This was written for the London School of Theology end-of-year Communion service. I've been thinking and reading a bit about the Lord's Prayer, and trying to pray it every day, so it felt natural to try and create a short time of prayer and worship which uses the different lines as inspiration for going deeper with God.

The idea is simply to read a line of the prayer together, and then the leader encourages the congregation to participate in various actions of prayer and worship. If you are not sure whether people will immediately join in with 'free prayers' from the congregation, you could prime a few people to be prepared to start things off.

There is a part where people turn to the person next to them - again, you may have to adapt this depending on how comfortable you think your congregation will be with this. It then moves into two silent sections of prayer, and at the end I am suggesting you sing the final 'doxology' part. I've written a simple setting in Bb - the music is attached for you to download. The idea is that the music is 'unfinished', ending on the F chord, which could then lead you into another song in Bb seamlessly. But you could use another setting, or write your own.

 

Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your name.
(free prayers of praise)
 
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
(free prayer for situations that need God's reign to be evident)
 
Give us today our daily bread,
(share one need with the person next to you, and pray a short prayer for God's provision)
 
And forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
(silent time of confession and forgiving others)
 
And lead us
not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
(silence to receive God's Spirit - to lead us and sanctify us)
[music could begin to play here - in Bb if moving into the final sung setting suggested]
 
(sing)
For the Kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, are yours (repeat)
forever, and ever, and ever,
Amen.