Prayer: It’s About Who, Not How

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Scripture:  Luke 11:1-13

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ Read more…

Looking to Sunday

by Elaine Poproski

I just found out that a new English translation of Scripture was recently published. It’s called the First Nations Version. It’s more of a thought-for-thought translation than word-for-word, much like The Message or the New Living Translation. The translators were committed to faithfully communicating the intended meaning of the biblical writers, but doing so in a way that honours the traditions of the storytellers of the oral cultures of First Nations people from North America. For instance, one of the choices the translators made was to follow Native naming traditions by using the meaning of names for people and places. Take Jesus, for instance. Jesus is our English translation of the Greek translation of the Hebrew name, Yeshua. In the First Nations Version of the New Testament, Jesus is named Creator Sets Free.

Every time we read a different (reputable) translation of the Bible, we are gifted a wider understanding of what was originally intended by the Bible’s original authors.[1] As our understanding widens, Scripture’s applicability to our own lives and faith deepens. We perhaps see things we hadn’t seen before or hear things we hadn’t heard before. This is especially important with passages that are so familiar to us we can recite them almost without thinking. Consider, for instance, the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us, this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory
Forever and ever. Amen.

I don’t know how you learned the Lord’s Prayer, but this is how I learned it. And it’s still the version that rolls most smoothly off my tongue – so smoothly, I don’t even have to think about it. Which is kind of the point, isn’t it? Did you know that the Lord’s Prayer is in both Matthew and Luke, but Matthew’s version is different from Luke’s? Check it out for yourself. Look for it in Matthew 6 and then in Luke 11. Why do you think there are different versions in the different gospels? If you look at what’s written before and after the Lord’s Prayer, that will give you a clue.

On Sunday, I’ll be reflecting on Luke 11:1 – 13, which includes the Lord’s Prayer. As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps have a look at Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, but look at it in different translations. How do they compare? What are the differences? Did you notice a shift in your own understanding of any part of it? To get you started, perhaps have a look at the First Nations Version of Luke 11:1 – 4, which reads this way:

1 Another time, after Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had finished praying, one of his followers said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, teach us how to pray in the same way Gift of Goodwill (John) taught his followers.” 2 Creator Sets Free (Jesus) smiled and said to them, “When you send your voice to the Great Spirit, here is how you should pray: ‘O Great Spirit, our Father from above, your name is sacred and holy. ‘Bring your good road to us, where the beauty of your ways in the spirit-world above is reflected in the earth below. 3 ‘Provide for us day by day – the elk, the buffalo, and the salmon. The corn, the squash, and the wild rice. All the good things we need for each day. 4 ‘Release us from the things we have done wrong in the same way we release others for the things done wrong to us. And guide us away from the things that tempt us to stray from your good road.’”

 

[1] If you want to learn more about Bible translations and how they affect our interpretations of Scripture, there’s a whole field of study known as hermeneutics. I’d love to recommend a book or two on the subject if you’re interested.