The “Lord’s” Prayer
Easter 7
John 17:1-11, 1 Peter 5:6-11
June 1st, 2014
prayer of Jesus. Makes sense that the manner in
which he prays and what he prays for can really be a
model for us in our prayer life. So this morning I
want to talk about the Lord’s prayer, not the one you
know by memory, but the one in John 17, where the
Lord prays to the Father.
II. Body
I. Intro.
Show of hands. How many of you think you can say
some version of the Lord’s Prayer from memory?
Most of you. How many of you think you can say the
verses in John 17:1-11, from memory? Not so many,
myself included. Lord’s prayer which we know and
say regularly in church, is really a teaching prayer in
many ways. The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to
pray, and this is what he tells them. Pray like this.
But we never actually hear Jesus pray the Lord’s
Prayer. Not to say he never did, but it’s not recorded
as such.
John 17:1-11 is a passage of Jesus actually praying.
This really is the “Lord’s” prayer. He’s not just
teaching about prayer, but this is an actual, genuine
A. First observation about this prayer of Jesus is that
he prays openly and with confidence in the moment
he is led to do so. This is not a prayer like in the
Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus goes alone and
leaves the disciples by themselves to watch and wait.
Jesus is with the disciples and prays openly before
them.
This is just one prayer of Jesus. Throughout the
gospels, Jesus prays often -- in the morning, in the
evening, in the middle of the night. On a mountain, on
the plain. Inside, outside, alone or with friends. In
thanksgiving, in distress, and toward all kinds of ends.
So we learn from Jesus that prayer isn’t only for
church, or for mealtime, or before bed. You can pray
anytime, anywhere, for any reason … and God is
always eager to listen. Sounds simple enough, of
course, and it is. But that’s part of what many of us
are missing in our prayer lives, the sense that prayer
wasn’t intended to be extraordinary, saved for certain
places or times or reserved only for really important
moments. Prayer was meant to be ordinary, part of the
fabric of our daily lives. I think we learn this from
Jesus in our Lord’s prayers to God.
B. A second observation. Jesus prays for himself.
He prays for what’s on his heart, and part of that is for
himself as the mission he was called to do was
nearing completion. This is shortly before Jesus will
be arrested, put on trial, and condemned to death on
the cross. As fully human, he had some anxiety about
this. Who wouldn’t? I get butterflies before every
worship service, and I certainly don’t think I’m going
to be put to death as a result. Imagine how Jesus must
have felt knowing that he had to go to the cross for the
sins of the world. That was weighing heavily upon
him. And so he prays from the heart. Father, the hour
has come, glorify your Son, so your Son may glorify
you.” And in John’s gospel, whenever you hear the
words glory or glorify coming from Jesus, he’s
speaking about the cross. “Glorify me,” he prays.
“Take me to the cross” so that the purpose for which I
have come may be fulfilled.
Jesus prays for himself, from his heart. It’s not a
selfish prayer, like make me prosperous or happy
better than others. It’s a prayer that he may fulfill
God’s will for his life, a wonderful prayer that we can
all pray. Lord, show me your will and help me fulfill
it.
Jesus shows us it’s ok to pray for ourselves. What
should we pray for, we might wonder? Well, pray for
whatever is on your heart, whatever concerns you,
what your thankful for, what you need support for,
whatever is on you heart and you know God would
want to hear.
I think Peter might have been thinking of this prayer
of Jesus, or maybe the more familiar Lord’s prayer,
when he was concluding his letter in 1 Peter 5. Listen
to these words. “Cast all you anxiety on him, because
he cares for you.” Isn’t that what Jesus did in his
prayer, cast his anxiety on the Father? Peter says,
“Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls
around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him,
steadfast in your faith.” Isn’t that what Jesus was
really praying for when he was asking for the Father
to glorify him, to resist anything, including the devil,
who would take him away from God’s will?
Prayer most certainly can be for ourselves and the
many challenges we all face in life. There are times
when we, like Jesus himself and affirmed by Peter,
need to cast our anxieties on God and trust that He
will listen and lead us through.
C. Third observation in our Lord’s prayer in John is
that he also prays for others. In the midst of his need
for strength to glorify God in the days ahead, he prays
for his followers, his disciples, as well.
One of the many things I love about this church is that
we are a praying church that provides opportunity
both to pray for others, and to be prayed for. It’s
wonderful to be the pray-er, to pray for the needs of
another. But I think it’s even more wonderful to be
prayed for, to receive prayers from another. Wouldn’t
you have loved to have been with the disciples as they
overheard Jesus lifting up prayers to the Father, for
them? How cool must that have felt? Jesus was
praying for them. The Son of God was praying for
them. I fell blessed when another person prays for
me. Imagine if you heard Jesus himself praying for
you!
Well, in a sense, that’s what Jesus has done. He prays
for the disciples, and by extension, prays for us. Later
in this prayer, he specifically says he’s not asking
only for these, his disciples, but also on behalf of
those who will believe in him through their word.”
And that’s us. Jesus prays for us.
He prays that we may have eternal life. And he even
says what that is. Eternal life is to know the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent. You know God
and Jesus, you have eternal life, right now. It’s not
something we wait for, it is already here. He prays for
our protection, just like we probably pray for God’s
protection to be with those we love. And he prays for
their unity, even as we might pray that the divisions
and conflicts that are so prevalent in our lives and our
world, may come to an end.
So today we have heard the Lord’s prayer. Not the
familiar one we have memorized, but this actual
prayer of our Lord. He prays confidently and openly.
He prays from his heart for his own concerns, that he
might glorify the Father, through his death on the
cross, as he knew he must do. And he prays for
others, he prays for us, for eternal life, protection, and
unity.
I’d like to conclude this message differently this
morning. I’d like to give you the opportunity to write
down a prayer request. You don’t need to put your
name on it, unless you want to. It can be any concern
you have on your heart. It could be something for
you, or something for someone else. It could be
something close at hand, or something global. On the
pews along the aisle there are note cards. If you
would pass them down so everyone in your pew can
take one, if you’d like. On that note card, write down
one prayer request. When you’re done, send them
back to the center aisle, and I’ll have the ushers
collect them. At the end of the service as you leave,
I’ll then invite you to take a card if you’d like, and to
pray for that concern at least once a day this
upcoming week. I won’t be checking in to see how
you did, or following up in some way next week.
This is just an opportunity to take one request and do
as Jesus did, pray confidently to the Father. Amen