Growing up, I learned the “Our Father” prayer in catechism. While this prayer is almost identical to the “Lord’s Prayer” there are slight differences. For example, Catholics don’t say “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever.” You may have noticed other variations in the prayer if you attended other protestant churches. For example, some congregations say “debts” instead of “trespasses”. Despite these differences, the Lord’s Prayer is known by Christians around the world and has been translated into many different languages.
One of the changes I made when I arrived was to use a more modern translation of the Lord’s Prayer on contemporary Sundays. I am sure some of you appreciate this change, while others may be wondering why I made it. For those with questions, here are some reasons I made this change.
First, we often say the Lord’s Prayer from memory and often without thinking too deeply about the meaning of the prayer. One way to help us slow down and reflect on what we are saying is by changing the words while retaining the meaning. When we do this, we are forced pay attention both to the words and the meaning of what we are saying.
Second, we all know people who have had difficult relationships with their parents. Perhaps, their father or mother abandoned them or abused them in some way. After experiences like this, it can be difficult to address God using gendered terms. In some cases, addressing God in this way can be a stumbling block to faith.
Third, United Methodists moved to non-gendered terms for God in 1980. During this time, the general church urged congregations to move away from words like “mankind,” “Father,” “kingdom,” and male pronouns for God. In the 1990s, our denomination along with other Christian denominations, reaffirmed the use of more expansive language for God. This allowed the continued use of male pronouns for God while also encouraging the use of feminine and non-gendered terms. Thus, over the last four decades, United Methodist congregations have changed our language in other prayers, rituals, and in our hymns even while we held to the traditional language of the Lord’s prayer.
As a progressive, inclusive church that values every person as a beloved child of God, we also affirm that gender is not binary and can be expressed in a variety of ways. This should not just be a statement we proclaim, but also be lived out in our hospitality and the words we use in our rituals and prayers.
Fourth, as a congregation in one of the most unchurched areas of our nation, we strive to create a service where people who have never been to church before can easily understand our prayers and rituals. If we continue to rely on only the traditional mode of saying the Lord’s Prayer we risk losing the opportunity for new people to connect to God through this prayer.
I love ritual and tradition, so I do want to hold on to the traditional words of the Lord’s Prayer AND I want to ensure that all people can understand its meaning and connect to the Spirit through it. For this reason, we continue to rotate the traditional and contemporary versions of the prayer.