The Lord and His Prayer

By: N. T. Wright

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

In this book of pastoral reflections, N. T. Wright explores how the Lord's Prayer sums up what Jesus was all about in his first-century setting. Wright locates the Lord's Prayer, clause by clause, within the historical life and work of Jesus and allows the prayer's devotional application to grow out of its historical context. The result is a fresh understanding of Christian spirituality and the life of prayer. This deeply devotional book will refresh and stimulate the heart and mind of any listener.

©2016 eChristian (P)2016 eChristian

Short but helpful

The format of The Lord and His Prayer is a line by line exploration. NT Wright is both a scholar and a pastor. And what I really appreciate about his writing is that he is always pastoral in tone. He is writing about the Lord’s Prayer because he thinks it is an important part of our lives as Christians. He wants us to understand what we are praying and the context of historic Christianity that has used the prayer historically as well as the historic 1st century culture when the prayer was originally taught. 

The main themes of Wright’s work more generally are present here even though this was written before many of his better known books. He wants the reader to understand the proper role of eschatology (the end times) in regard to how we live our lives today as Christians (like his Surprised by Hope). He places the authority of scripture and the Lord’s Prayer not as independent authority, but because those words are from God himself (Scripture and Authority of God). And Wright is focusing on the Lord’s Prayer as a tool and practice of discipleship (After You Believe).

NT Wright also has an excellent chapter on the Lord’s Prayer in his book Simply Good News: Why the gospel is good news and what makes it good news. But there is little overlap in material between that chapter (which focuses on how the order of the prayer orients us to understanding what the gospel is really about) and this book which is a line by line exploration of the prayer. But both are well worth reading because both are oriented around right theology and right practice of discipleship.

Right now the audiobook is the cheapest way to get this book. The Kindle book is not available for purchase in the US right now. The paperback is not super expensive, but it is not much more than a long pamphlet. I think this would work well as a discussion book for a small group, in the paperback version there are six chapters of about 12 pages each.

Rich in truth and faith. High art. Deep thought.

I've listened three times now to soak it in. Excellent for encouraging prayer, commitment, and participation in the active life of faith in Christ. Narration excellent. Remarkable content, infused with the wisdom delivered to the author by a lifetime of deep and faithful study, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Fred Hickman, Santa Ana, California.

Very insightful!

Always looking for a fresh perspective? This book is for you!! I'm excited to re-listen to glean more...

In-depth analysis of The Lord’s Prayer

Excellent work by NT Wright and presented fabulously by Derek Perkins. Really worth your time. There will be things in here for long time readers of both Wright and the Lord’s Prayer. And Perkins is a master of his craft on the level of Simon Prebble and Simon Vance.

Liked the book

I really liked the book - the content as well as the performance. Imagined it was narrated by sir NT Wright himself.

Thy kingdom come in me now

This was a very short book and easy to read, but hardly light. N. T. Wright has clearly spent time in the text and the historical background but this is not a theological lecture nor is it a typical “sermon.” Or maybe it is, in a sense, what sermons could be. 

You don’t have to be a Christian to know the Lord’s prayer. You’ll have heard it recited over and over in all kinds of situations even if you never go to church. You’ll hear it at funerals, on TV, in movies, and even in speeches. It is so well known that it has become unknown. We hear it and even quote it without listening. Wright makes us listen again. 

The book covers the prayer in 6 chapters and he argues that the prayer it was meant to be a timely lesson to his disciples as to how they should not only speak to God but how he understood his mission on earth and how they should take that mission and share in it. 

Wright goes through word by word but don’t mistake this as a series of discussions on “Our,” then “Father,” then “in Heaven,” or anything like that. But he does take us back to the context of the day and the cultural background that might escape us. He starts with “Our Father” and of course reminds us of the wonder of the relationship that God has called us into, that God cares for us as any good Father cares for his children. However, he reminds us also that the relationship goes both ways. To a young child, a parent is the standard by which they judge all things and they learn by imitating them. In calling God “Father,” we are saying that we want to learn to be like him. 

Wright notes that “thy kingdom come” is not a bland slogan or even a wish. He ties it to the fatherhood and how Jesus lived out that coming kingdom as a fulfillment of prophecies in Isaiah 40-55 and that as sons of the Father, we are called to do the same. And he notes that this is not just evangelism but call for justice and fairness as Jesus did while avoiding all taint of the politics of either the left (the Saducees) or the right (the Zealots and Pharisees). Jesus refused to compromise and yet love was always in precedence of legalistic standards. That is continued in the phrase “on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, the believer’s focus is not just on a future in heaven but is willing for God to reign in their hearts now and if that is so, then we must live now as we should in His kingdom. 

Is it crass to pray for physical needs? Is that not spiritually focused? Not at all for this prayer does so when it asks God to give us our daily bread. The kingdom is not just for that “pie in the sky by and by” but includes all that we need now. And yet he reminds of that, throughout this prayer, it is never “my” but is “our.” Even here, the prayer is not just for what I need for that would not be a “kingdom mindset.” The prayer is “our daily bread.” To think only of myself without thinking of others who have the same need is ignoring the “Thy will be done.” Then there is that line about forgiving us because Jesus added to that, “as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” We can’t truly understand and appreciate God’s forgiveness until we are ready to forgive others. This is more than just a request. It is a challenge to our own understanding. There is no offense against me that is in any way comparable to my offense against God. I am morally obligated to forgive others, not in order to receive God’s forgiveness for there is no quid pro quo there, but just because I must.  

Wright repeatedly goes back to scripture and to cultural norms from the absolute break in dignity for any man of stature to run, that was broken by the father welcoming his prodigal son, to the fact that Matthew, the former tax collector, used the term “debt” and the note that the first act of the Jewish revolutionaries against Rome, when they took control of the temple was to destroy all the debt records stored there. He also goes back to the Old Testament law and the concept of “Jubilee” when all debts are forgiven and property, even land that had been sold, is restored to its original owners. There was always the concept in the Law of Moses that consequences had limits and that Jesus wanted his disciples to remember to employ that same grace and forgiveness to others that they had received. 

I started this book thinking that it would be a good devotional book. I was mistaken. It was excellent and it was more than a devotional. It was striking and harsh, not in tone, but in the results. In tone it was anything but harsh. It was warm and gentle but, after reading it, I can never hear or speak this prayer in the same way again. I would recommend this highly for any Christian but even for someone who is not, I’d still recommend reading this book. It might move you to action even if you don’t believe in it. But, it will give you a completely new picture of just who this Jesus was and why those 12 disciples made it their life mission, even at the cost of their lives, to tell the world about this gospel. 

Brilliant

Here is someone who actually knows the Palestinian ways of perceiving! Nicholas Thomas Wright rocks

Worthwhile

A very good exposition of the prayer. Each part of the prayer is thoroughly examined and expanded. Well worth the time.

Many Layered Inspiration

So many layers to The Lord's Prayer-must listen again. I would recommend this to any and all who seek deeper understanding of the Prayer we say daily.

Great for Advent or Any Season

Loved it. This is an excellent examination of the Lord's Prayer with historical context. Loved the suggestion of breaking the prayer into sections to use those as daily lenses for our other prayers and interactions.

A good book

This is a really good book, I have the print book so had the pleasure of reading and listening to it. In Tom Wrights clear and precise writing, I discovered a book that was full of uplifting and exciting imagery. The narrator brought it colour and expression. A very good listen that repaints the Lords Prayer in vibrant colour.

Love N T (Tom) Wrights work

Tom Wright has the ability to take a complex look at scripture, point me in directions I had not considered and put it all into simple words even I can start to understand.

So you thought you knew the Lord's Prayer?

Challenging and insightful, Tom Wright again opens our eyes where we had been blind. I love that God's word not only speaks to us today as much as ever it did, but that new insights are always there in familiar passages. Tom's approach is scholarly yet accessible. I shall never say the Lord's Prayer in quite the same way.

Thy Kingdom Come

Over familiarity breeds contempt.The former bishop, N.T.Wright, gives a useful apologetic on the Lord's Prayer helping his Christian readers grasp more thoughtfully what we are actually saying. The narrator is good but I always prefer to hear N.T.Wright's own voice.

Well worth the listen

Very well read. From a mere lay person's point of view I would have liked access to this book years ago. So many questions answered and information to to reflect on.