I was in the middle of my children’s sermon. I was speaking about how Jesus was revealed to the shepherds through the presence of an angel and the wise men through a star. All of a sudden one of the kids, five-year-old Ethan stated, “I’m a wise man.”

I remembered that he had played one of the wise men for our Christmas program, so I responded, “Yes, you were one of the wise men weren’t you.”

“I am a wise man,” Ethan corrected me.

The Christmas program was over and all the costumes placed back in the attic until next year, but one thing hadn’t been stored away – Ethan’s identity as a wise man.

After church I wondered if Ethan planned on telling people that he was a wise man all year long. Knowing his effervescent personality, I have no doubt he will. What a great gift the congregation gave Ethan this year – an identity as a wise man!

It made me think about the identity God gives us each week – his child; and how we put that costume on, on Sunday, but take it off as soon as we leave the church and once again become our professional title, or the label our neighborhood has given us. What if we could do as Ethan has been able to – receive an identity from the church and keep wearing it? I think that would be a beautiful thing.

So here goes: I am God’s child, and I’m going to try to wear that OVER my clerical collar this Sunday and for the rest of the week …. month …. year …. life.

God bless brothers and sisters in Christ. Signed, Dan – child of God.