Messianic Times Review

A Prayer To Our Father
Nehemia Gordon & Keith Johnson
© 2009 Hilkiah Press
175 pages
$19.95

Review by Gabriel Patton
 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever.] Amen.

There are a thousand variations in hundreds of languages of the Lord’s Prayer. It is perhaps the most commonly spoken prayer in almost every Judeo- Christian sect on earth. It is the only one ever written by Yeshua Himself, a gift to His people, every syllable full of solemn gratitude and hope. If this last statement is true, how can there be so many different interpretations? Which version is the true original, uttered by Yeshua and spread by His disciples? The most popularly recited prayer in Christianity and Catholicism, it is commonly accepted that these verses of Scripture (Matthew 6: 9–13, and Luke 11:2) are translated from the Greek. But God did not choose to reveal His Word to the world in Greek. He intentionally chose the Hebrew language as the conduit for his message. So what does it all mean?

This is the question that A Prayer To Our Father seeks to answer. More than just a simple exercise in translation and etymology, this book is a journey of discovery, and takes the reader from the United States to the Holy Land, from the locker rooms of the NFL to a secret underground vault guarded for a millennia by Jewish rabbis, a place so highly regarded that not even Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was allowed to see what was inside. It is within this sacred chamber that the true wording and indeed the full meaning of the Lord’s Prayer is revealed.

The authors, Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson, met over a discarded Torah Scroll, became fast friends, and spent years studying the Tanakh with a particular focus on the Gospel of Matthew, written in Hebrew. It is during this time together they embark on their spiritual journey. Nehemia is a Jewish Scholar raised in Chicago and living in Israel. Keith Johnson is a former chaplain for the Minnesota Vikings football team, and an African-American minister living in North Carolina. While they have very different philosophies, backgrounds and cultures, they find the common interest of knowing the full meaning of Yeshua’s message far outweighs any differences they have.

Most impressive is their intense focus on the exploration of the Hebrew origins of the Lord’s Prayer. Once they have resolved themselves to uncover its fullness, they do not stray for a moment. They allow the words from the text to be the mutual witness to each other, never once attempting to proselytize toward any particular denomination. A Prayer To Our Father takes what could have been a rather dry, academic subject and brings it to life with firsthand accounts of answers to prayer and confirmations of faith. This book demonstrates the Word of God can mean different things to many people, but its Divine origin makes its truths inexorable. MT

Printed with permission from The Messianic Times, September-October 2009, page 16.

Television Special on A Prayer to Our Father!

We just finished a great television interview in Odessa, Texas on Prime Time Christian Broadcasting’s program “Light of the Southwest”. The 2-hour television special will air this Wednesday night Aug 26 at 8-10pm (central time) and will be re-broadcast three times on Thursday Aug 27 at 1-3am, 7-9am, and 2-4pm. The program can also be watched at the above times on the station’s website (the link is on the left-hand side under “Watch GLC Live!”). We are excited that this program will be broadcast throughout West Texas and New Mexico as well as via satellite throughout North American, India, the Middle East, East Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia, North Africa, and the Philippines.

Bookstore Event in Charlotte

Things are really starting to happen! Our joint Colorado Springs presentation was a resounding success. After that event, Nehemia went on a 7-state speaking tour and we are now back together in Charlotte. This week we are doing three radio interviews and tonight we have a book event at Joseph-Beth Booksellers (South Park Mall, Charlotte), which is carrying our book. Next week we fly to Texas to film a 2-hour television special on Prime Time Christian Broadcasting.

Speaking in Charlotte

This coming Sunday, July 26 at 4-6pm, my co-author Keith Johnson and I will be speaking on our book “A Prayer to Our Father” at the Doubletree Inn & Suites in Charlotte, North Carolina (6300 Morrison Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211). The event will be sponsored by “United Israel” of Charlotte and hosted by Dr. James D. Tabor, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

We will also be doing a live interview on “Charlotte Talks” with WFAE host Mike Collins on Thursday, July 23rd, 9am (90.7FM).

In the coming weeks I will also be speaking in Boulder and Colorado Springs, Colorado, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in Borger, Texas, and in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Details for these events are posted on the appearances page.

I currently have a few open dates in my itinerary in August so if you would like me to come and speak at your congregation, please contact me.

 

 

 

 

Keith Johnson’s Sermon

I am currently traveling in the US speaking on my new book “A Prayer to Our Father”. This last Sunday my co-author Keith Johnson and I presented the book at a “Prayer and Reconciliation” meeting hosted by Sanctuary Covenant Church of Minneapolis, MN. The event was attended by 250 people from a wide variety of ethnicities and religious persuasions and denominations. At the meeting, the “Lord’s Prayer” was recited in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Swahili, French, and Hebrew.

Earlier that day Keith gave a sermon at the church based on information in our book. This was actually the first time I had ever been to a church service. I am not exaggerating when I say that Keith’s sermon was the most powerful and moving speech I have ever heard in my life. At several points in the sermon I was brought to tears! I want to strongly encourage both Jews and Christians to listen to this sermon, which is posted on the website of Sanctuary Covenant Church. The sermon is called "Get a Bigger Box" from July 12, 2009.

An mp3 of the sermon is also available.

Nehemia Gordon
Reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina

 

Pictures of Israel and New Endorsements of A Prayer to Our Father

Photographs of historical sites in Israel mentioned in “A Prayer to Our Father” by Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson have been posted on the book’s Facebook page.

The book continues to receive rave reviews and endorsements. One of the more notable comes from Professor Curtiss DeYoung of the prestigious Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota who wrote:

“There is much power in this story. And along the way the insights gained from reading the prayer with a Hebrew lens fascinate and inspire.”

Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Professor of Reconciliation Studies, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota

A number of Hebrew roots advocates have also written rave reviews including the following:

“I really enjoyed your book. I got quite emotional and not a little jealous of your experiences. Having been to Israel several times and experienced the amazing little treasures the LORD puts in our path, I really got into your adventure…”

Michael Beer, WildOlive.co.uk

“Wow! What an adventure the new book by Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson brings us… one cannot read nor understand the “Our Father” prayer the same way ever again…”

Robert Glantz, Webmaster, What Would Yahushua Do?

Numerous other endorsements from readers around the world have been posted on the testimonials page.

The book can be purchased from the order page.

The book is also available now from Amazon.com.