How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People

by Pete Greig

It’s fascinating to note that the first half of the Lord’s Prayer was not entirely original to Jesus. He seems to have adopted and adapted the opening lines from another contemporary prayer known as the Kaddish (one of the three most important prayers in Jewish liturgy)8, which went like this: Magnified and hallowed be his great name, In the world which he created according to his will And may he establish his kingdom during your life. The similarities to the Lord’s Prayer are striking: Magnified and hallowed be his great name. In the world which he created according to his will and may he establish his kingdom during your life. Our Father, in heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus incorporated traditional liturgy into his teaching, but it’s particularly interesting to note the lines that he adds, because in them we hear – with a sort of shock of recognition – Christ’s distinctive voice ringing out above the formal religion of his time.