Teachable Moments: Theological Reflections from the World's Most Familiar Prayer (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781400327300)

Teachable Moments consists of theological reflections on the world's most familiar prayer taken from the lips of Jesus Himself, repeated on a weekly basis in churches throughout the world. Many who claim the name Christian are captive to a culture that is in subtle if not direct contradiction to the radical implications of this Prayer. Teachable Moments confronts that unhealthy captivity. The radical nature of the Creator God as Abba Father, and what it means to be citizens of God's Kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven," deserves to be taken seriously.

Written in a readable and thought-provoking style, Teachable Moments will prompt new thoughts about Jesus' radical theology of God as Abba Father. When Jesus taught his disciples this brief prayer, he had an agenda much larger than just words to pray. He was concerned with our understanding of God and the nature of our relationship with God. He was teaching about the nature of Kingdom citizenship on earth as it is in heaven, the nature of forgiveness which breaks the unhealthy cycle of revenge, the nature of temptation and pervasive evil in the world. Jesus' goal was to correct and redirect all the wrong-headed misconceptions the world has accumulated about the one true God who He understood as Abba Father. Finally, this provocative book asks the all-important question: What kind of Jesus says and teaches things like these? Who are we following?

Teachable Moments is intended for the most faithful person occupying a pew on Sunday morning repeating these familiar words of The LORD's Prayer, but also it is for the person who never enters a church but nonetheless knows the words by memory. Adult Bible Study groups will find this book a beneficial curriculum for Bible study and discussion. Pastors will find these theological reflections helpful in sermon preparation on The LORD's Prayer.