Scripture Summary

TEACH US TO PRAY
“Lord, teach us to pray,” Abraham prays to the Lord for the good and the just. Jesus teaches his followers the proper form for prayer: address God as “Our Father;” recall the great works of God in the past and our desires now; draw all through God’s Son Jesus back to the principal source of all, God the Father. Today the Apostle Paul reminds us we have been “buried with the Christ in baptism” and raised up from sin by his resurrection. Will you take the plunge and rise with him?

This is a humorous folk tale that conveys a serious and consoling truth: God's patience and mercy. The author lets us in on a typical haggling session such as might take place in any Middle Eastern market - except here the bargainers are Abraham and God, and the stakes are the people of the city of Sodom.

 

Through baptism Christ has broken the power of sin. The closing lines present a strong image: Christ snatching up the bond of sin (the image here is of a written document, like a promissory note) and canceling all its claims against us.

 

Here we have a slightly different version of the "Lord's Prayer" (the more familiar one is in Matthew), followed by two teachings on prayer. The first teaching is on persistence in prayer, the second is on God's generosity. But note that Jesus says that God is generous in giving the Holy Spirit, not necessarily the things we ask for. For Luke, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate gift and brings us everything we need.