“Teach us to pray” was one of the few things the disciples” asked of Jesus. He gave them a model prayer; “Our Father who art in heaven...” Tertullian calls the Lord's Prayer “an epitome of the whole gospel.”

On Sundays, we, like those disciples before us, come to Jesus asking, “Teach us to pray.” The Prayer of Intercession comes right after the sermon and scripture because the word helps us to discern between true and false prayer, between praying as a pagan and praying as a Christian.” It tell us what it means to pray “in Jesus’ name,” which means in the spirit of our Lord.

Sunday morning worship is a sort of “school for prayer.” When someone says, “I don’t know how to pray. I don’t know what to say,” we say, “Come to church. Pray for your sin, intercede for the needs of others, given thank…