View today's sermon on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM7HDdo9Tts.

Luke 11:1-13 – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

11 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ² So he said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, may your name be revered as holy.    May your kingdom come.

³     Give us each day our daily bread.

⁴     And forgive us our sins,        for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.    And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

⁵ And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

⁹ “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹ Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for^[e] a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? ¹³ If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit^[f] to those who ask him!”

—

July 27^th, 2025 –Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Luke 11:1-13 – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Rev. TJ Mack – Union Congregational Church of Hancock

Reading my most recent copy of  The Christian Century magazine, I learned of this survey from the Episcopal News Service. “New research suggests that the Lord’s Prayer remains more easily recognized by the British public than some of the most famous lines written from Shakespeare, the British national anthem, and other familiar sources. The Church of England surveyed 2,000 people across the UK and asked them to match seven famous lines from literature, history, and popular culture with their sources. The lines included, ‘To be or not to be’ from Hamlet, a quote from Winston Churchill’s 1940 speech in the House of Commons, and ‘May the force be with you’ from Star Wars. Overall, the phrase ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ was recognized correctly by the largest number of people (80.3%), just ahead of the Star Wars line (79.9%).”

Known  to Protestants as the Lord’s Prayer and to Catholics as the Our Father, this simple prayer includes a single word that proclaims a radically new relationship between humankind and God. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the names for God imply power and remoteness (Lord God Almighty, Most High God). Jesus teaches us to address God as “Abba,” a warm and informal term for Father that is akin to our word Papa. Of course, it is also acceptable to use other terms of endearment for our Creator, when reciting this prayer or any other prayers, whether in a congregational or private setting. 

This week, when reading the portion of our scripture that instructs us that when we ask we shall receive, when we knock, the door will be opened, an old familiar song came to mind as counterpoint. The Rolling Stones’, “You can't always get what you want.” Isn’t that your experience also? We can’t always get what we want. 

But surprisingly, Mick and his bandmates, The Rolling Stones, don’t stop there. As the lyrics continue the rest of the chorus goes on to basically agree with our scripture. 

They sing, You can't always get what you want / You can't always get what you want/ You can't always get what you want / But if you try sometimes / Well, you just might find / You get what you need.

They are closer to the truth than one might think. Often our prayers are answered in unexpected, even unwanted ways. Yes, this scripture assures us that we will get what we need. But what is it that we need? 

Most of us learn, at a painfully young age, to differentiate between wants and needs. We do not always get what we want. But what about when we or others don’t get what they need? Food, shelter, clothing, safety, security.

It is not up to God to give us those things. We are to provide those things for one another. God is giving us something much greater. God is giving us the one tool needed to provide for one another. 

Luke 11:¹¹ Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? ¹³ If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

When we knock, the Holy Spirit opens the door. When we ask, the Holy Spirit answers. 

According to this Luke scripture, Jesus taught his disciples this simple prayer containing five brief petitions. 

• Praying for an intimate relationship with God

• Praying for the coming of God’s just and righteous reign

• Praying for daily bread

• Praying for reconciled relationships

• Praying for divine protection from evil

  
  

Each week in this church, and in churches around the world, people pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father. What is the desired outcome of praying these words? It is knowing this  same intimacy with God that Jesus experienced. It is opening the doors of our hearts to the movement of the Holy Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us in our every day lives. It is learning to trust that God has provided abundantly for all of our needs. It is learning to live in right relationships with God and with our human and animal kin-dom. It is bringing our prayers to life, today and every day, to protect the most vulnerable among us. 

It does not need to be these words. It can be your own words. It can be the meditations of your heart. It can be words or practices from other faith traditions. Sometimes opening ourselves to something new can give us renewed clarity. Hearing prayers in a different translation refreshes and often strengthens the understanding of our faith.

Let us pause to hear two different translations of our very familiar Lord’s Prayer… 

Try to listen with the same openness and curiosity that you had when you were a child.

First, The Lord's Prayer translated from Aramaic directly into English, rather than as we usually learn it, from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English:

O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration,

soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us 

where your Presence can abide.

Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission.

Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.

Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.

Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, 

as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose,

but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.

For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, 

the birth, power, and fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.

And So It Is!

And also, this interpretation from the First Nations Version of the New Testament: 

“O Great Spirit, our Father from above, your name is sacred and holy.

“Bring your good road to us, where the beauty of your ways in the spirit-world above is reflected 

in the earth below.

“Provide for us day by day—the elk, the buffalo, and the salmon. The corn, the squash, and the wild rice. 

All the good things we need for each day.

“Release us from the things we have done wrong in the same way we release others for the things done wrong to us. And guide us away from the things that tempt us to stray from your good road.”

Quick Q&A

What did we hear differently? How might it inform our thinking? Our praying? Our living? (Responses?)

Curiosity… 

Untie the tangled threads of destiny … as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

… soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your Presence can abide. 

Bring your good road to us… guide us from straying from your good road. (This resonates with other language about the Way of Jesus – being on the right road, path, way)

Challenge yourself to learn some new prayers, to learn to pray as others pray. Let us learn to expand our knowledge and experiences to incorporate a wider world view. 

I ask you, if we can learn to pray as Jesus prayed, can we learn to live as Jesus lived? It is our best and perhaps our only hope. 

Ask and you shall receive. Search and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened.

Amen Rev. TJ Mack – July 27, 2025