Today is the Sixth Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel reading takes us back to our journey through Luke’s Gospel, with the disciples request to Jesus to teach them to pray. In response Jesus teaches them what we have come to know as the Lord’s Prayer. Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is somewhat shorter than Matthew’s version. Matthew adds the clauses ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, and ‘but rescue us from the evil one’. Other ancient manuscripts of Matthew also add the doxology ‘For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours for ever.’ In its developed form the Lord’s Prayer has become the family prayer of the Christian community, uniting Christians across many languages, across the world, and across the generations.

For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of prayer. In today’s picture from his visit to Bangor Cathedral Teddy Horsley is adding his prayer to the prayer board in the Lady Chapel.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you taught your disciples to pray.

Teach us to build our lives

on your way of praying,

that you may reign in us,

to the glory of God, our Father.

Amen.

Next week, the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, the Gospel reading in Luke’s parable of the rich fool who creates a bigger store for his possessions. The image to help us prepare for next week’s theme is money. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.

Preparation Resources

Family Resources