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Review: The Lord and His Prayer
N.T. Wright, in a series that was originally a set of sermons preached at Lichfield Cathedral in 1995, reflects on the Lord's Prayer. More specifically he exegetes each phrase from the prayer and its implication for Jesus people. This short work serves as a introduction to Wright's larger framework emphasizing the Gospel of the Kingdom and Jesus as the victorious King.
At only 89 pages it tips the scales as one of Wright's shorter works and is very accessible. Any parishioner would be able to read and greatly benefit from this work. Although it may not seem like it on the surface, this series of sermons has deep scholarship comparable with any of the other works of Wright. He is a master at understanding the larger narrative of the Text and the smallest phrases he exegetes in light of God's larger story.
We have all grown accustom to saying the Lord's Prayer without any deeper reflection on the meaning of each of the phrases. Or, if we have stopped to think of the phrases they seem, at best, nice little trite sayings and, at worst, out of touch with the 21st century. Wright is able to make each phrase relevant first of all in its first century context coming out of the mouth of Jesus as a first century Jew and, secondly, most applicable to our lives today.
As I have said before, Wright has a gift for writing for both the head and the heart. Not only will your mind be edified but also your heart will be exhorted. Wright begins with a discussion of God as Father. He relates this to the story of the exodus in Exodus 4 and to the prophecy in Isaiah 63:16. The statement that Jesus was making was a claim to relate to God in a certain way that had been used in the exodus and will now be used in the new exodus that had been prophesied.
Wright is skilled at doing exactly this throughout his work. He relates the story that we live in today, the story Jesus and his followers were living in the first century and the story that God's people had been living since the beginning of history.
This focus on God's story continues into the real explanation of the ushering in of God's Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. This is seen as the climax of Wright's work and he emphasizes it throughout the rest of the book. The affront to the imperial cult and Roman Empire is clear in Wright's explanation of Jesus proclamation of the Kingdom.
Wright finishes this work with a discussion of the power and glory that came with Jesus' vocation. By his very nature he was glory as only of the Father but at the same time this glory took on a different form, death on a cross. It was in this death and resurrection that God became victorious in Jesus. All power and glory was demonstrated in the resurrection.
| Evaluation | Support | |
 | Theology/Accuracy The theology is poetic and easy to understand. The metaphors Wright uses are rich and spot on. The narrative he draws on is rooted in the Text. |
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| Readability Wright is easy to read and this particular book is very accessible with few, if any, theological terms. |
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 | Uniqueness The insights Wright brings to the Lord's prayer are very unique as are his reflections and practical response for the people of God. |
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| Importance An important work on the Lord's Prayer and the reflections for the people of God. If you are studying the Lord's Prayer, this is a must have. |
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| Overall I would recommend this book to any follower of Jesus who would like to be stirred to daily prayer as Jesus prayed and action as Jesus and His disciples ushered in the Kingdom of God. |
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