New 6-part sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer begins Sunday

Happy New Year! As I type this, we are experiencing a very underwhelming amount of snowfall after the local news media hype. How disappointing! After a hectic week, I was ready to enjoy a snow day—even if it meant working on a sermon from home. I like having an excuse to stay in, you know?

In Vinebranch this Sunday, we’re beginning a six-part sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer. The first sermon is on Matthew 6:9: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Here are some things to think about: The word “Father” is more formal than Jesus’ word in Aramaic, Abba, which might be better translated “Papa,” or even Daddy. The beginning of the prayer challenges me: Do I think of God in such intimate and personal terms?

Then it gets trickier: “in heaven, hallowed be your name.” How can a God who is intimate as Father or Papa at the same time be in a place (heaven) that we can’t be or visit—a place that seems very far from us?

We’ll explore these ideas this Sunday in Vinebranch. See you there!