Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:21-35
“A Whole New Way”
I suggested to Graeme and Bill that a musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer would be very appropriate for the Ministry of Music today. They are the familiar words of our Lord Jesus, the prayer that he shared with his disciples when they asked him to teach them how to pray, the prayer that we, and Christians around the world, include in our worship almost every time we gather.
You’ve likely noticed that Presbyterians tend to say the prayer a little differently than others. Where most ask God to forgive their trespasses, and others request forgiveness of their sins in general, Presbyterians often use the translation of Jesus’ prayer that says, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” And that seems very fitting for today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew. After all, Jesus tells a story about a slave who owes a lot of money to his king, and about a second slave who owes quite a bit to the first slave.
The king mercifully forgives the massive debt of the first slave, cancelling what he owes and freeing him from the impossible task of paying it back. But rather than following the ruler’s … Read more »