Ask the Pastor

December 11, 2025

These are from the “Ask the Pastor” project. Please place your inquiries in the box in the narthex.

Dear Pastor,

Why do we sometimes pray to Jesus and other times pray to God? What is the difference between the two (apart from being father and son)?

Dear friend,

What a thoughtful question!

In traditional Christianity, we address prayers to the Father in the name of the Son through the Holy Ghost. This formula is not meant to imply that God has gender but rather to show a relationship to each member of the Trinity. The idea is that the members of the Trinity work together to maintain a relationship with us.

However, I suspect that people often pray directly to Jesus because they feel a close connection to him. After all, Jesus is God made flesh. God is spirit, but Jesus was a person. We can understand a relationship to another person.

One way to think about prayer is talking to someone, and it might be easier to imagine a conversation with Jesus. He was a guy who walked around, noticed things like birds, and told stories about fathers and sons. He could get frustrated. He sometimes wandered off to spend time alone. He felt deep compassion for people who were hurting or grieving. He enjoyed campfires. That’s the kind of guy you can relate to, right? It’s part of the genius of our faith.

You can memorize the traditional formula—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But if it feels natural to pray to Jesus, I say amen.

In hope,
Andrew

Read Andrew’s latest “Go Ask Dad” column: “Dear Santa” HERE