Why does the pastor pray the Lords Prayer?
Lutherans have always understood the Lords Prayer prayed in the Divine Service to have a unique relationship to the Lords Supper. In the order of the service from The Lutheran Hymnal, the Lords Prayer was prayed by the pastor and the congregation gave their acclamation, their Amen, by saying For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. With the publication of Lutheran Worship in 1982, the Lords Prayer was prayed by the whole congregation. Now (at least for Setting Three of the Divine Service), Lutheran Service Book has restored the Lords Prayer to its unique position within the liturgy of the Lords Supper by having it prayed by the pastor. Why? Because in the Lords Supper, everything is different. Just like the Collect of the Day, the Lords Prayer belongs to the whole Church. All Christians are priests and may pray to the Lord without anyone to intercede for them. But in the Divine Service, the pastor plays a dual role. Sometimes he speaks with the voice
Related Questions
- Why do Catholics repeat the same prayer over and over again when they pray the Rosary? Is this not the vain repetition condemned by Christ in Matthew 6:7?
- When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He gave them the words of the Lords Prayer (Lk 11:1-4; Mt 6:5-15). Its a common concern: how should we pray?
- Why does the pastor pray the Lords Prayer?
