Daily Bread

‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

In this passage, Jesus reminds us of the importance of a right relationship with God who he describes as 'Father'.

Now, I know that many inclusive churches shy away from calling God 'Father'. We know that God is without gender, but there is something important about restoring right relationships with someone whom we can call 'father', because none of us received perfect love from our earthly fathers — even the good ones.

Last Sunday was Father's Day, and it was a reminder of how many of us have or had absent fathers, abusive fathers, ineffectual, or indifferent fathers. And some of us, no matter what gender we are, have taken on 'fathering' roles on behalf of others — both children and adults. We have expressed what we might think of as male traits, for example, to protect, guide, and provide. These are all aspects of God's character and good things.

The only way we can be healed from our lack of experiencing perfect love is to experience perfect love, and we do this by receiving that perfect love from our heavenly parent. Yes, God is both our mother and father, but for those of us who have struggled with the idea of calling God father, we can shy away or run away from it, perhaps embracing God as only our 'mothering' God. Perhaps we need to face the pain, work through it, and also come to know God as father?

If we unpack this teaching we can see that Jesus is reminding us not to seek approval from people but from God — to enter a child/parent relationship with a God who keeps us on the right path, guards us, and provides all we can ever want or need.

Holy God
You are both my
mother and my father.
Thank you that
you are without gender
and have what we describe as
feminine and masculine traits.
Help me to love and serve
you as my father,
and to lean into your guiding,
protecting, and providing love.
Now and forever.