What does it mean to pray: Our Father in Heaven?

So, I know I haven't posted in forever, I'm really sorry. But here's a talk I did at Keswick for some teenagers and I think it is so relevant for us everyday whatever age we are. Take 5, have a read, pray God blesses you in this!

Focusing on the first line of the Lord's prayer expanding what that means.

Our Father in Heaven.

We are a collective family,

If God is our Father, OURS collectively, have you ever thought about the implications of that? The fact that, we’re not in it for our own good, but all together as a family. The people sitting in this room, are your family. The wider attendees of Keswick convention. When we sit in small groups or the big marquee. Your church back home, they’re your family. The church down the road from you, they’re your family. Churches in other cities, other countries, christian’s we’ve never even heard about. Missionaries. Every single follower of Jesus is your brother or sister.

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about being a Christian like that before. I hadn’t really thought about it till I was at uni, and this past year it really showed in our church community; a year and a half ago my dad had a heart attack. I took him up to hospital before we knew what it was and later the doctor to us that my mum and brother needed to come. My mum doesn’t drive, I was stuck at the hospital with the car.

A lovely older lady from my church drove from her home 10 miles away to pick up my mum and brother and bring them to the hospital. We got home at some crazy time that evening, someone from church had left us a meal on the doorstep, none of us had eaten since lunch time. Over the next week people we’re putting meals into a friend’s freezer for us, bringing fresh fruit and veg for us, my mum had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so relies heavily on my and dad and me and my brother to help cook and things, So this constant ferrying of meals and shopping from church family was a huge help to her whilst me and my brother were working and visiting dad. That continued for a few months, and the help around the house/garden still is offered now. My dad recovered really well, but the church family really stepped in and were part of our family. 6 months later our friend’s husband died, her family all live away, so for a month or two she came to us to eat and rest because home was too painful for her, she still comes for lunch and bible study every Friday.

It's moments like that where we as a family have a chance to step up and look after each other. To put into practice being a family. And we want to do it because of Our Father. Our Father gave everything so we could be part of his family, so we should want to mirror his love in the way we relate to each other and the world.

God has given us this image of a family because it’s something we can grasp and live out. How are you being family to all those people I mentioned before? Prayerfully, practically?

If you’re ever stuck, think; what would I do for a brother of sister?

We don’t belong here. We belong with Our Father in Heaven. For now, we live out that family here on earth. We live in the love our Father showed. He’s Ours. And we are his. We are family.