ST NICOLAS, NEWBURY

HOME GROUP QUESTIONS

WEEK BEGINNING 16 JANUARY 2005

THE LORD'S PRAYER: OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

For home groups that would like them, here are some questions based on the talk at Sunday's 9:45 am service. There's no need to answer them all - just tackle the ones you have time for. You don't need to stick to the areas mentioned here - feel free to discuss any other issues that arise for you.

 1. Please read Matthew 6:5-15.

 2. Jesus begins by telling his disciples about how not to pray. What differences between real prayer and pretend prayer does Jesus highlight? What two aspects does he focus on?

 3. How do these two points apply to us today?

 4. When it comes to prayer, what difficulties are caused by the fact that God is unseen?

 5. How can we make sure that our understanding of God - and therefore our prayer - is for real rather than all pretence?

 6. What is the significance of the fact that Jesus invites us to say 'Our Father...'?

 7. How would you answer someone who suggested that calling God 'Father' is arrogant? Where does our confidence to talk to God like this come from?

 8. What do we mean when we specify that our Father is 'in heaven'?

 9. How do you resolve the tension between 'Since God loves us so much, this can only have happened because he isn't powerful enough' and 'since God is so powerful, that can only have happened because God doesn't really love us after all'?

10. Take some time to pray together to our heavenly Father, especially for those having difficulty with holding together the 'Our Father' and the 'in heaven'.

David Stone
15 January 2005