May 4th - Today the shape of prayer

May 11th - Mother's Day - A Wedding Prayer

May 18th - Listen Lord......Please - how to sing a song those moments of frustration=also graduation Sunday

May 25th - Prayer and Politics......

Middle of what is called the sermon on the mount, where Jesus teaches on the values of the Kingdom.

Our passage is preceded by some thoughts on:

loving your enemies

giving to the poor

and followed by teaching about:

fasting

how to define real treasures

dealing with worry

Calling on God as the object of the prayer. When this word is used there is no question about who is being addressed.

Talking to God - usually described as verbal interaction with God,

Lifestyle of prayer is the emphasis

- part of following Jesus is this habit and value of prayer

- comes with the life, like giving to the poor, and fasting

Keep on being vigilant about your motives......6:1

Don't announce with trumpets

stand in "church" which was the common practice in the synagogue and the early church - but it also was an easy place to begin to attract attention if you were standin a crowd


Don't wear a mask of righteousness


Don't seek honor from men

When you pray............vs. 5-6


Notice it doesn't say ...if you pray, but when you pray - believes that we are already praying on a regular basis

love and seek the Father's attention

inner confidence that God sees what you are praying about

Go - command aor imp

by yourself.....

in private.....the word we use to describe encrypting emails, hiding, making it difficult for others to hear or decipher


aor part ....After shutting the door behind you


PRAY - aor imp command

There is a reward from the Father

Listing all the deities, all the names of all the gods you can remember, in the hopes of covering all your bases.........

by repeating key words and phrases over and over and over.......

Choose a different model for praying than this one.........

- don't do likewise.....

- don't act like God has no idea what you need

- don't have to remind God, or hound God into submission because He is somehow looking for ways to ignore you.....


He knows what you need ......and is more interested in the relationship than your "list"

and interacting over your list is one way to strengthen the connection

So let's practice.......

Extended time of prayer at the end of the service