Stanwich Sermon Audio

It happened on an ordinary day.

Jesus had withdrawn to a solitary place to pray—something he did regularly, a rhythm his disciples had observed countless times. After Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples approached him with a request that would change everything: "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).

It's a remarkable request when you think about it. These were Jewish men. They'd been praying since childhood. But they'd seen something different in Jesus. They'd watched him pray with an intimacy, an authority, an expectation they'd never witnessed before. His prayers weren't performances or recitations.

When Jesus prayed, things happened. Sick people were healed. Demons fled. Storms calmed. The Father's will was done. We will go deeper in the Lord’s prayer around five phrases in the prayer: Our Father, Your Kingdom, Give us, Forgive us, Lead and Deliver us. This is an invitation to go deeper by Learning to Pray with Jesus.

February 22 | Matthew 6:9-13

March 01 | Matthew 6:9-13

March 08 | Pivot Sunday with Pastor Richard

March 15 | Matthew 6:9-13

March 22 | Matthew 6:9-13

March 29 | Matthew 6:9-13

"Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." (ESV)

February 15 | John 14:8-14

There were three core elements to the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he came to announce the Kingdom, to heal the sick, and to destroy the works of the devil. He sent his followers to do the same. He said that those who believe in him would do the things that he did. The church over the centuries has experienced spurts in the expectation of divine healing. We have a mixed emotional response to healing – we are in awe at the times when God has raised someone up supernaturally and we are confused and disappointed when we do not get the immediate healing for which we prayed. We need to go back to the Scriptures to get a biblically grounded and theologically nuanced understanding of healing so that we can pray with a kingdom perspective.

January 04 | Exodus 15:22-27

January 11 | Luke 5:17-26

January 18 | Mark 5:21-43

January 25 | n/a

February 01 | John 11:17-44

February 08 | James 5:13-20