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 I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices. Isaiah 65:2  

It seems to happen every time, without fail, that I walk away and leave my two older kids on their own, within five minutes, I’ll hear Elin scream (not because she’s in any real trouble, but because that’s the way she reacts to any slight from her big brother Isaac).  Sigh.  Do I let them figure it out, or go play referee?  Do I yell at them to behave or do I try to distract them?  It’s a never-ending battle.  

Being a father is a tough job.  It’s all consuming. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of wisdom and a lot of endurance. Most days, I feel like I’m batting 0-3 in those categories.  It can be exhausting and painful and tedious.  But the truth is, I wouldn’t change it for anything.  

I think God must feel that way too.  Does God tire of watching all of us mess up all the time? Does God tire our rebellious nature? Maybe.  But God’s love always wins out. As we approach Father’s Day, maybe it’s a good time to think about what it means every time we prayer to “Our Father.”   

When we think about God as a Father, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer each week, what are we saying?  Are we saying that God is literally a Father?  I don’t think that’s it. God is often compared to a mother throughout the Bible as well.  God transcends human categories, so it’s best not to take it literally.   

So what then?  Is it a metaphor?  I think it’s more than that.  We don’t pray, “God is like a father.” We pray to God our Father.  It’s both personal and relational – which is how I think we ought to think of it as.   

It’s about our relationship to God.  It’s about who God is and how God sees us.  We are claimed and loved.  God guides and encourages.   

It’s about us, being God’s children.   

And for that we say, Thanks be to God! Amen