I remember moving to a church one June to begin my work as a pastor in a town I had never been to before. I didn’t know anyone in the town and decided to go to the local little league ball field the first evening I arrived in town. There were still many boxes to unpack, but I thought it would be a good way to meet some people and learn a bit about the city. I learned more than I anticipated, as I accidentally stumbled upon a significant truth.
One of my church members was a retired (and revered) football coach of the local high school. He had been there for many years and knew almost everyone in the county, much less the town. He had coached there for years, and his former players had children, and perhaps some even had grandchildren. One middle-school age boy who knew the coach came to speak to him, bringing a friend with him. The coach bantered with the boy for a couple of minutes and then turned to the boy’s friend, whom he did not know, asking, “And who are you?” The boy responded by telling the coach his name. The coach immediately shook his head and said, “No, I mean who are you? Who’s your daddy?”
At first, I chuckled at the exchange and then realized that the coach was trying to learn more about the boy than just his name. In fact, when he heard who the boy’s father was, he did know much about the boy. He knew his father, had coached his father and even knew the boy’s grandfather. He knew things about the boy’s history that helped shape which the boy was and was becoming. He knew the environment, belief system, and socio-economic situation the boy was immersed in daily. He understood much about the boy once he knew to whom the boy belonged.
Who You Belong to Matters
Only later, upon reflection, did I understand the deeper significance of the exchange. This talk shows us how we belong to a spiritual family. We are shaped by who we belong to or by “who our daddy is.”
Our Father is the one we look to for protection, provision, and guidance. Our Father deserves our respect and honor. He gives us our true identity. As Christians, who understand God to be our Father, we define ourselves by our family name. The Name of Christ means something…..it means much, in fact. It is the Name that is above every other name. We may not always live worthy of our name, but that does not mean that we should not desire and desperately try to do so.
Reflect Your Father
When someone asks, “Who are you...I mean, Who’s your Daddy?” - the name you give in response has a significant meaning. Be sure you know who you are, and make sure you live as a reflection of the Father you belong to.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.