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Dr Cathy Northrup
The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26.
Religion
2011-02-01 14:24:00
To whom should we pray?
Question: Who should one pray to…God? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? Angels? Saints?
Answer: Presbyterians often look to the Westminster “standards” for their full discussion of prayer. The Larger Catechism in particular devotes questions 178 through 196 specifically to prayer. The catechism makes it clear that prayer is to be to God only, and in light of your question, certainly not to angels and saints. That prayer is to God, and that we believe God is triune, indicates that we may address our prayers to God, to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. We are, however, to pray by the help of the Spirit and in the name of Christ. Jesus offered to his disciples a model prayer, what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer.” In that prayer, Jesus addressed God as “Our Father.” This does not mean that all prayer has to begin with the words “Our Father who art in heaven”; rather, it tells us, as the catechism puts it, that “when we pray, we are to draw near to God with [both] confidence of his fatherly goodness,” and yet “with reverence” for his majesty and power.
 
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