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Christ Community Chapel is a church in Hudson, OH, that invites people to reimagine life because of Jesus. Learn more about us at ccchapel.com.
Matthew 6:9-13
Pray then, like this.
Our father in heaven, hallowed
be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will
be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us
from evil.
Well, good morning, and welcome
to the weekly gathering of Christ Community
Chapel, and welcome to the New Year.
Happy 2026.
Ugh, good,
good grief.
Okay,
we'll keep moving.
My name is Ken.
I'm one of the pastors here,
and it's my privilege
to spend some time with you this morning.
If you're here and you're visiting,
I just want you to know
we're really glad that you're here.
Thanks for taking the time with us
this morning.
Today we're going to talk about prayer,
and we're going to use the passage
that you just heard read commonly referred
to as the Lord's Prayer, to do it.
And we'll get there in a moment.
But first, I just feel
I need to be honest with you.
This was not an easy
message for me to prepare,
because prayer is not always easy for me.
I can get stuck when it comes to prayer,
and there are all sorts of reasons
for that.
Some of them might resonate with you.
I can struggle to even define prayer
sometimes.
What is it?
What is prayer?
We're told to do it time and time again.
Pray without ceasing.
Be steadfast and constant in prayer.
Well, what is prayer?
How do we approach God in prayer?
What?
What should it look like and sound like?
How do we stay disciplined?
How do we keep praying?
There are other reasons
this was hard for me
that are a little bit more personal.
Any prayer like this one that begins with
our father is hard for me
because I didn't have a good dad.
So I got to work through that.
I also struggle with self-sufficiency.
I like doing things myself.
I don't love asking for help.
Do you know what I didn't do enough of?
When preparing to preach on prayer.
Pray. Yeah.
Come on. It can.
It can be hard. Maybe.
Maybe it can be hard for you.
It can be hard. For me.
I just want you to know
that if you're here this morning
and any of these reasons resonate
with you, this message is for you.
And if you're here
and you don't know
what you think about prayer,
you don't know what you think about God.
This message is for you too.
So with that, let's get started.
I'm going to use three points
to guide our time this morning.
And here they are.
The conversation,
the connection and the approach.
The conversation,
the connection and the approach.
So let's start with the conversation.
What is prayer.
Let's just start there.
Let's get a working definition.
Well, if we look at how Jesus prayed here.
And by the way, if you're using a pew Bible, you can find this passage on page 761.
All right.
If we look at how Jesus prayed,
we can see what prayer isn't.
Jesus didn't
pray this prayer as a last ditch effort.
I've tried everything else.
I guess now I'll come to you.
God, he didn't do that.
He didn't approach prayer as a wish
list of things that he would like to have.
Reminds me of when I was in second grade
and I wanted a new pair of shoes.
We couldn't really afford
a new pair of shoes, so
my mom told me to go talk to Jesus
about it,
hoping that it would have me come back
more grateful for the things we did have
that didn't happen.
I came back telling your I received a
vision of black Nike's with blue accents.
But Jesus doesn't approach prayer
as a wish list.
He doesn't approach it as a mindfulness
exercise or as meditation,
and he certainly doesn't approach it
as a religious performance.
In fact, he has something to say
about that. In particular.
If you look with me,
verse seven, just a few verses up,
he says this when you pray,
don't heap up empty phrases
as the Gentiles do, for
they think that they will be heard
for their many words.
So don't don't pray like that.
So if prayer isn't any of those things,
then what is it?
Well, I think the easiest,
the simplest definition for us to work
with is this prayer is a conversation.
It's a conversation.
And we're going to unpack that
more in a minute.
But let's just consider the
implications if that is true,
if that's the
dynamic between us and God in prayer,
then that means that we don't engage
God like an emergency button
that we just slap when we need something.
We don't approach him as a cosmic
Santa Claus
to give us the things we want.
Means that we don't approach prayer
as a graded performance,
hoping if we get it just right,
maybe then he'll
hear us.
No prayer is a conversation,
and if it is a conversation,
then it makes sense
then how we're commanded to pray.
At least to me.
Pray without ceasing.
Be in conversation with God constantly,
without ceasing.
That that makes more sense to me.
I know some of you are probably thinking
right now, can prayer as a conversation?
Come on
more like a monologue?
Isn't it?
Let me push back on that a little bit.
You know, God has spoken
right here in his Word, the Bible.
God speaks in,
in, through the person of the Holy Spirit
to comfort, to convict,
among other things.
And he often
does it in and through prayer.
And then, of course, God answers prayers.
And what is an answered prayer,
if not the other side
of a conversation?
All right.
So if prayer is a conversation,
what kind of a conversation is it?
Well, that's my next point.
The connection.
See, conversation can come
in all shapes and sizes, right?
If you're gifted with the ability
to small talk with total strangers,
you can have conversations with people
you've never met before.
Like for instance, at the grocery store.
And then you might,
hypothetically speaking, congratulate them
on being pregnant,
only to find out they're not pregnant.
And that's why I don't small
talk at the grocery store anymore.
All sorts of conversations we can have.
But when you have a conversation driven
by connection,
meaning there's relationship
that's different, isn't it?
It's a different kind of conversation.
It runs deeper, it's fuller, it's richer.
There's there's vulnerability.
You can be raw.
You don't have to be buttoned up
or dressed up
to different kind of conversation.
A few years ago, I lost my oldest sister.
Suddenly and violently.
She was shot to death.
And in the weeks following her death,
I was a zombie
just trying to make it through the day
and every night for those first few weeks,
once the kids were in bed,
Jamie,
my wife and I would just sit on the couch.
I'd collapse on the couch
and I would cry and I would question,
and I would remember her
and I would repeat myself.
And there were times
when I didn't even make sense.
And I don't actually remember
what Jamie said in response.
I know she said things in response,
but you know what?
I do remember?
I remember that I've never felt
as loved by her than I did then.
Just being in her presence.
Because when you're in the presence
of someone
who you know loves you.
You don't worry about how you say things.
You don't worry about getting it right.
You just bring it all.
And that's the kind of conversation
God invites us to have to be connected
with.
God means that the conversation
that we have can be raw.
We don't be buttoned up or dressed up.
We don't have to say it just so God
invites us to just bring all of it.
And if you don't believe me,
look at the Psalms 150 songs
that run the spectrum of human emotion.
I mean, you could look at Jesus himself
as connected to God as anybody,
always in conversation with God.
And some of those conversations
got pretty raw.
Father, if possible,
take this cup from me.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
If you struggle with prayer,
might it be.
That you struggle with the idea
that you can bring it all to God
and He can take it?
You don't have to say it just so you don't
have to be buttoned up or dressed up.
You can be raw.
You can be real.
You can be vulnerable. He can handle it
because
prayer is a conversation with God
that is driven
by it is arising from connection with God.
And if you're here
and you're saying to yourself,
I don't have that kind of connection
with God, I don't know how to have
that kind of connection with God.
First of all,
I'm really glad that you're here,
and I want to talk to you
in just a minute.
So hang in, please.
But just to hammer this home prayer,
it is a conversation,
but it is driven by connection.
And if that's true, then.
Then how should we approach prayer?
Practically speaking, what does it look
like to approach God in prayer?
That's my third point.
And again, just to emphasize this,
there is no special source.
There's no equation.
But it is true that if
we understand who God is
and we understand who we are,
then it should absolutely shape
and form our approach to God in prayer,
just as it did
for Jesus in his prayer here.
So here's my spoiler
alert for this for this point.
One sentence
that we'll unpack when we approach God.
We approach God in prayer
as sinners saved by grace
turned sons and daughters
seeking God's
kingdom, sinners saved by grace
turned sons and daughters seeking
God's kingdom.
Let's start with that
first piece, Sinners Saved by Grace.
Look with me at verse nine.
I think it'll be on the screen behind me.
This is how Jesus opens the prayer.
Our father in heaven, hallowed
be your name.
That word hallowed,
it means holy, consecrated, set apart,
other, distinct, unique.
Because that is who God is.
Simply put, there is no one like him.
And to say hallowed
be your name carries
more significance than it does today.
When we use names as labels for people,
when this was written,
somebody's name was indistinguishable
from the very nature from their character.
So to pray, Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name.
Say God, you are holy, you are set apart.
You are Almighty, supreme, sovereign.
You are all of those things.
You are what my kids sometimes refer to
because of a song that they like to sing.
You are the God of wow,
the God of wow.
The truth is, we have no business
approaching
the God of war on our own terms.
Can't do it,
but we don't have to.
Because
Jesus in his life
and his death and his resurrection,
he made it possible
for us to be in relationship with God,
to enter into a conversation driven
by connection with this God of wow,
Jesus did that for us so that when God
looks at us, he doesn't see our sin.
He sees his sinless son, Jesus.
We are sinners.
Yes, we are sinners saved by grace.
And if you're stuck
when it comes to prayer,
might it be that you've forgotten
that God is the God of wow?
And to remember
that means that our prayers
will be shaped
by awe and wonder at who this God is.
Hallowed be your name. God.
Maybe you're stuck
because you've forgotten
what it took for you to approach
that God of wow,
nothing less
than the life of His Son Jesus?
And if that's true, then
then our prayer should be shaped
and formed by gratitude, by humility,
knowing we could never have done this
in our own strength, by confession,
knowing that the blood of Jesus
is sufficient to cover our sins.
Maybe you're stuck
because you think your sin is too big.
It's not.
There is no sin
that the blood of Jesus cannot cover.
Full stop.
Or maybe you're here.
And this idea of being a sinner
saved by grace, trusting in Jesus.
This is new to you,
or you've considered it 100 times,
but you can't quite let it go.
Can I talk to you for a moment?
We're talking about prayer this morning.
There's a prayer that you're invited
to pray.
Very simple, very straightforward.
It goes something like this.
And you can use your own words.
But this is what God invites you to pray.
Jesus, I know I am a sinner.
I know I deserve judgment, and I can never
be in relationship with God on my own.
But Jesus, you lived in my place.
You died in my place,
and you rose from the dead to show me
that the price has been paid for my sin.
Jesus, I trust you.
You're the King and Lord of my life,
and your way is best.
I want to follow you, Jesus.
You're invited to pray that prayer.
I hope you pray that.
I hope you pray right now.
You can tune me out for the rest of this
message to pray that prayer.
I hope you do.
Because we are sinners.
Yes, we are sinners saved by grace,
but because of Jesus,
our status before God,
it changes to sons and daughters.
So we approach God as sons and daughters
just like
Jesus did.
Verse nine again,
our Father in heaven, verses 11 through 13
give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
You know, in healthy
families, kids run to their fathers.
No fear, no hesitation.
I didn't have that growing up.
When my dad was around,
I was absolutely terrified of him.
So if I wanted something,
go outside, play with the toy.
I waited till he was out of the room.
I'd go to my mom
and I'd whisper in her ear,
can I play outside now?
Can I go play with that toy?
And I know that's messed up.
But that's not who God is.
He is a good father.
And he welcomes us as sons and daughters.
You know, we just had Christmas.
And so I have three little girls.
We got them gifts, of course,
which they played with
for about seven minutes,
then thought over what someone else had
and then discarded everything.
But it was fun.
It's a good time. Merry Christmas.
But I love giving gifts to my kids, right?
I love giving gifts to my kids.
You know, Jesus says something about who
God is and how he loves giving good gifts.
Look with me at chapter seven.
This is verses nine through 11.
He says this
which one of you, if his son asks him for
bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a serpent?
If you then, who are evil,
know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will
your father who is in heaven,
give good things to those who ask him?
I actually got my middle daughter a fish
and then when it died overnight,
I got her another one.
I hope this one takes. We'll see.
But like, imagine
if she asks for a fish and I said, or
how about a cobra like that, right?
That's weird.
That doesn't even make sense.
And we're not God
if we love giving good gifts,
if we love giving good gifts to our kids,
how much more so does God, our Heavenly
Father, love
when we come running to him and asking,
so ask, ask in prayer as a son or daughter
running into the arms of your dad.
Ask for provision. Ask for forgiveness.
Ask for strength. Ask for endurance.
Ask because you are welcomed
in the presence of God the Father.
Because of Jesus,
we are sons and daughters and we can
and should approach God that way.
And if you're stuck in prayer,
maybe that's why.
Maybe you've forgotten
that he's a good father.
He's inviting you to run right into that
throne room, jump right into his lap,
and ask.
So we pray as sinners saved by grace.
Yes, turn to sons and daughters.
But this is this last piece and this.
Honestly, for me,
this was what resonated the most
where God is doing the most work.
As I was preparing this,
we pray seeking God's kingdom.
Look with me at verse ten.
Jesus prays this your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
You know, the Kingdom of God was
absolutely central to Jesus's ministry.
The Kingdom of God is is really central
in the narrative of the Bible.
Because when God created this, this world,
he created everything.
It was good.
His kingdom was firmly established here.
And that lasted
for all of a couple of chapters of Genesis
until Adam and Eve screwed it up.
Broke relationship
with God, broke the world.
But Jesus,
Jesus, who was God's promised
deliverer and rescuer, he came to restore.
He came to reconcile us to God.
He came to reestablish God's
kingdom here on earth.
And at the end of this story,
in the book of Revelation, we are given
a sneak peek of what that looks like
when the kingdom is reestablished,
a new heaven and a new earth.
Which means then
that God's kingdom is advancing.
His will is being done right here
and right now.
Means that God's kingdom is advancing
in your heart and in my heart,
in here and out there.
And it means then, that when we pray,
we ought to pray.
Seeking God's kingdom,
knowing how the story ends.
And it might mean
we pray for some of the same things,
but how we pray might change
so we can and should go to God
asking for him to meet basic needs.
God, would you provide for me?
I need you, God.
God, would you repair this relationship?
God, would you change this diagnosis?
Because I know who you are.
I know what you've done.
I know what you're capable of.
You are sovereign.
You are almighty.
There's nothing you can't do. God.
But if you choose not to.
You've already met
my biggest need in Jesus Christ.
You have already repaired
my relationship with you.
And I know because you've promised it
that there is a kingdom
being reestablished right here.
I know the end of the story,
and I know that I can look forward
to a time where there is no sickness,
there is no death, there is no brokenness.
Every tear will be wiped away.
I believe that God,
your kingdom come, your will be done.
We pray seeking God's kingdom,
knowing it's advancing.
This notice also means in this.
I'd never considered this before.
Every single answered prayer,
every time God says yes,
his kingdom moves forward.
This is when it really started
to resonate for me.
I thought about in my own life
when God has answered prayers.
When we didn't have food on the table
after my dad left,
when we prayed that God
would put food on the table and he did
the Kingdom of God move forward.
Means that when my wife and I
didn't get the answer we were hoping for
in terms of getting pregnant, and prayed
that God would open our hearts
and open her home to adoption, and he did.
The Kingdom of God moved forward.
That means that when I asked God
to give me the supernatural strength
because it would have to be from him,
I could never do it.
Give me the strength, God,
to forgive my father
for walking out on our family
Thanksgiving night 31 years ago,
and he answered that prayer
and I forgave my dad.
The kingdom of God moved forward.
Don't tell me God doesn't answer prayer.
I know he does.
I've witnessed it.
We are to pray,
seeking God's kingdom, believing,
knowing the end of the story,
asking
but knowing, knowing his kingdom come,
his will be done.
Also, when we pray, seeking God's kingdom,
we better be ready
to be part of the answer
to that prayer.
Because we are invited, commanded, really
to be part of his kingdom coming,
part of his will being done.
Because it's happening in here
and it's happening in here.
It's happening out there too.
There are people.
There are people who don't know, who can't
approach God like this in prayer.
They don't have the connection yet.
Your friends, my friends,
neighbors, families,
coworkers to pray your kingdom
come means God.
Would your kingdom advance in here
and out there
and however
you want to use me to do it, I'm in.
I'm in.
If you're stuck with prayer.
Maybe you've forgotten
that God is reestablishing his kingdom.
It is advancing right here and right now.
Maybe you've forgotten
that he is inviting you to be a part
of how he advances his kingdom, right here
and right now.
You know, it being 2026,
in the new year, what do we do?
We make New Year's resolutions right?
Lose that 10 pounds
you picked up over the holidays.
If you're in Ohio State, maybe you resolve
to show up for next year's playoffs.
I don't know.
Oh, I'm an Irish fan, so sorry.
What would it look like for us as a church
to resolve to pray like this?
To pray
as sinners saved by grace turned sons
and daughters, seeking God's kingdom
and asking God to show us how we can be
a part of the answer to that prayer.
Well, that's a step that you want to take.
Have a great opportunity for you.
You know, month from now we're going
to, as a church,
have 24 hours of continuous prayer
right here in the building.
I think the slide will go up there.
It is 24 hours of prayer,
divided into 30 minute segments,
guided prayer opportunities
to pray for specific things.
I'd love it
if you just put your phones up.
Captured
the you're not going to distract me.
You'll get better slots
now if you want to and wait a while.
That's fine.
It's up to you.
But what an opportunity for us as a church
to pray that God's kingdom would come,
his will be done,
and to anticipate that he's going
to answer that prayer in amazing ways.
And he's going to have
us be a part of the answer.
Prayer is a conversation.
It's a conversation driven by connection
with the God of the universe.
When we as sinners saved by grace,
turn to sons and daughters,
seek God's kingdom.
Let's pray that way. This year,
and let's be ready
to be part of the answer that he gives.
Amen.
All right.
As I close
this part of the service in prayer,
I'm going to invite you all
to pray with me
because we just unpacked
the Lord's Prayer.
So I'd love it if we prayed it together.
All right, so it should.
There it is, up behind me.
Let's pray the Lord's Prayer together
to close this section.
Our father in Heaven, hallowed
be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.