“Why did Christ command us to call God ‘Father’?”
That’s question 120 of the Heidelberg Catechism, the first in a series of ten on the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer.
They asked the question 450 years ago, but it is still a good one — and timely now for reasons the authors never would have guessed. Today calling God “Father” is deeply troubling to many people.
“How dare the Heidelberg Catechism command me to call God ‘Father’? Are you telling me I have to think of God as male? Unbridled patriarchy!”
The writers of the Catechism would point out that they are not commanding anything. Jesus is the one who makes it a command.
In Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer he says
“This then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father…’” (Matthew 6:9)
In Luke’s version he says
“When you pray, say, ‘Father…’” (Luke 11:2)
“Command” may be putting it a little strongly, but Jesus is clearly telling us to address God this way in prayer.
Now of course a 16th century catechism will not approach this issue with the same sensibilities as a 21st century feminist. Let’s be clear:
- Heidelberg does not soft pedal the idea of God as Father, apologizing for the masculine language or making it optional.
- Heidelberg does not hammer home the idea of God as Father, becoming insistent or belligerent about masculine language.
- There is simply no discussion of gender here at all. It would be a mistake, in my opinion, to use this Q&A to argue either side of that debate.
So if we start where the Catechism starts, acknowledging that Jesus did say to pray to God as “Father,” what do we find? The answer gives us three reasons — or more accurately, one very helpful reason with two substantial explanations of where praying this way can take us.
First the reason: We are taught to call out to God as “Father”
“To awaken in us…a childlike reverence and trust…”
It comes at the beginning of prayer to set our attitude just where it needs to be: aware of our need for help, and aware that God is able and willing to help us. There is something foreign to western culture in associating this with “reverence,” but in many cultures (including biblical cultures) reverence may be just the right attitude toward parents and elders.
So should everyone in the world think of God as “Father”? Is “the Fatherhood of God” a sort of general characteristic? That is what 19th century liberal theology taught. 16th century Reformed theology would say “no.” And this is the first explanation of where praying this way can take us. We call out to God with reverent trust as “Father” because
“…through Christ God has become our Father…”
It is a particular gift to Christians to be able to call God “Our Father.” The writers understood salvation as adoption into God’s family through Jesus Christ. Before we were strangers to God — maybe even enemies. Now, only because of Jesus, God’s only begotten son, we too are adopted as beloved children. By this way of thinking, calling God “Father” expresses the nature of salvation.
Finally the catechism emphasizes the nature of the trust this is intended to express:
“…just as our parents do not refuse us the things of this life,
even less will God our Father refuse to give us what we ask in faith.”
Perhaps this assumes we had good and generous parents — and if so, we know God is more generous still. But if we had ungenerous, problematic parents, by adoption through Christ we now have a kind and gracious Father. And we are invited to ask for what we need, knowing this wise and loving adoptive Father is willing and able to provide for our deepest needs.
Do you find it a help or a hindrance to pray to God as “Father”?
What other ways do you find yourself addressing God in prayer?
___________________
If you like the post I hope you’ll share it!
Click here to tweet this: “Does it matter if you pray to God as “Father”? @garynealhansen #Jesus #prayer. http://bit.ly/YVd8Uj”
Click here to tweet this: “Check out @garynealhansen on Heidelberg Catechism and the Lord’s Prayer. #prayer #YRR. http://bit.ly/YVd8Uj”
I do find it limiting to pray to God as the “Father”. I find it more intimate to pray to God in terms of God’s character: forgiving God, faithful God, redeeming God, gracious God, just God, loving God, sovereign God, etc. The ways I address God in prayer vary with my needs at the time, and – for me – this makes for a more dynamic relationship based on both knowing and being known. What a gift indeed!
Thanks for starting off the conversation, Margaret!
I find myself addressing God in a similar variety of ways as you describe. It may be a product of growing up on the collects in the Book of Common prayer. I would not be at all surprised to find the writers of the Catechism doing the same thing in actual practice — you don’t find every prayer in early Reformed liturgies starting off “Our Father…” However I think you can find even in those other ways of framing a prayer the same emphasis on trust and reverence which they draw from this phrase of the Lord’s Prayer.
Luke 11:1-13 and Matt 6:7-14 tells us that the prayer Jesus taught his disciples also promises the Holy Spirit (Luke) and calls to us to forgive, lest we not be forgiven (Matthew). As we are called to entrust our Father with every need, we are also pretty much commanded to forgive (do I really have to?), and promised the gift of the Spirit (and where will that take me?). God will provide for us, yet, but will also move us along further that we ourselves choose to go. My father – a lovely man and excellent provider – would have been the first to say he wanted me to stay within the bounds of his protection – always! But God as parent has some very different notions, some of which are unknown or hard for us. This is why I can take the human word “Father” (or “Mother” for that matter) only so far in applying it to God…
Yes, both within the Lord’s Prayer and when read in either of its contexts, there is a lot to it — I think of it as the core of biblical prayer, and (following Luther’s lead — see my chapter on him in Kneeling with Giants) a guide to the whole range of topics we need to be bringing to God.
Your way of talking about taking parental language only so far in applying it to God points, I think, to a different way of thinking about this than they tended to have in the Reformation.
It sounds, by your example, like you are looking to your experience of having a parent (one could also look at being a parent) and sensing that some of this creates relevant analogies, and some of it does not.
For Heidelberg’s writers, and much early Reformed thinking, this was not the intent. They are starting instead with a biblical narrative of our salvation — Jesus is God’s only begotten son, and we are adopted by God as beloved children and heirs along with Jesus. Once that is established as the nature of salvation (adoption by God) the Lord’s Prayer is simply putting it into the words of prayer: God has become “our father” through Christ, so we call out to God that way. Other texts of the period will point out that the plural is very important — it is not simply that God is MY Father. We are all together as the Church drawn into this relationship.
In this sense they are starting “from above” and you are starting “from below”.
Thanks, Gary, for working through this with me. I do understand – and am grateful for – my adoption as a child of God. I am working “from below”; because Jesus is the revelation of God, as an adopted sister in Christ I learn more about God through him.
But that’s straying quite a bit from this portion of Heidelberg. I’m good at straying away from a thesis 🙂
I’ve never thought about the “Father” title only applying to Christians, but that would make sense. Interesting! Every Father’s Day, pastors seem to remind the congregation that we shouldn’t extrapolate our view of our own father to come up with a view of God the Father. I’ve never really understood why that must be an issue for so many (perhaps because my own dad is very loving). I don’t relate my view of an earthly father to my view of the heavenly Father at all – it’s like one word with completely different meanings to me, so I suppose I’ve never gotten too hung up on what it represents. I found your post interesting, however, in showing the role of the title in preparing our hearts for prayer as children. Great post!
Thanks so much Natasha!
Background makes a ton of difference. From the get-go, for some people praying to God as Father is either no problem at all, or a big problem as Susan’s story points out.
I pray addressing Gos in a wide variety – but to the same purpose – of quieting my heart & focusing my mind on the true “otherness” of God. Sometimes I use the OT Jehovah names, like Jehovah Jirah, sometime as with Margaret, I use the attributes of God or the loving actions proven out in Biblical history & my own life. Sometimes I pray Triune God to remind me that I communicate & worship a 3 person Trinity. When my request is of the nature that belongs to the characteristics of either Jesus or the Holy Spirit (ex – point me to Christ & continue my sanctification – latter) I pray directly to them and end the prayer with “if it is your will Father”. Great posting. PS. I do have a friend who was abused as a child in atrocious ways and for years she simply could not pray Father. Her explanation was even with adoption, the mirror was like a distortion mirror at the circus. So she simply said “dear God”. After a series of events & an older NavPress study focused on distorted images of God,she was finally able to pray to OUR FATHER and recognize the gift of second chances.
Thanks Susan, especially for sharing your friend’s story. I’ve known people who have never found their way to a sense that they can pray to God as Father. I always hope that they can, despite that particular obstacle, find their way to a rich prayer life marked by the kind of trust and reverence the Catechism talks about.
Gary, I believe that the change in her heart was truly a healing miracle and the answer to many many prayers. I felt privileged & incredible compassion as I took on the role of “spiritual mother”/”discipler” as she unfolded her story during our times together over years together. But I also know others who have difficulty squaring an all knowing loving God with events in their past & in faith I bring them also to God in healing prayer. I believe part of the gift of our salvation is not only redemption & a becoming a new creation, but the ability and gift of God to overcome our past as we let God work within us. I think God is more focused in us as present-future than present-past. Old things have passed away. We can claim victory in Christ now.
Sorry typo. I meant God not Gos.