Loving God 301, Part 14: The Lord’s Prayer

Given the centrality of the psalms in Hebrew worship, it is strange that Jesus's disciples would ask for instruction in prayer; and yet they do. What follows is famously known as "The Lord's Prayer," and while it's familiarity makes it seem quite formal and placid, the contents would have been highly provocative to Jesus's audience.  From the invocation of God as "Father" to the implication that the kingdom of God is near, Jesus's prayer is a clear departure from expectation and powerful lesson in how God empowers his people for the work of redeeming creation. In this episode we compare and contrast the Lord's Prayer - in some detail - with other structured Jewish prayers of the first century and emerge with a much clearer sense of how we are to pray.