Let Us Pray As Jesus Taught Us.

The following contemporary translation of the Lord’s prayer is adapted from one that was sent to me a couple of years ago. I am sorry that I do not know where the original comes from. Its words really spoke to me as I considered my journey into Lent this year.

Our God who is in heaven,
And all of us here on earth;
The hungry, the oppressed, the excluded.
The rich, the poor, the young and old.
Holy is your name.

May your reign come.

May your reign come and your will be done:

In our choice to struggle with the inequalities of this world,
And to confront greed and the desire for power in our selves,
In our nation and in the global community.

May your reign come.

Give us this day our daily bread;
Bread that you have given us abundantly
Bread that we are called to share,
And that we must distribute fairly, ensuring security for all.

May your reign come.

Forgive us our trespasses;

Times we have turned away from the struggles
Of other people and countries,
Times we have disregarded the pollution and destruction of your creation,
Times when we have thought only of our own security.

May your reign come.

Lead us not into temptation;

The temptation to close our minds, ears, and eyes
To the unfair global systems that create
Larger and larger gaps between the rich and the poor;
The temptation to think it is too difficult
To bring about more just alternatives.

May your reign come.

Deliver us from evil;

The evil of a world where violence happens in your name,
Where wealth for a few of us is more important
Than economic rights for all,
Where gates and barriers between people
Are so hard to bring down

May your reign come.

May your reign come, for yours is the kingdom,
the power and the glory forever and ever. AMEN!