Talking about “grace” is like saying, “isn’t marriage good,” when I can say instead, “isn’t Carol amazing!” Some of us just say “Daddy;” we can do better than that. Some of us just say, “We worship you;” we can do better than that. We can pray together, “Lord God Almighty, we call you Daddy because you invite us. We call upon you with our deep heart’s desire that you be worshiped by all your people everywhere, archangels too.”

My mother Kathryne was a high school teacher in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and she loved it there.  There are those two beautiful little rivers, the Eau Claire and the Chippewa.  So she named me Clair.  What if she’d called me Chippewa?

In the Bible names are important. “Father” Abram became “father of many,” Abraham. His wife Sarai, “my princess,” became Sarah, “princess.” (How was that a promotion? From Abraham’s “princess” to “princess for all of us”?)  Because they laughed out loud at God’s promise that two old folks who’d never had a baby were about to; “laughter,” Isaac, came along.

Simon, “faithful,” became Peter, “rock.” There was that night when that name Simon didn’t fit at all, but how could you get better than faithful anyway? Well, the answer is he was the first to say, “Jesus, you are the Christ!” That’s better than being reliable, giving Jesus his right name. That’s what a Rock does.

Of all the names in the Bible the name of “God” is the most important. There’s even a commandment: don’t take his name in vain. That’s more than cussing, Presbyterians are so upper-class we don’t do that anyway. It’s what Malachi 1:6-8 talks about:

“If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord Almighty. It is you O priests, who show contempt for my name. But you ask, ‘how have we showed contempt for your name?’ You place defiled food on my altar. But you ask, ‘how have we defiled you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong?” 

That’s clear enough. “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” means don’t call him “Lord” and treat him like a TV rerun. Don’t talk about following Jesus and not mean it. Now that’s sobering. Who is up to that? We need to pray.

Jesus taught us how, to say this first: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Father, Abba, Daddy—doesn’t that encourage you, that you are called to come that close to God Almighty? Right up on his lap.

“Daddy, the first thing I want from you, please see to it that you are honored and worshipped. That’s the biggest thing in my heart, it was cold and indifferent, but you’ve changed me, now what I want the most is that you are worshipped by all of us. Start, Daddy, with all those angels and archangels, may they get up early today and sing new songs to you. May your people all over the world do that too, those who just got to know you today and also us old-timers who are prone to forget who you are, may our hearts have one big reality in them, how worthy you are! Daddy, we are so forgetful and so weak, turn our hearts in worship to you right now! We have neglected you, but you are our Daddy and you hear us!”

People have called me a grace-boy and they were right—and I repent. Sinclair Ferguson taught me that; why talk about grace so much when we can say instead, “Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I worship you, help me honor you better and better!”

Talking about “grace” is like saying, “isn’t marriage good,” when I can say instead, “isn’t Carol amazing!” Some of us just say “Daddy;” we can do better than that. Some of us just say, “We worship you;” we can do better than that. We can pray together, “Lord God Almighty, we call you Daddy because you invite us. We call upon you with our deep heart’s desire that you be worshiped by all your people everywhere, archangels too.”

Dr. D. Clair Davis, lives in Philadelphia, Penn., is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, and is a Professor Emeritus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.