Our Father Part 2
OBJECTIVE
In this module, students will gain a deep understanding of the Our Father Prayer by looking at how the prayer is constructed and what each part means. This prayer has 4 parts or themes so in week 1, students will look at the first few lines in the prayer which reflect the relationship and faith we have with the Lord and the recognition of the Almighty God. Week 2, students will look at the second part of the prayer which reflects on God's kingdom in our lives and the importance of seeking His will and not our own.
INTRODUCTION - 5 Minutes
Review lesson from Week 1.
The Our Father prayer is the foundation of all prayers. It is an intimate prayer where we can call Our Father, Our God. It also is a prayer that unites us as a community. As we continue to reflect this week, we will begin to see by forming an intimate relationship with Our Lord, we will begin to feel God's kingdom in our lives even though we live on earth.
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 25 Minutes
"Thy kingdom come"
This is the second petition. It means that the kingdom will begin when man meets God, recognizes him, and with love and joy offers himself/herself to Him. That God's kingdom will be experienced on earth when my life is filled with His light and love. When we pray these words, we should understand that I am living my life with the power from God's kingdom. "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Matthew 3:2 St. John the Baptist was reminding people at the time to not waste time. We must take advantage of and not fall into sin.
"Thy will be done"
This is the third petition. This part is the ultimate reveal of our faith; that we trust and desire for God's will to be done in our lives. It's often that we pray for God's will but when He asks us to do something or give up something, we then change our mind. As soon as it becomes difficult, we then decide not to ask for His will. Or when we want our will or want something really badly and don't get it or something doesn't go our way, we get frustrated thinking that God didn't answer our prayers. If we are really praying these words, we should remember that we are asking God to grant us the strength to help us understand His will; to help me in my path, and to accept the difficult circumstances in my life. To desire His divine will and not my own.
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes
Questions to be used for discussion:
Note: This discussion can go into 2 different directions. One on how to live like God's kingdom is on earth and the other about knowing God's will. It's up to you which theme you would like to emphasize or spend time discussing.
- What are some ways you can live like God's kingdom is on earth?
- Can you think of a time when you prayed really hard for something but felt like God didn't answer that prayer?
- What do you think happens when you only pray for things that you want and not what God wants for you? What might be some consequences for that?
CONCLUSION - 5 Minutes
Praying for God's will takes practice. Asking and accepting what God allows in our lives is not easy. But when we live with Him daily and experience His love, then we have strength and power to deal with difficult circumstances that we might encounter.
ACTIVITY - 5 Minutes
Have each student write down something that they want to ask God for without writing their names down. Emphasize that they aren't writing things like I want a new phone or a new PlayStation. They need to be asking for more important things such as healing someone sick, parents who might be arguing at home, trying out for a sport or activity, etc. Collect prayer requests. Use these as part of the prayer at the end of class and emphasize that they will all ask for God's will with all the different things they requested. Their homework this week is to pray every night about the issue but asking for God's will.
Note: Students will not do the second section of Handout 1 this week.