Dear Friends,
As many of you know, I recently experienced an unforeseen accident. By God’s grace, I have regained my strength. This unexpected season became a time of renewal—renewing my faith, re-centering my spirit, and reflecting on my calling. I have followed our Lord Jesus Christ since childhood and have served as a pastor for 19 years. Through it all, I’ve held fast to the belief that God is good and kind—always—even when His purposes are not immediately clear.
At first, I struggled to understand why this happened. I found myself asking, “Why, God?” But as I wrestled in prayer, the question began to shift. Instead of asking why, I found myself asking how—how should I pray in the midst of this? And through the prayers of Scripture and the faithful mercies of the Lord, I learned how to deepen my prayer, step by step, through the journey.
This experience has inspired me to take you on a journey of prayer. Every week—if not every day—we say the Lord’s Prayer. But have we truly taken the time to learn from it deeply? When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He didn’t just give them words to recite; He gave them a model for life with God and one another. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have returned to this prayer to find direction, strength, and hope.
Jesus’s disciples were Middle Eastern Jews. They already knew how to pray. Yet the Lord’s Prayer offered them something new—something transformative. Likewise, we, too, know how to pray. But returning to Jesus’s own teaching can awaken our faith anew. It offers fresh insight, especially when viewed through the cultural and spiritual world in which Jesus lived.
This August, I invite you to join me for a new sermon series titled “The Lord’s Prayer: A Middle Eastern Perspective,” based on Matthew 6:9–13 (cf. Luke 11:1–4). My hope is that we will rediscover the heart of prayer—not just as a discipline, but as a living connection to our God. When we know who we pray to, understand His sovereignty, and embrace our shared responsibility, we find courage and comfort for all of life’s circumstances.
I also encourage you to invite a friend—someone who may need a word of encouragement, a lesson in hope, or simply a prayer.
Finally, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, support, and kindness. I am deeply grateful for each of you and for the way worship and ministry continued with strength and faithfulness during my time away. You have truly been the hands and feet of Christ.
See you soon,
Dr. Ramy Marcos