Our Father...
Praying - The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is part of the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5, 6 and 7), the longest continuous discourse of Jesus and includes some of his best know teachings. In Luke 11 Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them how to pray and this is the model he gave them:
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen
It’s a good model for us too, so here are some ideas to help you explore it with children and families:
1. Doodle – give everyone a piece of paper and some felt pens or crayons. Tell them that you’re going to read the Lord’s Prayer to them ten times, and while you’re reading it they can doodle whatever pictures come into their minds. Emphasise that they need to listen to the words and try to ‘see’ what pictures they suggest, not just scribble down what they feel like without listening. Give them time to finish and then listen to what they have to tell you about what they’ve drawn.
2. Beads – you’ll need different sizes and shapes of beads, fastenings from a craft or sewing shop, key rings if using, strong thread or hat elastic (depending on the size of the hole in the beads). In some Christian traditions people use beads or rosaries to help them remember their prayers. Ask the children to choose a bead to represent each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer and to thread them together to make a necklace, bracelet or key ring. Now you can all say the prayer together, counting the beads as you go along.
3. Rap – ask the group if they can devise a catchy rap beat for saying the Lord’s Prayer. Make your own drums, or use turned up buckets, or finger clicking and stamping are good.
Here’s a simplified version from Bubbles, the Lightlive resources for pre-schoolers
When I touch my head, I think of you, Father God.
When I put my hand over my heart, I say that I love you.
When I put my hands together, I ask you to come and help me.
When I touch my mouth, I ask you to give us the food we need.
When I bow my head, I say sorry for the wrong things I’ve done.
When I lift my head, I know you forgive me.
When I open my arms, I ask you to help me be friends with everyone.
Amen.
You can also listen to the Lord’s Prayer either in English (see below) or click this link to listen to it in Te Reo Māori.
These and more ideas for exploring The Lord’s Prayer with children and families can be found in the book ‘The Lord’s Prayer unplugged’ written by Lucy Moore, published by the Bible Reading Fellowship, 2004