For the remainder of the summer we’re going to be studying the Lord’s Prayer. Last Sunday we began the series by observing how the Lord’s Prayer is a remedy for wrong praying. Jesus said, “Don’t pray like the hypocrites. Don’t pray like the Gentiles. Pray like this: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven….’” Jesus is contrasts these wrong ways to pray and the right way to pray. In doing so he shows us that there are only two basic ways to approach God. And these are the same two basic ways we deal with each other. We can approach people on the basis of a business relationship or a family relationship. In a business relationship the basis is this: I have something for you. In a family relationship the basis is this: I am something to you. A business relationship is all about performance. You perform for me and I’ll perform for you. In a family relationship, it’s all about your status. In a business relationship if I perform, then I’m accepted. In a family relationship, because I’m already accepted, I perform.

Think of it this way. There are two different ways you could live in a person’s house. You could live there as a renter or as family. If you are a renter, the owner is your landlord. You can have a good relationship with him as long as you pay the rent and respect the property and stay within the parameters of the rental agreement. As long as you do that you’re welcome to stay in the house. What’s the basis for this kind of relationship? It’s business—the interchange of goods and services. So that’s one way you can live in a house—as a renter. Or you can live as family. You can live in the home of your parents as a child. Of course in that home there are still expectations. There are still rules to keep. You are still expected to respect the property. But what’s the difference? Your relationship is not based on your performance. It’s based on your status.

Jesus says that you can approach God in these two ways. You can pray like the hypocrites or like the Gentiles, coming to God on the basis of the performance of your prayers. Or you can pray as Jesus teaches, and come to God on the basis of your status as his child. So when Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he doesn’t say: “Pray this way: Our King in heaven” even though he is our King. Nor does he say to pray to Our Creator, even though he is that too. He doesn’t even say to address God as Our Friend. That’s because friendship, as good as it is, is based in part on performance. Friendships can be lost. They can be broken. But Jesus says we should address God as Our Father. And for good reason. Addressing God as Our Father expresses a relationship and an approach to God that is based not on what I do, but who I am. Prayer is not about approaching God through technique. It’s about coming to him on the basis of your relationship with him through Christ. This is the first step in prayer—learning to call God “Father.” We’ll talk about it in greater depth on Sunday.