Learning Jesus' Way

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of this disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."  Jesus said to them, :When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.  (Luke 11:1-4) There is another version of the Prayer of Our Savior in Matthew's gospel, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:9-13.  How are they similar?  How are they different than what you have learned? What are the priorities of Jesus in the way he teaches us to pray?  Does any of it surprise you?

"Prayer is acknowledging that we are always in the presence of God." --Desmond Tutu "I pray because I can't help myself.  I pray because I'm helpless.  I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping.  It doesn't change God; it changes me."                                                                                                                           --C.S. Lewis We started out sharing some of our own understandings of prayer.  These included: --Talking to God --Talking to Jesus --Asking for health --Asking for forgiveness (prayers of asking are petitions) --Asking God to help others (intercession on someone else's behalf) --Prayer is "a private time to reflect, connect with my faith, experience intimacy with God" (see Matthew 6) --Prayer is a conversation (a dialogue?) --Prayer is honest speech to God The Psalms were identified as a remarkable source of prayerful speech; they can help

A disciple is a "learner," a student.  We also identified them as "followers of Jesus: and "choice-makers" (that's a good one!). Who are Jesus' disciples in the gospel stories?  We began to make a list. Simon Peter (the fisherman in Luke 5:1-11 and later a visible leader among the disciples) Andrew (Simon's brother; in John's gospel the first disciple) John  (he and brother James are the sons of Zebedee and fishing partners with Simon and Andrew) James Mary Magdalene  (one of our early names, and a key follower of Jesus!) Judas Iscariot (known as the one who betrays Jesus) Matthew  ( a Roman tax collector called to follow Jesus) Philip Bartholomew Thomas The Other Simon: the "Zealot" or Canaanean  ( the Zealots were revolutionaries who fought the Roman occupation) James son of Alphaeus Thaddeus Nathaniel Levi (also identified as a tax collector) Judas son of James We always hear about "The Twelve."  Bu

Jacopo Bassano's The Miraculous Draught of Fishes , completed in 1545, is a favorite.  It vividly recalls the scene in Luke's gospel (Luke 5:1-11) where Jesus calls his first disciples.  Very early in Jesus' ministry he is beginning to draw large crowds of people eager hear the fresh, living Word of God.  Many of them have previously been on the "outside" of religious life.  Jesus is bringing a message that goes deep in their very own life experience.  People are hungry and thirsty for God's nourishment. On this day Jesus is teaching on the lakeshore.  The crowd is pressing in on him as they seek to hear every word carefully.  Sitting nearby are two fishing boats.  They are empty; the fishermen are washing their nets after a fruitless overnight shift where they have caught nothing.  Jesus climbs into the boat belonging to Simon, and asks him to put out a little way from the shore, so that Jesus can teach from the boat.  When Jesus is finished teaching, h