"Our Father in heaven..."
In the weeks approaching Resurrection Sunday, let’s take a closer look at The Lord's Prayer. During the 40 days of Lent, we'll study one of the most sacred prayers that Jesus prayed in a deeper way. Check out the resources below for further insight!
If you'd like to follow along with the main text our teaching team will be drawing from, order a copy of “The Lord’s Prayer: A Guide to Praying the Our Father” by Wesley Hill.
In the book of Matthew, we see Jesus’ public ministry being inaugurated at His baptism with a voice from heaven ringing out, “this is my Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Very soon after, Jesus is led into the desert for forty days of testing. In Luke, at the transfiguration the voice of the Father calls out, “this is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to Him!” Just after this, we hear that Jesus has set His face to go towards Jerusalem, that is, to His ultimate trial and testing.
All the while, as Jesus walks through the valley of the shadow of death, there are other voices vying for His attention. Jesus remains committed to the voice of the Father instead of listening to the temptations from the accuser in the desert, or to Peter who demands He turn away from Jerusalem, or Thomas who suggests they steer clear of Bethany, or the Pharisees who demand He rebuke His disciples for worshipping Him and pronouncing Him king, or even the council and Sanhedrin when they threatened Him with death.
Jesus refuses to listen even to His own doubts and fears when He is in anguish in the garden of Gethsemane. He and the Father are one, and He will not see that unity broken by any other voices crowding in. He has tuned His ear to the voice of the Father in prayer, constantly, throughout His life.
A quick tour of the gospels finds Jesus withdrawing to pray in lonely places, spending the night in prayer before significant moments, and speaking to the Father in the midst of crowds and crucifixions. It was this Jesus that the disciples asked to teach them to pray. It was this Jesus who put prayer at the very center of His most important sermon, the Sermon on the Mount.
It is in His name we pray.
Series Resources
In addition to Sunday messages, there are lots of other ways to learn more and study further. Take a look!
“Prayer in the Night: For those who work or watch or weep” by Tish Warren
“Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools” by Tyler Stanton
“The Only Necessary Thing” by Henri Nouwen
“How to Pray: Reflections & Essays” by C.S Lewis
One of the best things about music is that even if songs draw from the same source material and have similar lyrics, we can still hear new things from different interpretations. Check out these beautiful expressions of The Lord’s Prayer through song!
Listen on YouTube HERE.
Tim Keller Sermons on the Lord’s Prayer
The Lord's Prayer
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.
And forgive us
our debts,
as we also have
forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not
into temptation,
but deliver us
from the evil one.