I believe it’s going to be a truly significant day, as we celebrate God’s faithfulness to us over the last year, and combine it with some visionary thoughts for the next stage of our journey together here at CCC. To add to the sense of celebration, it’s also Fathers’ Day! We honour our dads; they are often our unsung heroes, and it’s important that we give thanks for them today.
It is no coincidence that we are looking at the theme of ‘generations’ as the centrepiece of our vision and the role of fatherhood is a key component. We need spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children to bring that vital sense of family to the life of the church of Jesus Christ. Our relating together generates spiritual health, accountability, acceptance, wisdom, learning, love and grace.
God himself recognises the importance of the sense of family and the relational ties that go with it: the title of ‘Father’ and ‘Son’, taken up by two thirds of the trinity, are not biological statements, they are declarations of relationship, love, honour and belonging. In 1 John 3:1 we see how the father-heart of God transfers to the followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.
The scripture declares, ‘How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Today the Father’s love is passed on through the generations as each individual finds their place in the body of Christ and dares to live in the truth of this statement: we are children of God … this is what we are!