Our father, who art in heaven: The importance of the Lord’s Prayer in congregational song

Abstract

The Lord’s Prayer is known to many, even as early as childhood those, who can and do recite it from memory. It is prayed often in the context of worship settings: regular corporate worship, as well as funerals and weddings. The “Our Father,” as the prayer is often called, is perhaps the most well-known prayer in the Christian faith, yet what many have learned to recite from memory is not consistent with what is recorded in Scripture. The intent of this article is twofold. The first section offers a brief interpretation of the prayer, using the KJV translation of the Matthew text (6:9–13) plus the traditional but added-later conclusion. The second section offers a “congregational song” analysis of the prayer, employing the model of British hymnologist Brian Wren, who asserts, “Whoever sings to God in worship, prays twice.”