Praying Forward: Our Take in the Lord’s Prayer

In this unique and interactive message, Pastor Dan pushes aside the political unrest of the world to lead a line-by-line breakdown of one of the most recited scriptures: The Lord’s Prayer. This “audience participation message” is designed to explore the prayer from many different angles, looking at the familiar words through a more “progressive lens”. Pastor Dan’s goal is to demonstrate how to stop and think about scripture from different perspectives, encouraging the congregation to see what they are truly declaring when they pray. The sermon emphasizes that we don’t pray as beggars, but as children who are not shy to ask our father for anything.

Together, Pastor Dan and the congregation explore deeper meanings within the prayer. They discuss how saying “Our Father” rejects hyper-individualism and embraces a community that includes everyone, even the refugee, the addict, and the enemy. To “Hallow” God’s name is interpreted as a call to live with empathy, even for those we dislike, and to refuse to let God’s name be hijacked to justify oppression, war, or political greed. The phrase “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is presented as a dangerous prayer that asks for God’s justice to upend unjust systems and for heaven to be brought to earth now, so the hungry are fed, the oppressed are freed, and all forms of discrimination are opposed.