My Daddy Work My Church

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

1 John 3:1

Young children can be incredibly open and honest, even to the casual stranger.  Whatever is important to them at the time, they talk about it.  Sometimes it’s cute.  Sometimes it’s embarrassing.  Sometimes it’s downright heartwarming!

Consider the honest concern of the little girl riding in the car with her parents and her maternal grandparents.   Sitting between her grandparents, she looked up at her grandfather and said, “Last night my daddy yelled at my mommy until she cried.”  Noting the embarrassment of his son-in-law (and, no, this story doesn’t involve me), the grandfather put his arm around his young granddaughter and replied, “Sometimes mommies and daddies do that, don’t they?  Even when they love each other very much.”  That event loomed large in the life of that child.  It concerned her and she wanted to sort it out by honestly sharing it with someone she trusted.

Many years ago, our son, not yet three years old, had a habit of talking to just about anyone that would listen.  For a while, he had a single message he wanted all of them to know.  “My daddy work my church!”  It warmed this daddy’s heart!  I was pleased to know that David considered his “daddy” as a big part of his life . . . and he wanted everyone to know all about his daddy!  It was enough to make this daddy’s heart swell!!

Thinking about this during one of those quiet moments of reflection, I realized something.  My son had another message to tell.  Listen to his declaration, again.  “My daddy work my church!”  It pleased me to hear him identifying the church at which I worked as “MY church!”  Two things were important in our son’s young mind.  Two things belonged to him: his daddy and his church.

When Jesus was on the cross, He called out to His “Abba” asking why He had forsaken Him.  Jesus was calling out to His “Daddy!”  On that cross, His Father gave up His Son for something incredibly important to Him . . . you and me!  Through His Son’s death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection, we know that sin, death, and Satan have been defeated.  They no longer have power over us.  Through Christ’s perfect life, His suffering and death, and His glorious resurrection, we have been adopted as God’s children, with all the benefits that come with being a Father’s child.  In faith, we can freely crawl up in His lap and talk with Him, anytime!  We can rest assured that He will let nothing take us away from Him!  We can be confident that He will do what’s best for us, even when things get tough!  We can know, without a single doubt, that He has an inheritance waiting for us . . . a perfect, forever life with Him in heaven!  What a blessing it is that, each time we pray the Lord’s prayer, we talk with our “Daddy” in heaven!

Now it’s our turn!  It’s our turn to be incredibly open and honest, even to the casual stranger.  We can speak of what’s important to us.  God is alive!  God is at work!  And He is at work through you and me, His Church! What an honor it is that we – His sons and daughters – have been invited to be part our “Daddy’s” work!

“My Daddy work my Church!!!”

As Jesus prayed . . .  “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father (Daddy), just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”                                                                          John 17:20-21

• Honestly, what’s most important to you?  How do your words and actions bear that out?

• What can you say or what can you do to share with others how important Jesus is to you?

In Him

Pastor Tim Lindeman