In the Name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Happy
Father’s Day! Today we remember those
who have been faithful fathers and father-figures in our lives. Our Lord gives us fathers as earthly
illustrations of His love, care, and mercy.
For we have a God who is Father.
The Father of our Lord Jesus, from whom both proceeds the Holy
Spirit. Yet they’re not three gods but
one God. Distinct Persons but not
separate. The Holy Trinity. The One true God who reveals Himself in three
Persons. It’s a mystery that our mind
simply cannot comprehend, our language isn’t even able to describe it
perfectly, no analogy that sums it up rightly, not even a symbol that
accurately reflects the three in one and one in three. The best we can do is simply confess the
words of the Athanasian Creed, “We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in
Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.”
This
triune God that we have acts and works on our behalf, for our benefit. It’s
amazing that we have a God who is father, who begets His Son from eternity
before creation, before there was even such a thing as time. But He does.
And then He gives His Son into death and raises Him again “for us and
for our salvation.” The Father offers up
His Son for a world who doesn’t even appreciate such a gift. The Father sends His Son to die for you and
He willingly and gladly goes. No other
god that anyone has invented, no idol that’s ever been crafted would do such a
thing; die for its creation. But our
Triune God does. When Jesus was hanging
on the cross and gave up His Spirit, God, the Second Person of the Trinity, died. For you.
Through His shed blood and by faith, we have Jesus as our brother and so
we also have God as our Father.
It’s a mystery why
God would allow us to call Him Father.
For so often we’re the prodigal son who go our own way, who wallow in
our own filth like pigs. We’re the
rebellious teenager who thinks that we, somehow, know better than our Heavenly
Father. We think He’s holding out on us,
doesn’t want us to have the fun that we’re entitled to. We view our Heavenly Father more a crotchety
prude than the almighty, eternal, powerful, loving God.
What should a
child of the Most High look like? How
should such a child act in the world?
Should a child of God curse, swear, or tear down the neighbor with juicy
gossip? Should such a child of God allow
his eyes to wander to images on a computer screen that are sinful? Should such a child ignore the Father’s gifts
of His Word and His Holy Sacraments to chase after something that is more
“fun?” When God gave His Law to Moses on
Sinai He not only commanded what the people are to do and not to do, but the
Commandments describe how God’s people could be recognized. They won’t have any other gods. They won’t be committing adultery, they won’t
be lying or slandering their neighbors.
How
good of a child have you been? His Law
is holy and we’re not. Our Triune God is
holy and we don’t deserve to be called His sons and daughters. Yet, God will not stand to cast number you
with the lowly servants, He so desires to be our Father. It’s a mystery because we have no right to
address Him with such an intimate title.
Yet Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father.” Not “Our Master.” Not “Our Conqueror.” Not even “Our Creator.” But “Our Father.” Isn’t that astounding! Because the truth is the Father only has one
eternally begotten Son. He adopted the
rest of us.
Jesus,
the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, God incarnate, in human flesh,
stands with the eleven on a mountain in Galilee. Having been crucified and raised, having paid
for your sins with His blood, having completed the work of salvation, He sends
the eleven out to do two things: baptize and teach – the means by which God
makes disciples. The means by which He
adopts us as His own dear children.
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Actually, a little more accurate to say,
baptism them into the Name. Just like our earthly fathers gave us his
name, his last name, that which identifies us as part of the family, so does
our God give us His Name. Note that
Jesus doesn’t command that nations be baptized into the names, but the Name of
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In
baptism, you’re been born again, brought through the water combined with God’s
Word and made part of God’s family, marked with the very Name of the Triune
God. God gifts you with His Name and
with His Name all the other gifts are given to you because God has made you His
Son, His daughter, an heir of His heavenly kingdom.
Even
more, in baptism, God not only gives you His Name. He gives you Himself. Entirely.
Completely. Wherever God places
His Name He’s there with His gifts, with the Son’s forgiveness and blessings which
come flowing from the cross.
Because
we have Jesus as our brother, we have God as our Father. Covered in the blood of the Son, who gave His
life on the cross for you, we’ve been made worthy, made holy to come before God
and dare to call Him Father. It’s His
work of creating you anew, giving you new birth, giving you His Name. Even when you go our own way, roll around
with the pigs for a time; He’s there ready to hear your confession and eager to
forgive for the sake of His Son. Even
when we’re the rebellious teenager who thinks that we
know what’s best for us, as we ignore His Law, He stands patient watch
throughout the night of your sin, waiting for you to come to your senses and
repent and receive His forgiveness that He so delights in giving, sending the
angels into a frenzy of joy.
You’ve
been brought into the family of God, the adoption papers signed with the blood
of Christ. Not because you’re worthy of
it, not because you’re holier than anyone else, but because you’ve been made
worthy to be given the title a Son, a daughter of God; made holy to stand in
His presence because the Father offered up His only begotten Son into death for
you. Because you’ve been reborn through
water and the word.
So
if you ever find yourself doubting your status before God. If you ever find yourself ridden with guilt
because of this sin or that. If you ever
find yourself wondering if God still accepts you as His own dear child look not
inside yourself. There you’ll only find
more heartache. But look to the
cross. Jesus died for you. Look to your baptism. God has spoken those words over you, “I
baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.” Look to the Supper, where Jesus
Himself is placed into your mouth. These
all come from outside of you, they’re works of God for you. And when you come before God desiring His
forgiveness He has to give it to you.
After all Jesus took your place on the cross. After all, you’re part of the family. Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
