Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil
For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
“A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
Today is Maundy Thursday. This marks the night of the last supper. This was the Passover meal that Jesus and His disciples observed in the upper room on the night that He was betrayed. That night Jesus prayed several times. During the meal He blessed the different elements of the Seder meal. John 17 also records His prayer for His disciples and you and I who would come later and believe. After the meal we know that He went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed intensely to the Father about the upcoming suffering. Jesus was a man of prayer. We never heard Him pray the words of the Lord’s prayer specifically but I am sure that in each of His prayers He approached with the same attitude in mind.
For us, as well, the model of the Lord’s prayer can have an effect on all of our prayers. It is a prayer that brings us into the proper frame of mind when we come before the Father. Whether we are praying over our meal or praying about a family crisis we can apply the lesson we learn from this pattern that Jesus gave us.
The name “Maundy Thursday” comes from the Latin word for “command” or “covenant”. In English we get the word “mandate” from the same source. Some say that is where the traditional name for Maundy Thursday comes from. It was in the upper room on that Thursday when Jesus gave the new “Commandment” which is referenced above. The Scripture also talks about the new “covenant” represented by the blood of Jesus commemorated in the Lord’s Supper. So, Christians observe this day as a day of commitment or re-commitment to Christ.
Today you can take this opportunity to renew your covenant with the Father by praying through the Lord’s prayer and allowing it to focus your heart on His work of grace through Jesus Christ.