Into the Prayer Life of Jesus : "Our Father..."
This is our Sunday teaching from Senior Pastor, Lesley Thompson. Recorded live at our service in Harris Academy Purley, Croydon on Sunday 14th September, 2025. Below you can find the full talk audio, and a summary article.
Want to lead a Connect Group session on this teaching? The notes are here!
Into the Prayer Life of Jesus: “Our Father”
This Sunday, Leslie launched our new series Into the Prayer Life of Jesus, exploring how Jesus prayed and what it means for us to follow in his footsteps. We began right at the start of the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father.”
In the Old Testament, God revealed himself to Moses as Yahweh—“I am who I am.” He was holy, awesome, and unapproachable; to see him face to face was to die. Yet when Jesus prayed, he addressed this same God with astonishing intimacy: Father. Even as a 12-year-old, Jesus spoke of being in “my Father’s house.” Later, his disciples noticed how differently he prayed and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” His answer in Luke 11 begins with the simple, breathtaking word: Father.
This shift changes everything. Through Jesus, we too can call God our Father—not distant or transactional, but present, responsive, and relational. A good father protects, provides, teaches, and disciplines out of love. Leslie shared her own story of resisting her dad’s discipline as a teenager, only to realise later that his boundaries were an expression of care. In the same way, Father God doesn’t always give us what we want, but he always gives us what we need.
Of course, many of us struggle with this language. Our experiences of earthly fathers—whether absent, controlling, or simply human—can distort how we see God. Leslie encouraged us to recognise this “transference” and let the Holy Spirit heal our pain so that we can encounter God as he truly is.
So how do we do that? Leslie gave three steps:
Resolve the transferences – bring your past experiences to God in prayer, in connect groups, or with trusted friends, and invite him to bring healing.
Get to know the real Father – immerse yourself in Scripture, where Jesus reveals God’s character clearly.
Meet with him face to face – because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the temple curtain has been torn; nothing separates us from our Father’s presence.
In a world full of distractions—especially the constant pull of our phones—learning to be still with God takes practice. Leslie suggested even creating a “prayer refuge”: setting aside time and space to meet Jesus personally and listen for his voice.
As we continue this series, the invitation is simple yet profound: to pray like Jesus prayed, beginning with those two life-changing words—Our Father.