Our Father, who from Heaven above
bids all of us to live in love
as members of one family
and pray to You in unity,
teach us no thoughtless words to say
But from our inmost hearts to pray.
(LSB #766.1)
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to call God "our Father". Through faith He promises that we are all one members of one family. In this family, He calls for us to live in love and unity. Being of one mind and one spirit with all believers worldwide (Ephesians 4:4).
As St. James reminds us, "With [our tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God" (3:9). Our thoughtless words and our blessings of our Maker come from the same tongue. "These things ought not to be so" (James 3:10). We should live in unity and learn to bridle our tongues.
From our inmost hearts. From the very core of our being. We pray to our heavenly Father. We ask His forgiveness for our thoughtless words. We ask Him to bring us into the unity He seeks for all those of His family. Amen.
