The Face of the Father

Life With the Father Begins at Birth

Life with the father begins the moment we’re born. I’ll never forget the moment my son Joshua entered the world. There’s something profoundly sacred about witnessing the birth of a child—life arriving, new and unfiltered, into the world. That moment was both incredible and terrifying. I remember the doctor handing me a pair of surgical scissors and saying, “Dad, you should cut the umbilical cord.”

Cutting the cord felt surreal. I wasn’t trained for that. I was dazed and unsure, but I did it. And then came the awe. The terror faded, replaced by joy, reverence, and wonder. And it’s that same sense of wonder we find in 1 John 1, where John describes his firsthand experience with Jesus:

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life..."

John is describing the moment when Life—true, eternal Life—entered the world in the flesh. Jesus, God’s Son, the Word, became one of us. It’s the incarnation: the infinite stepping into the finite, the Creator entering His creation, the light shining in the darkness.

God With Skin On
Jesus came into the world not as a divine warrior or heavenly being, but as a baby—just like my son Joshua. Vulnerable. Tiny. Human. John and the other disciples saw Him, heard Him, and even touched Him. They were eyewitnesses to the phenomenal truth that God became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Greek word John uses—phaneroō—literally means to make visible, to reveal. What was revealed? The phenomenalreality that the Creator of the stars nursed at His mother’s breast, that the Bread of Life would hunger, the Light would sleep, and the Way would grow weary on His journey. As Augustine once wrote, “Man’s Maker was made man.” The Incarnation is a mystery, but also a miracle: God became like us so we could draw near to Him.

The Father’s Face
Let me take you back to the delivery room one more time. After Joshua was born, a nurse called me over: “Dad, come quick. Your son is about to open his eyes for the first time. The first face he sees should be his father’s.” I rushed over. His tiny eyes opened—and met mine. I will never forget that moment. He doesn’t remember it, but I do.
That kind of awe and intimacy—that’s what John and the disciples experienced when they looked into the face of Jesus after the resurrection. It wasn’t just the man they’d known, it was God Himself. They touched Him. They heard His voice. They saw His glory.
Have you ever had that kind of moment with Jesus? Have you allowed yourself to see Him, to hear Him, to touch Him and be touched by Him? Or have you kept Him at arm’s length?

A Father for the Fatherless
On this Father’s Day, I know this truth hits differently for each of us. Some have had incredible fathers—faithful, loving, present. Others have had painful experiences, or no father at all. I once taught a group of sixth-grade girls who would rush to my classroom every morning—not because they were in my homeroom, but because they didn’t have fathers at home. They weren’t looking for gossip; they were looking for presence. For connection.
That longing—whether spoken or silent—is universal. We all have a deep personal need for a loving, present, forgiving father.

And we all have one.
Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son to show us the heart of our heavenly Father. When the son returned, broken and ashamed, the father didn’t scold him. He ran to him. He embraced him. He kissed him. That is our God. That is our Father.
Adopted Into the Family

Galatians 4:4–7 tells us that through Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family:

"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."

We are sons and daughters, not by birthright, but by grace. Through Jesus, the eternal Son, we receive a new name, a new inheritance, a new family.

So, Where Are You Today?
Have your eyes truly seen Jesus? Have your ears heard His voice? Have you reached out and touched Him, or felt His hand on your life?

Are you still trying to keep Him at arm’s length?

You may have had a wonderful earthly father or none at all, but you have a heavenly Father who loves you more than you can imagine. A Father who runs to meet you, who welcomes you home, who longs to hold you close.
And He’s not done yet. Your relationship with Him can always grow deeper, richer, fuller. His arms are open wide.

Happy Father’s Day.

Whether you celebrate today with joy or with grief, know this: You are loved by your Father in Heaven. And through Jesus, you are home.
If you’d like to talk more about that relationship, I’d love to chat or pray with you. Let’s draw closer to the Father together.