O Divine Power of Creation
Hallowed be thy name

The mystery of thy grace be with us

Give us this day our nourishment
For both body and the soul

And forgive us our shortcomings
As we forgive the shortcomings of those around us

Strengthen us in the ways of wisdom
And strengthen our spirit when confronted with evil

For thine is the glory and the power
Of all that is seen and unseen

For ever and ever

Amen

© 2001 Jeffrey Curran

Comments from the author:

The Lord’s Prayer from The King James Bible has been with me since childhood.  During much of my life, I have used it every day.  It has truly been a daily prayer and, believe me, the forgiving part hasn’t been easy and the temptation part has been a real big issue.  As I have moved through adolescent doubt and adult questioning, there have been times when the royal metaphors and the patriarchal attitude, which were the norms in the England of 1607, just didn’t seem like they were working for me.  Then on 9-11, as I watched the towers of The World Trade Center collapse, The Elizabethan Lord’s Prayer completely failed me.  The moment is frozen in my mind as I stood in front of the TV and got to the line, “Deliver us from Evil.”  It just didn’t work.  There was no theistic God that was going to stop what was happening.  That night, in tears and meditation, I composed the above contemporary rendering of The Lord’s Prayer.  This does not pretend to be a translation.  It is an interpretation.  I have taken the prayer and rendered into words that reflect my faith and experience.  I do not believe in a “Big Daddy God” who will keep evil things from happening.  I believe in the divine creative power of the universe that calls all human beings to overcome the pitfalls and dangers of this world and discover the redeeming power of grace and love.  Thus “Strengthen our spirit when confronted with evil.”