“The Child, So It Was Thought, Of…”

Luke 3:1– 6; 21 – 23b

Rev. Martin C. Singley, III

I was out at the mall during the Christmas season when I found myself walking behind a bunch of teenage boys. They ran into another group of kids wandering the mall - probably kids from the same school, maybe played on a team together because they obviously knew each other, and got engaged with all those clever handshakes, chest bumps, and other salutary greetings that kids use nowadays. Then I heard one of them say to another, “Who’s your daddy?”

I started laughing when I heard it. Couldn’t help it! I just thought it was kind of hilarious to hear a 13-year old boy say, “Who’s your daddy?”

And after I walked away, still giggling, I found myself wondering about the origin of that phrase, “Who’s your daddy?” Do you know where it got started? Well, I decided to do a little research.

I learned that during the 2004 American League Championship Series, New York Yankee fans called out that question against Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez. After losing a game to the Yankees, Martinez said, "They beat me. They're that good right now. They're that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy." So from then on, Yankee fans taunted Martinez with the question, “Who’s your daddy?” The irony is that the Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees, and then went on to win the World Series. “Who’s your daddy now, Yankee fans?”

But my research discovered that’s not when the phrase began.

If you are a Duke University basketball fan, you probably think you guys started it. You may remember that in the late 1990’s, players on the Duke team had tee-shirts and hats printed up posing that very question as they and coach K moved toward the NCAA finals. But that’s not where it started either. Earlier than that, Indiana University fans were already posing their own version of the question. They had posters that said, “Hoosier Daddy?” referring, of course, to coach Bobby Knight.

But, my extensive research shows that the question “Who’s your daddy?” goes back even earlier than that.

In fact, it goes back to 1968 when a band called The Zombies released a hit song called, “Time of the Season.” Remember? “What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? Is he rich like me?”

So now you know where the phrase “Who’s your daddy?” came from. But…not so fast! Further research suggests that the question goes back even earlier than 1968. I think we can trace it all the way back to the Bible – the Gospel of Luke – the third chapter – the 23^rd verse:

“Now Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son – SO IT WAS THOUGHT – of Joseph.”

“Who’s your daddy, Jesus?”

That’s one of the first questions asked about the baby born in Bethlehem, grown into a boy in Nazareth, and then baptized as a 30-year old man in the Jordan River by his cousin John.

“He was the son – SO IT WAS THOUGHT – of Joseph”, which is really just a religious way of saying, “Who’s your daddy?”

Now this question about Jesus has nothing to do with any abstract theological arguments about the Virgin Birth. Luke is working within a more immediate context located some 30 years removed from when the angel Gabriel came to Mary announcing that she was going to have a baby. You see, the question arises all these years later because something really strange happens when Jesus is baptized. As he comes up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove, and God speaks from heaven: “You are my Son, and I love you. I am well-pleased with you.”

Everybody thought he was just Joseph’s boy. But now, here comes another claim.

“You are MY Son,” God says.

And this contested parenthood in the baptism of the man Jesus, obviously attracts the attention of Luke the Gospelwriter. So right after he pens those words, “He was the son – SO IT WAS THOUGHT – of Joseph,” Luke takes us on a journey back through the family tree of Jesus. “He was the son – SO IT WAS THOUGHT – of Joseph, who was the son of Heli, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi…” and on and on Luke goes through all the generations right back to the very earliest roots of Jesus’ family tree. “…Methusaleh, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Mahalalel, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam…who was the son of – who?

GOD!

And right here in one of the most important passages in the Bible, we learn that the question, “Who’s your daddy?” should be asked and answered not only of Jesus, but also of the rest of us!

So let me ask you today, “Who’s your daddy?” And what does it matter who your daddy is?

When I was a boy, I played a lot of baseball. And I was pretty good with the glove – played shortstop and third base – and even earned the nickname “Butch (because that’s what I was called as a kid) ‘The Glove’ Singley.” Man, I was like a vacuum cleaner out there! Call me “Mr. Hoover!”

But I couldn’t hit to save my life! And being a pretty competitive athlete in those days, I felt awful about that. My best friend, Dennis Astrella, was a terrific hitter. He was all the time giving me tips about how to become a better hitter, and my coaches would give me extra batting practice. But to no avail. Still, I worked relentlessly at trying to become good with the bat.

Well, one day, my uncle Don was visiting at our house. He was my dad’s youngest brother and a very sports minded guy like the rest of us, so the conversation turned to baseball. Uncle Don asked me how my baseball career was going and I told him that I was good in the field, but not all that great at the plate. All of a sudden, uncle Don let out a great big belly laugh. “Oh,” he gleefully bellowed, “you’re definitely a SINGLEY! Everybody knows Singley’s can’t hit!”

Well, I was stunned. Shocked. Angry. All these years I had worked SO hard to become a better hitter, but now I knew it didn’t matter how hard I worked at it! I was a SINGLEY! I could NEVER be a good hitter! It was GENETIC!!!

One of the great advances in medical science in recent times is the discovery that much of who we are and how we are is predetermined by our genetic makeup. As our staff has been getting to know John and Darla and their family, we’ve learned that Bryson – their oldest – came out of the womb virtually singing – and with perfect pitch! Wonder where he gets THAT from? And everybody knows that Jake is Terry Blevins’ son. Jake is like a mini-me of his dad. And you’ve inherited things from your parents, too. Some of us have tall genes. Some have short genes. Some of us are left-brained while others are right-brained. Some of us come out of families where an illness runs rampant and life is cut short, and others come from families who seem to live forever. Who’s your daddy – and who’s your mommy – has a lot to do with who you are and how you are.

But…

There is another parental claim on your life.

You are the child of your parents who were the children of their parents who were the children of their parents… all the way back to Adam who was the child of – who?

God.

“You are MY son. You are MY daughter!” That’s God’s claim on you and me.

Now I’m sure that Jesus inherited a lot of things from his mother Mary and his father (so it was thought) Joseph. From his mother, Jesus received a special kind of compassion for lowly people, like she was, and we see that trait at work throughout Jesus’ ministry. He had a special connection to the weak and the poor. From his dad, I’m sure Jesus inherited some carpentry skills. We all inherit characteristics and skills from our parents – both natural and adoptive parents.

But today’s challenge is to consider what we have inherited from that other parental claim on our lives. What traits – what tendencies – what abilities – what gifts have you received from God?

The Bible tells us that when God created the first man, God formed him of the dust, and then breathed into his nostrils. And Genesis says, “And the man became a living soul.”

You have the breath of God within you. You are a living soul.

I once knew a man who claimed to be an atheist. We used to have some good arguments about that, and I enjoyed debating the issue with him because – for an atheist – he knew an awful lot about God! More than some Christians I know. He was extremely well-read, and very familiar with all the arguments and theological constructs about whether or not God exists. He was an atheist, and yet he was fascinated with the God he didn’t believe in! He devoted his life to studying writings about God. Isn’t that interesting!

You see, he is a living soul, and one of the things that living souls do is reach for God. So no matter who you are or what you believe, when you go outside at night and look up into the starry sky, you can’t help but wonder about what’s behind it all. Your soul is like a compass that always points north. Your soul always extends in the direction of God.

That’s part of your spiritual genetic. And if you will accept that about yourself, and become free enough to let yourself deepen and widen your search for God, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.

I was walking back from Sunday School class one morning a while back and one of my students said, “You know, I find myself getting closer to God just talking about Him like we do!”

You are a living soul. Learn to use that gift in the weeks to come. Think about God. Read about God. Talk to God. And let that gift grow!

But not only have you inherited God’s breath, you have also been wired by our Creator for relationships.

I love the story in Genesis about Adam, hanging around in the Garden of Eden, playing poker with the chimpanzees, going to the movies by himself, eating microwave macaroni and cheese. God looks at Adam and says, “This is not good. He needs a friend!”

So Eve is brought to life. A partner with Adam to share the work, and the play, and the pain, and the pleasure of life.

You are genetically encoded to love and to be loved.

That gift can be lived out in our families, and among our neighbors. It can be lived out through our church, or by way of an outreach project. Right now, in our church, we are emphasizing the importance of hospitality. As newcomers arrive, we want them to have the same experience the first two people had when they met and said, “Wow! Here’s someone just like me with whom I can walk the journey of life.”

In my last church, there was a girl who came to our youth group. She belonged to another church although her family never took her there. But she fell in with our kids and came to all the youth group activities. It was after a weekend retreat when we formed a closing friendship circle and each one around the circle had a chance to express their feelings. When her time came, she started crying. Through great big tears she sobbed,” You have all been so good to me. I can’t believe you love me! I don’t even belong here.” Then one of the kids standing near her put her arm around her and said, “Oh yes you do. You belong - to US!” And the whole circle of kids swallowed her up in a great big group hug.

One of the most important things you can do as a child of God, is to exercise the gift of friendship so that others know they belong to you – to us – and through us to God.

We have inherited many other wonderful things from God – the power to solve problems, to create beauty, to forgive sin, to bring about justice, to create peace. And then one more genetic connection.

God has given us a brother.

And he is the best brother anyone can have. He taught us how to live. And laid down his life for us. And then he took it up again in the greatest miracle of all time and called to all the rest of us to come and follow him!

Our brother was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son – so it was thought – of Joseph.

But we all know that he was the Son of God.