Papa

Thursday July 29th, Luke 11: 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' “All in all, it is a very simple prayer. Father, means God is Close, the word used is Abba or Papa. This is a God where you just want to sit in his lap and fall asleep. And yet we also consider God and God’s name to be holy, and for which we show loving respect. God’s kingdom is among us, sometimes we forget that and we ask in the prayer that when we do forget, that God will remind us so we can have the joy of living in the Kingdom here and now. Let us not live in want but have all we need and be content with all we have. May we also have the ability to experience the joy of sharing from what we have been given with others who make up the body of Christ, the world. Give us the strength and wisdom to forgive others and learn to live in harmony because we all know all the garbage for which God has forgiven us. Some would say we are asking God to cut us as much slack as we are willing to cut others. And when we start going down the wrong path, do whatever it takes to get us turned around, whether it be others intervening, a gentle tug or a whop up side the head with a 2x4. Amen.