The Garden Church Auckland

When Jesus teaches us to pray, He is not giving us words to repeat. He is teaching us how to live.

“Your Kingdom come” is not a distant, future hope. It is an invitation for God to reign here and now. In this message, we explore what the Kingdom meant to Jesus’ original listeners, how it arrives through obedience rather than force, and why every one of us already rules a kingdom of our own.

From a personal story about uncovering the leftovers of a previous owner’s “kingdom” to a powerful picture of new creation beginning at Jesus’ baptism, this message invites us to move the throne of our lives and let God rule deeply and personally.

Prayer does not just change circumstances. It changes who is in charge.

Before we rush into prayer with our lists and needs, Jesus teaches us to pause—to lift our eyes and remember who we're speaking to. Prayer isn't about informing God of our situation. It's about being reoriented by who God is.
In this message, we explore the opening words of the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." We discover the beautiful paradox that we're small in the universe yet fully seen by the Father, why we need to recapture a sense of awe and wonder, and what it means that there is art in heaven.
Key Points:
•The Paradox of Prayer: Small but Seen
•Recapture Captivated
•There's Art in Heaven
•Lessons in Ancient Cosmology
Prayer is not walking into a meeting room—it's stepping into a gallery. You slow down. You lift your eyes. You let the greatness of God recalibrate your soul.
Scriptures : Matthew 6:9, Psalm 19:1-6, Genesis 28:12-17, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 21:23

Most of us learned to pray like we’re knocking on a door, hoping God lets us in. Jesus teaches something very different. In Our Father, part of the Pray Like This series, we look at how Jesus invites us to approach God as Father, not as a distant deity. Drawing on stories from Scripture, including the prodigal son and God’s rescue of Israel in Exodus, this message reframes prayer as a place of freedom, trust, and belonging. Prayer doesn’t start with what you need. It starts with who you are.

Many of us carry quiet guilt around prayer. We feel like we should pray more, better, or differently. But before Jesus teaches us what to pray, He teaches us how to come. This message opens a new series exploring the Lord’s Prayer, grounded in the Psalms and shaped by presence, trust, and belonging. Whether prayer feels natural or awkward for you right now, you are welcome here.