Today’s
scripture is the opening of The Lord’s Prayer. Often I rush past the
greeting to get to the “meat” of the prayer but today I decided to pause and
think about the address that makes the rest of the prayer possible.
Our
Father…
Our…
not My Father but Our Father. It is a call to corporate prayer and the
prayer most often used in corporate worship. It is also a declaration
that I am part of a family. I have brothers and sisters in my
faith. We are bonded by blood of a different sort, the blood of Jesus
Christ.
Father…this
implies that I am a child. God’s child. A child of the King, the
creator of the universe. This is something I need to be reminded of from
time to time.
One of
my favorite Christian music artists is Mark Schultz. He has an upbeat,
uplifting song called “You Are a Child of Mine.” It is written from God’s
perspective and contains timeless truths that encourage me and remind me of who
I am in God’s eyes. Here are the lyrics:
I've been hearing voices
Telling me that I could
Never be what I wanna be.
They're binding me with lies,
Haunting me at night,
And saying there's nothing to believe.
Somewhere in the quietness,
When I'm overcome with loneliness,
I hear You call my name.
And like a father You are near
And as I listen I can hear You say
[Chorus:]
You are a child of Mine
Born of My own design
And you bear the heart of life.
No matter where you go,
Oh, you will always know
You have been made free in Christ.
You are a child of Mine
And so I listen as You tell me who I am
And who it is I'm gonna be.
And I hang on every word,
Knowing I have heard
I am Yours and I am free
But when I am alone at night
That is when I hear the lie
You'll never be enough
And though I'm giving into fear
If I listen I can hear You say
[Chorus]
I am calling..
I am calling..
I am calling..
[Chorus]
Telling me that I could
Never be what I wanna be.
They're binding me with lies,
Haunting me at night,
And saying there's nothing to believe.
Somewhere in the quietness,
When I'm overcome with loneliness,
I hear You call my name.
And like a father You are near
And as I listen I can hear You say
[Chorus:]
You are a child of Mine
Born of My own design
And you bear the heart of life.
No matter where you go,
Oh, you will always know
You have been made free in Christ.
You are a child of Mine
And so I listen as You tell me who I am
And who it is I'm gonna be.
And I hang on every word,
Knowing I have heard
I am Yours and I am free
But when I am alone at night
That is when I hear the lie
You'll never be enough
And though I'm giving into fear
If I listen I can hear You say
[Chorus]
I am calling..
I am calling..
I am calling..
[Chorus]
Here’s
a link to the song if you would like to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExLouwVF4Q4
We have
been made free in Christ. That’s the good news of Easter!