The Lord's prayer through Lent Bible Study (Parts 1 and 2)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Note : it is quite possible you will not get through all of this Bible study in one session. It is really
two (or more) studies rolled into one, so feel free to break it up, for instance stopping after 'Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.' Conclude each section with prayer for and with one
another, in accordance with Jesus' gracious invitation and wonderful gift of identity as children of a
loving heavenly Father.
Opening: Leader opens in prayer.
1. Gathering (each member of the group can choose one of the following):
•
Do you like your name? Why or why not? If you could choose a name for yourself that
would tell others something about your character, what name would you choose?
•
OR: Tell about a good experience you remember with one of your parents from childhood.
What made that time special?
•
OR: Tell about your closest encounter with someone famous.
2. Wrestling with God's Word
Read aloud Luke 11:1.
Where would you put yourself on the following scale of prayer?
1 (beginner) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9 (expert)
What do you like about your prayer life? What would you like to change?
If you were with the other disciples, what would you like to ask Jesus about prayer?
Now read Luke 11:2-10.
Jesus' response to the disciples is very familiar to us. We call it 'The Lord's prayer.' But as you read
again through the Lord's prayer, and Jesus' subsequent teaching on prayer, is there anything that
strikes you as unusual or challenging about Jesus' response to the disciples?
'Our Father'
Australian theologian Dr John Kleinig writes the following startling quote in his book Grace upon
Grace: Spirituality for Today.
'Jesus teaches us how to pray by giving us the Lord's prayer. This is His prayer, the prayer that He
prays. He alone has the right to address God as Father; He alone has access to Him as His only
Son...Jesus gets us to join in with Him as He prays to His heavenly Father...
Since we are disciples of Jesus, He gives us much more than a set prayer that is to be the model for
all our prayers; He gives us His own status as God's Son and allows us to share in all the privileges
of his unique relationship with His heavenly Father...By giving us His prayer, Jesus puts us in His
shoes and involves us in His royal mission, the holy vocation as the royal Son of God...
Jesus identifies Himself with us and our needs, necessities, sins and temptations. He joins Himself
to us so that we can join Him in prayer and borrow everything from him.' (p162-163)
How does this quote reframe your understanding of the Lord's prayer and Jesus' answer to his
disciples?
God as our 'Father' wants nothing more than to 'be' with us, to enjoy company, conversation, and
time together. The greatest gift is the gift of relationship, and this is the first word in prayer: Father.
While some of us may have had bad experiences of our own earthly fathers (or mothers), God is the
'Father' we always wish we had had – the relationship of sons or daughters of God is one that is
meant to be whole, reconciled, and holy. Jesus came to bring us into this relationship and restore us
in it when we fall away.
In what way is identity more important than activity in prayer? How does this understanding liberate
you from some of the modern teaching about prayer as our own activity, something that we have to
'try hard to do'?
'In heaven'
Reflect on Jesus words 'our Father in heaven.' What images come to mind when you hear or think
of this phrase, 'in heaven'?
How do you think these words may be misunderstood?
Read John 1:1-5, Genesis 1:1-2, Ephesians 1:3-9.
How do these verses inform your understanding of what the phrase 'in heaven' means in relation to
God?
Read Ephesians 3:20-12.
What does it mean for you that you can address God as 'Father in heaven'?
From Martin Luther's Small Catechism:
1
“Our Father who art in heaven.”
What does this mean?
Answer: Here God would encourage us to believe that he is truly our Father and we are truly his
children in order that we may approach him boldly and confidently in prayer, even as beloved
children approach their dear father.(tr-547)
Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The book of concord : The confessions of the evangelical Lutheran
church (346). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
'Hallowed be your name'
From Martin Luther's small catechism:
“Hallowed be thy name.”
4 What does this mean?
Answer: To be sure, God’s name is holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may also be
holy for us.
5 How is this done?
Answer: When the Word of God is taught clearly and purely and we, as children of God, lead
holy lives in accordance with it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But whoever teaches and
lives otherwise than as the Word of God teaches, profanes the name of God among us. From this
preserve us, heavenly Father!
The name of God means not only a label which we attach to him, but carries the essence of God's
character, personality, honour, and holiness. The Name of God as revealed to Moses (“I am that I
am” or I AM – in Hebrew YHVH, or Yahweh) was considered as so holy by Jews that they would
not speak the Name aloud, even in prayer, except for the High Priest once a year, on the day of
Atonement, in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Is this level of reverence for God's name surprising? Do we hold anything quite so sacred in our
society?
How have you heard or seen God's name being mocked or degraded?
How might we, as God's people, 'hallow' God's name, or reverence it and hold it as holy, precious,
and sacred?
How will this be countercultural in our society?
Read Matthew 28:18-20.
Through our baptism, God himself adopts us as his children, and just as importantly, places God's
own name on us – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – so that we become bearers of God's name in the
world around us.
Tell the group about a time when someone recognised you as a bearer of God's name, or said
something about knowing that you are a Christian. What happened? Was this a positive or negative
experience?
Since God has placed his name on us, how do we become part of the answer to the prayer
'Hallowed be your name'?
To be able to hold God's name as holy means knowing God as Father, as Jesus has revealed him to
us, and being able to address God as Father. In other words, God's name is 'hallowed' when people
believe God's good news of reconciliation and relationship which is given through Jesus, and when
people put their faith and trust in God and relate to him as Father. So 'Hallowed be your name' has
to do with adoption, reconciliation, forgiveness, and justification (being made right with God).
How does this understanding expand your appreciation of the first petition, 'Hallowed be your
name?'
Have you ever had an experience of a friend or family member coming to faith in Jesus for the first
time? What happened? What was their reaction? What was your reaction? How is this part of the
answer to the prayer, 'Hallowed be your name'?
End of part 1 – (if you are stopping here, go to the 'LSF' section at the end, and spend some time
in prayer afterwards)
'Your kingdom come.'
From Martin Luther's Small Catechism:
“Thy kingdom come.”
7 What does this mean?
Answer: To be sure, the kingdom of God comes of itself, without our prayer, but we pray in this
petition that it may also come to us.
8 How is this done?
Answer: When the heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit so that by his grace we may believe
his holy Word and live a godly life, both here in time and hereafter forever.
Jesus' life and ministry was deeply connected with, and concerned with, the coming of 'the
Kingdom of God.' We see this from his earliest proclamation and preaching, throughout his life and
ministry, and right up to the time he went to the cross.
Read Mark 1:14-15.
What is Jesus' first proclamation?
Read briefly through the paragraph headings in your bible in Mark 1 and 2. What is Jesus doing?
How is this 'good news'? How do you think Jesus actions at the beginning of Mark's gospel are
connected with his proclamation of the 'coming of the Kingdom of God'?
If Jesus' ministry is indicative of the Kingdom of God, what glimpse do we get of what the
Kingdom of God is like?
Read Luke 17:20-21.
What does this passage say about the Kingdom of God?
Comparing this verse with Martin Luther's explanation of 'Thy Kingdom Come' (above), how does
the Kingdom of God come in a person's life? In what ways does 'the kingdom of God' differ from
earthly kingdoms? How does the coming of 'The Kingdom of God' transform people, cultures and
societies?
Read John 18:33-37.
What does this passage indicate about the Kingdom of God?
How do you see the 'Kingdom of God' coming in your own life? What difference does it make?
Where do you get glimpses of the Kingdom of God at work in the world around you?
Where do you see powers that resist the coming of the Kingdom of God?
The 'Kingdom of God' is the GRACIOUS rule and reign of God in people's lives, when they
believe the Gospel, the good news that God's Kingdom comes as a gift through the life and ministry
of Jesus. The Kingdom of God is a peaceable kingdom, a revolution of the human heart by the
power of the gospel, weeding out hatred, idolatry and egotism, and planting love, true worship,
forgiveness and servanthood.
In what way do these insights expand your appreciation and perception of the Second Petition,
'Your Kingdom come?'
How is this good news for you? How could it be good news for the world around you?
'Your will be done on earth as in heaven.'
From Martin Luther's Small Catechism:
“Thy“ will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
10 What does this mean?
Answer: To be sure, the good and gracious will of God is done without our prayer, but we pray
in this petition that it may also be done by us.
11 How is this done?
Answer: When God curbs and destroys every evil counsel and purpose of the devil, of the
world, and of our flesh which would hinder us from hallowing his name and prevent the coming of
his kingdom, and when he strengthens us and keeps us steadfast in his Word and in faith even to the
end. This is his good and gracious will.
Some people consider the 'will of God' to be a mysterious, perhaps unknowable force. Some people
seem to imply that God has a particular 'will' for each and every tiny part of our life, and that if we
'miss' God's will we can't get back on track. Others think that God's will is irresistable.
Do you think it is possible to resist God's will? Why or why not?
Have you heard people say (of terrible disasters or tragic events) 'It must have been God's will'? Do
you agree or disagree that everything that happens is 'the will of God'?
A good question to ask may be, 'what is NOT God's will?' Read 2 Peter 2:9 and John 3:17. What
do these verses tell you about what is NOT God's will?
Can you think of other things that are NOT God's will? Does Luther's explanation of the third
petition (above) indicate some other things that are NOT God's will?
So, what is 'the will of God' that we pray for in this petition?
We need to begin to think biblically about the 'will of God' as we pray this petition.
Get different people in your group to choose one of the following passages each. Have them read
the passage aloud to the group, then reflect in their own words what is 'the will of God' revealed in
that bible passage.
Isaiah 53:8-11
Matthew 26:36-42
John 6:38-40
What picture is beginning to emerge about God's will from these three passages?
Ephesians 1:9-10
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
What is the overall picture of 'God's will' that comes through in these three passages?
Perhaps the 'will of God' could be best summed up by reading aloud, together (in the same version)
1 Timothy 2:4.
How can you be part of God's answer to the prayer, 'Your will be done on earth as in heaven?'
LSF – LOVE one another, SERVE the world, FOLLOW Jesus
Have each person choose one petition (or part) from the Lord's prayer that you have studied, and
answer the following question:
How does this part of the Lord's prayer invite you and equip you for the life of
-Loving One Another?
-Serving the World?
-Following Jesus?
What could your group do together (that you couldn't do alone) to practice these aspects of life in
the next month?
In your group, plan a non-Bible-study get together to Love, Serve or Follow.
What will you do? Plan now.
CLOSING: end with prayer for one another and the group. Pray for Jesus to teach you how to
pray; to lead you into intimacy and conversation with your heavenly Father. Pray for the
holiness of God's name, the coming of his Kingdom, and the doing of his will in situations
specific to your life or what is currently happening.