“Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’” (Luke 11:1) Jesus taught his followers what we now know as the Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus taught the disciples a Model Prayer that informs all prayer. It’s so simple that young children recite it. It’s so rich that sanctified saints adore it. The Lord shows us how to pray at specific times and places along with all times and places.

Christ’s example provides a template for individual and corporate prayer. Disciples repeat the words in personal devotions, reflecting upon their meaning. Christians recite the prayer in communal worship, using the plurals of “our,” “us,” and “we.”

I learned the words by osmosis as a child in worship, and they still inspire and instruct. During a recent weekend, I recited the Lord’s Prayer multiple times in a 24-hour period at a funeral, wedding, Sunday morning worship services, a confirmation service, and personal prayer.

The New Testament provides two versions of the prayer:

• Matthew 6:9-15:         Contains the more familiar words that we use in worship
• Luke 11:2-4:               Recounts a shorter form of the prayer

The first-century church used a third version of the Lord’s Prayer. The Didache, which is a Greek word for Teaching, was written by second-generation church leaders. It described worship in Christian communities, including the Lord’s Prayer. This version adds the closing doxology “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”

Northside Church’s summer worship series is exploring the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. Disciples continue to ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.”