Black Church Tradition Lens Commentary: Matthew 6:9-13 (The Lord's Prayer)

## Black Church Tradition Lens Reading of Matthew 6:9-13 (The Lord's Prayer)

### Tradition-Specific Interpretation

We read this passage as a declaration of our deep trust in a God who is both our Father and our liberator. The Lord's Prayer is a communal cry for God's kingdom of justice and righteousness to break into our world, transforming the systems of oppression that bind us. We hear Jesus teaching us to pray for daily bread as a demand for the resources necessary to sustain life, echoing the manna in the wilderness, and as a call for economic and social justice. Forgiveness becomes an act of liberation, freeing us from the chains of bitterness and enabling us to build the beloved community.

### Key Language Decisions