Heavenly Pa... ta!
This month, and more specifically, this Father's Day, Anna Martin, administrator for Hope for Every Home reflects on who our Heavenly Father is, what His love for us means and how we get to respond...
Heavenly Pa ta. One very short sentence with three powerful words. This cute little phrase is something I've come to love. It brings back fond memories of trips to see my grandparents. Every meal time we would all sit round their dining table, my Nanna would bring in one of her tasty homemade dishes, and would let me and my brothers roll their prayer dice. We then got to read a meal-time prayer from whichever side the dice landed on... one of these sides being Heavenly Pa, ta.
A shortened version of 'Father God in Heaven, thank you for this meal'. I'm pretty sure my brothers and I were keen for the dice to land on this prayer, mainly because we could dive into our meal that much faster! But as the years have gone by, this simple phrase has stuck with me. If I were to say ‘Heavenly Pa’ with my family now, I’m pretty sure they could all finish the prayer off without hesitation!
Bringing our thanks and praise to our Heavenly Daddy, who's full of love, is the focus of this month’s blog. But first, a nod to earthly fathers, especially in the lead up to Father's Day. I am very blessed to have an amazing earthly father, who makes me laugh with his silliness (even now I'm in my early 40s!), who's full of wisdom and advice (always on the end of a phone call if I need help) and most importantly, who shows me how to live life with our Heavenly Pa. For this, I am, and will always be truly thankful.
And the best bit is, my father is made in the image of the Almighty Father! Let's just stop and grasp this for a moment: Elohim - the Creator of the Universe, El Shaddai - the all-powerful God, Jehovah Rophe - the Lord who heals... is with you and me, now and forever. Wow! (Confession - you may think I know my stuff, but I've just looked up these names in my toddler's 'I AM: Names of God' book!)
Back to my teenage years for another trip down memory lane. We're still sat around my grandparents dining table. Still enjoying my Nanna's delicious cooking. But this time, we turn our attention to the tape recorder on the nearby shelf - a regular source of amusement (and embarrassment) whilst staying with my grandparents! On goes a tape that was recorded when my brothers and I were very young> The tape proceeded with us chatting, singing and playing instruments for my grandparents to listen to! (Basically, the equivalent of a family WhatsApp group now - with shared videos in it!) My middle brother was particularly good at singing (not sure he would say so now!) and one of the songs captured on tape, which again, has stayed with me until this very day, is the song 'Father We Love You.'
Although my brother's language was still developing and it came out more like 'Faver,' it was still one of my Nanna's favourites—and now, I have the honour of singing it to my nearly two-year-old son at bedtime. But what’s so special about this song, and other worship songs, for that matter? Why do we sing about our Heavenly Father? Why do we love him? Because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Father God created the heavens and the earth, and chose humans to be his friends. And despite us humans messing up, and even choosing to walk away from him, Father God had mercy on us. He showed us grace, by sending His only Son, Jesus, to make a way back into relationship with him, through excruciating pain and selflessness on the cross. Father God showed his almighty power by raising Jesus back to life, and if that’s not enough, after Jesus ascended back to heaven to be with his Father, he sent his Holy Spirit so that we would not be alone. So that we could have help whenever we need it. So that we could still have this awesome friendship today.
That’s how much he loves us.
What a Heavenly Father we have! I feel this is particularly poignant, for those of us who don’t have good relationships with our earthly dads, or perhaps our earthly fathers or father-figures are no longer alive. I’m aware Father's Day might not be a happy time, and instead, could be an annual reminder of past pain. This is where our Abba Father, our Heavenly Pa can scoop us up in his loving arms to look after us. And this is where The Father’s Love Letter can be so special…
'The Father's Love Letter' is a selection of verses from the Bible woven together in the form of a letter written from Father God to his creation, his precious children… you and me. Verses such as ‘You are fearfully and wonderfully made.’ (Psalm 139:14), and ‘I love you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). In every place our earthly fathers fall short, our Heavenly Pa not only compensates—He exceeds, restores, and perfects. God is love. He epitomises all that is loving. He shows us, through Jesus, what love is all about. This same Daddy God invites us to come to him, sit on his lap to receive his love and adoration. Just wow. What a priceless gift.
Speaking of gifts, is it just me, or is buying for dads and father-figures on Father’s Day surprisingly hard? There are only so many stereotypical brown socks, ties and chocolate boxes one man can handle! (Though I can’t complain—now I have a son, he’s the inspiration behind most of the gifts these days!) Thankfully, gifts don’t actually have to be the be all and end all, because Father’s Day is an opportunity to reconnect with our Almighty Father. To say ‘Ta’ to our Heavenly Pa. To remember all that Jesus has done for us, and his new commandments in Mark 12:30-31: Love God and love one another.
Perhaps there’s more to Father’s Day ‘25 than years gone by… what if we used this day to love one another? To shower those around us with the love of our Abba God? Surely this is the best gift we could give our Heavenly Father?! A great way to give this gift of love to those around us, it giving away the Father’s Love Letter. In addition to the beautiful animation, The Father’s Love Letter comes with resources, hints and tips to help you think about how to share this love letter with your community. Wouldn’t it be fab if this Father’s Day, we united together across the UK to love our neighbour, by sharing The Father’s Love Letter with those around us? Here at Hope for Every Home, we want every home in the UK to know that they are a beloved child of God, so the exciting news is that we are making 'The Father's Love Letter' FREE! You can download and print your own or we will send you as many copies as you need (just pay postage).
In the lead up to this Father’s Day, could you give away the Father’s Love, in the form of this special love letter? Could this be an expression of your love for our Heavenly Pa, and the love freely given to you? Just as Jesus explained to his disciples when sending them out, he says the same to us, 'Freely you have received; freely give.' (Matthew 10:8). So, let’s share the Father’s love with those around us. Those who need to hear it. Those who have heard it a thousand times, but need a fresh outpouring. Let’s show our love and thanks to our Heavenly Pa, by celebrating him this Father’s Day, singing ‘Father we love you’ and inviting others to shout out…
Heavenly Pa Ta.