The problem with the Lord's Prayer is neither its content nor its historicity, but its familiarity. Many congregants don't actually think of the meaning of the words or, if they do, find only comfort rather than a challenge. Little children still happily conclude that the deity's name is "Harold" fear that the major sin they might commit is trespassing on someone else's lawn, adn earnestly hope that they are never led "into Penn Station." When placed in a first-century Jewish context, the prayer recovers numerous connotations that make it both more profound and more political. It fosters belief, promotes justice, consoles with future hope, and recognizes that the world is not always how we would want it.
the Misunderstood Jew: the church and the scandal of the Jewish Jesus, by AJ Levine
how true.. and it made me giggle too
update: those crazy folks at church of the resurrection are talking up the Lord's Prayer as well.
