Even when other memories and the ability to have a conversation escaped them, this prayer was written on their heart.
Following our opening discussion, we moved around to different tables. For each petition we read from the Small Catechism and had related discussion or an activity.
Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name.
Every name we use for God is a metaphor, because no one name can encompass all that God is. What are some names we use for God? What qualities or characteristics of God does each name emphasize?
I shared a list of names for God that I had compiled for a Confirmation lesson - no where near exhaustive, but long enough to make the point that we limit ourselves when we only refer to God as "Father". Some of the other names/metaphors included: creator, rock, potter, laboring woman, shepherd, fortress, mother hen, king, judge, love, helper, nursing mother, redeemer, healer.
What names for God are most meaningful for you?
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
What does God's kingdom look like? We looked at some of the parables and other descriptions from the Gospel of Matthew that begin to paint a picture of what the kingdom of God is like.
Give us this day our daily bread,
I brought some pumpkin cranberry pecan bread for us to share while we talked about how "daily bread" is much more than literal bread, but rather everything we need to live. Of course, literal bread is good, too!
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
We talked about how forgiving others is more about our own well-being than the well-being of the person who hurt us. Carrying around a grudge is a burden too great to bear. We also were sure to clarify that forgiveness does not mean that we condone the hurt that was done to us - just that we're not allowing that hurt to have power over us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
We shared our prayer requests and followed each petition with the words "O Lord, deliver us."
Lord's Prayer beaded keychain
As we were wrapping up, everyone made a keychain to take home. I found the idea on Pinterest, and modified the bead colors a bit.
As a note, a few years after doing this project, I learned how problematic it is to always equate the color white with holiness and the color black with sin and evil. I have since changed some of the beads I use, but the picture doesn't reflect the changes.
The wooden bead calls to mind "Our Father" - the living God who created us.
The blue bead reminds us of heaven - "who art in heaven."
A letter bead for "hallowed be your name" - pick a letter for the name they most often call God.
The purple bead reminds us of royalty - "thy kingdom come, thy will be done"
The green bead reminds us of grass and trees and plants - "on earth as it is in heaven."
The brown bead reminds us of bread - "give us this day our daily bread."
The green bead reminds us of grass and trees and plants - "on earth as it is in heaven."
The brown bead reminds us of bread - "give us this day our daily bread."
A silver/mirror bead for "forgive us...as we forgive."
A red heart bead for "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" to symbolize that God loves us and is always with us in times of struggle or difficulty.
The gold bead reminds us of the wonderful, everlasting promises of God, to whom belongs the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
The cross at the bottom reminds us of Jesus, who taught us to boldly pray this prayer.
In Saturday and Sunday worship throughout the season of Lent we are using the sung version of the Lord's Prayer found in our green hymnal (Lutheran Book of Worship). We talked about how shaking things up a bit by singing instead of speaking gives us a nudge to pay closer attention to the words. It can be easy to skim over things mindlessly when we know them by heart, so it's nice to have an opportunity to do otherwise.
Overall, the participants appreciated the opportunity to take a closer look at the Lord's Prayer (some for the first time since Confirmation classes!), and I enjoyed sharing in conversation with everyone!
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