The Lord's Prayer

Close our eyes and most of us can recite the Lord's Prayer by heart. It is as familiar as childhood memories. In some church traditions, we say the prayer together nearly every week, as a community standing before God. We call on those so familiar words and the comfort and direction they offer. The comfort that God is holy, that his kingdom is coming, that he provides just enough, and that he can protect us from ourselves and from evil. The direction that we are to worship him, that we are part of this kingdom-coming work, that we have the discipline of forgiveness as almost a daily task, and that we are vulnerable to temptation, so being on guard is a fine idea. The Wycliffe College faculty featured in this book take the Lord's Prayer line by line and excavate it for its forgotten meaning and its neglected treasure. Each brief essay, pondering each line of this foundational prayer, guides us more deeply into the very things the Lord's Prayer requests: a sense of God's holiness, a sense of our own truest selves--broken and redeemed--and a glimpse of his kingdom, coming. ""Don't let the commonness of the title--The Lord's Prayer--fail to hold your attention. Scholars with a warm and humorous touch bring into our conversation the very heart of the Gospel. I love its two-level input: as a guide in devotional prayer, and as a teacher/preacher utilizing its golden insights. Pick up multiple copies, making them special gifts to friends who, like me, need a refresher on what Jesus gave in modeling prayer."" --Brian C. Stiller, Global Ambassador, World Evangelical Alliance ""Traditionally, Christian formation involved memorization of the Lord's Prayer. Mere rote? Hardly. This series of sermons by the Wycliffe College faculty shows how rich and laden the prayer is with Christology and ecclesiology, and from these, with spiritual direction and cultural critique. This short book is highly appropriate for parish adult education or group devotion."" --George Sumner, Episcopal Bishop of Dallas ""In an increasingly complex and fragmented world, The Lord's Prayer takes us back to spiritual ground zero--rooting us in the fundamentals of faith and prayer. Karen Stiller deftly edits various reflections of a well-known and often assumed prayer in such a way that we can engage, interact, and learn. There is a consistency throughout these brief essays that serves the praying person living in an inconsistent world."" --Barry Parker, Rector, St. Paul's Bloor Street, Toronto Karen Stiller is a senior editor of Faith Today magazine, freelance writer, and general editor of Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century, and co-author of Shifting Stats Shaking the Church: 40 Canadian Churches Respond and Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches Who Have Embraced Missional Life.