Verse 1 & 2:
These are the parts of The Lord's Prayer that are not included in the rest of the song. The counting down from 10 to 1 is just a fun way to have a measure break...no spiritual significance there, sorry.

Chorus:
These are simply the first two lines of The Lord's Prayer as recited by these two churches.

Vamp:
First, we just wanted to end the song with "amen", but I was looking for something much more exciting than that. The next thought was "hallelujah", but though that did give an improvement, it still wasn't what the song needed. Finally I just decided to drag out the three words before the last ("forever and ever") and it seemed complete.

Overall:
I was facilitating musical Worship at a confirmation retreat for a couple of Lutheran churches in Allentown, and we set aside a little under an hour on Saturday to have a songwriting workshop. My idea was just to teach them about how I go about writing songs, and maybe write one together. Well, that's exactly what we did. We were learning about The Lord's Prayer that day, and so we put a simplified version to really simple chords and presto! This is what happens when you gather me, a guitar, some somewhat-patient kids, and God in a room. Good times.

Matthew 6:5-15
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Luke 11:1-4
"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'""

"The Lord's Prayer" written by Ryan Kavalsky, © November 20, 2004