When you are next in a good bookshop take yourself off to the section on Christianity and look for the prayer books. Amongst the others you might find - The New Zealand Prayer Book.

In the late 1980s it was completed as the Anglican prayer book for the province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Holding closely to the Book of Common Prayer, it still managed to include Maori texts in an integrated way that has been confirmed by its continued popularity throughout the world-wide Anglican communion.

Just to give you a taster here is:

A version of The Lord’s Prayer
from The New Zealand Prayer Book

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.

Rather lovely, isn't it? You might want to print it off and use it in your prayer times occasionally.

• 10 comments »

Imagine you are there, sitting on the ground, listening to the expert. Listen and dwell on his words:

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pray then in this way: ,

Our Father in heaven
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
but if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.

Jesus' words from Matthew Chapter 6

• 0 comments »