Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Conclusion Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Amen, Amen means, "yes, yes it shall be so." (Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, Conclusion) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Christians are taught from a young age to conclude prayers with this word. That isn’t required, you know. Sometimes, when the person leading the prayer has rambled on in different directions and you aren’t even sure what was prayed for, you might not want to say, "Amen!" When you say, "Amen," to a person’s prayer, it means you signify your agreement. It’s as if you are saying, "That’s right! God, please let it be so!" When we pray on our own, we can also say Amen. But how can we be sure about our prayers? Sometimes, when we are desperate, hurting, or unsure, we sense the need for prayers, but the words escape us. Paul says that at such times, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with "inexpressible groanings" (Romans 8:26). To be honest, I’m not sure what that is. I don’t literally groan when I pray. (And I wouldn’t admit it if I did!) We don’t have to guess, though, because our Lord has given us a prayer that gives comfort and solace. It is the prayer our Lord Himself taught His disciples to pray. Many of you could say these words before you even knew what they meant. Hopefully, you now say this prayer regularly. You can say it with confidence. As Luther explains, "I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us." Not every prayer deserves an "Amen" at the end, but the Lord’s Prayer always does. It covers all the bases. We begin by calling on the Name Jesus gives us the right to call God: our Father. We pray for the things that tend to His glory: for His Name to be holy, His kingdom to come, His will to be done. Then we acknowledge that all we have is just a gift from Him. We express our need for forgiveness. We pray for help and protection to stand firm in the face of trials and to be delivered from evil. Because of who taught it and what it says, this prayer is always the right prayer to pray, and in response to it we say with all confidence, "Amen! Amen! It shall be so!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Amen, that is, so shall it be. Make strong our faith in You, that we May doubt not but with trust believe that what we ask we shall receive. Thus in Your name and at Your Word we say, "Amen, O hear us, Lord!" ("Our Father, Who from Heaven Above" LSB 766, st.9) Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch