Hempfield UMC

Matthew 6:5-8 The Reading “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles,…

The Reading “Therefore, you should pray like this…And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13) Reflection Many ideas in the Bible are expressed as couplets: two concepts that mean the same thing but are stated in different ways. Such is the case with this statement in the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus is instructing us to ask for deliverance from Satan; otherwise, we will undoubtedly fall into temptation. We should note that Jesus assumes…

The Reading “Therefore, you should pray like this…And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. (Matthew 6:12)  “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Reflection In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word used here for sin also means debts or offenses. Whatever English word we choose to use,…

The Reading “Therefore, you should pray like this…Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11) Reflection The phrase, “our daily bread,” had historical meaning to the Jewish disciples of Jesus. When the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, God fed them day-by-day with manna that fell from heaven. The people were to take only what they needed for the day. If the people attempted to gather more than they needed, they quickly learned that the…