The word “Father” is perhaps the most
God could have called himself anything but He chose to reveal himself as Father. It was Jesus’ favorite term for addressing God the Father. He prayed “Abba” — papa, daddy — a word of endearment, affection and intimacy. That was something unprecedented in Judaism and in world history. Amazingly, God invites us to call him “Abba, Father.” As a dad and grandfather, I’m humbled to think I have been bestowed with a title that God claimed for himself.
For this Father’s Day, let us remember that human fatherhood is patterned after divine fatherhood. Every one of us human fathers is an imperfect reflection of our perfectly loving, heavenly Father. Yet the foremost call of every father in this life is to live in such a way that his children glimpse what God the Father is like.
For many of us, Father’s Day is not easy because we had or have a difficult relationship with our earthly father. Growing up, we may not have really known him, even if we lived with him. I know something about that. My dad wasn’t there for me. He was absent, and we were estranged for much of my life.
My dad and I never played catch, or hunted or fished together. We never worked on cars, hugged or just hung out. He never saw me play ball, learn to swim or ride a bike, or graduate from high school and college, or get married.
