A teenage boy had just gotten his
driving permit. He asked his father if
they could discuss his use of the family car.
His father said, "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your
grades up, study the Bible more, get your hair cut, and then we'll talk about
it." After about a month, the
boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss his use of the
car. The father said, "Son, I've been very proud of you. You have
brought your grades up, you've studied the Bible, but you didn't get your hair
cut." The young man replied, "You
know, Dad, I've been thinking about that. I read in the Bible that Samson had
long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long
hair." "True son,"
his father said, "and everywhere they went, they walked."
Welcome on this Father’s Day. A study from Penn State
Are some fathers born great? Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of
tourists visiting a picturesque village in Europe
who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist
asked, "Were any great men born in this village?" The old man replied, "Nope, only
babies.”
Today, we remember, honor and
pray not so much for the ideal of fatherhood, but for real flesh and blood
fathers. Fathers who take fatherhood
seriously and strive to be the best fathers they can be. For fathers who treat their wives with love
and respect as an example to their children.
We remember single fathers, married fathers, young and old fathers, foster
fathers, step fathers and adoptive fathers.
We honor fathers who make promises and keep them, who stand by and
support their families emotionally, spiritually and financially.
Today we pray for fathers who are
separated from their children because of military service or because of
problems in the family. We pray for
fathers who are grieving the death of a child, and for fathers who have a
passionate desire to pass on spiritual and moral values to their children, and
who give, not just material things - but their time, their love, their energy, their
knowledge, themselves.
We also pray for fathers who do
not support their children – emotionally or financially. We pray for a change of heart, a change of
mind, a change of attitude, that they will turn to God in repentance, that they
will see the light and by God’s power and grace, mend their ways, and become
the father’s God wants them to be and the father’s they are capable of becoming.
Who are some well-known fathers
in the Bible? Abraham left his home to
follow the call of God. Abraham was the
father of the people of Israel ,
a leader and visionary. He was
constantly challenged by God and he met those challenges head-on. When he and his wife Sarai were unable to
conceive, God blessed the couple with their son Isaac.
God challenged Abraham by
ordering Isaac be sacrificed. Though Abraham's heart was broken, he knew to
trust in the Lord and at the last moment Abraham’s hand was stilled by God and
Isaac's life was spared. Abraham's difficult
life is a reflection of difficult lives today.
Many modern fathers meet such challenges and learn, through experience, how
to trust God. Once that trust is
developed, fathers pass that unyielding faith and trust to their children, who
grow to love God as well.
Isaac is another well-known
father. Isaac married Rebekah, who was
barren, like Sarah had been. As a good
husband, Isaac prayed for his wife, and God opened Rebekah's womb. She gave
birth to twins: Esau and Jacob. No, Isaac wasn’t perfect, he favored Esau
over Jacob. Isaac reminds fathers today that we are not perfect. We need to grow and mature and learn, and be
humble and grateful. God calls ordinary
men to be fathers, capable of doing extraordinary things.
Isaac obeyed God and followed his
commands. He became a leader and
patriarch of the Jewish nation. Isaac
was faithful to God. He never forgot how
God saved him from death and provided a ram to be sacrificed in his place. Isaac watched and learned from his father
Abraham. In an era when polygamy was
accepted, Isaac took only one wife, Rebekah. He was a loyal husband and loved
her deeply all his life.
Moses was another father. He was the father of two sons, Gershom and
Eliezer. He also served as a father
figure to the entire Hebrew people. Moses
trusted in God and led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land. He loved them and helped discipline and
provide for them on their 40-year journey to the promised land. Moses seemed to be a larger-than-life character,
but he was only a man. He shows today's fathers that overwhelming tasks can be
achieved when we stay close to God.
Our last father is Joseph, the
earthly father of Jesus. Though Jesus
takes center stage, it is important to remember Joseph. Joseph was responsible for raising the Christ
child together with Mary.
It was a father’s job to prepare
children for a trade. Joseph passed on a
skill to Jesus and trained Jesus to become a carpenter. Joseph loved Jesus, protected him, provided
for him, and raised Jesus up in the Jewish faith and tradition. Joseph was a righteous man and was chosen to
help care for Jesus in his childhood. Joseph
is an exemplary father figure for Jesus and the several children he later
fathered. Today, fathers can learn to be
compassionate, loving and righteous after the model of Joseph.
In this light, I remind you of
some basic biblical principles of Fatherhood.
God is our eternal Father. Since
human beings were created in the image of God, fathers are to reflect the image
of God’s fatherhood. Yes, that’s a tall
order, a seemingly impossible one. It is
a role fathers strive to fulfill with humility and patience, trust and faith, and
constantly seeking God’s grace, forgiveness and power.
Fathers are to love their
children. Jesus told the parable of the
prodigal son to demonstrate both God’s love for sinners and a father’s love for
his children.
Fathers are to teach and train
their children. A good father is an
example and teacher for his children. Ephesians
6:4 says: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, instead bring them up in
the training and instruction of the Lord.
Fathers, control your temper, practice self-control, do not provoke your
children to anger.” This includes
teaching about God and faith.
A good father protects his
children from harm. This is one of the
basic duties of a father. Jesus used the
analogy of a shepherd protecting his sheep, those in his charge, and likewise, fathers
are to protect their children whom God has entrusted to them.
A good father provides for the
family. The father who loves his family
strives to and works hard to provide for them. This is understood broadly as providing
material necessities, but also providing emotionally and spiritually in terms
of prayer and being a Christian example.
Writer Mark Twain said: “When
I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant; I could hardly stand to have the
old man around. But when I got to be 21,
I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”
Our culture has dramatically
changed. Whom do we hear about? We hear about superstar and super-paid
athletes, successful entrepreneurs, celebrities and entertainers. Yesterday I scanned the internet. I found
hundreds of articles on almost every subject, but not one about Fathers or
Father’s Day. So how about elevating an
important person and role in our society; a father, a committed father, a
loving father, a man of faith, a good family man. It is a role established by none other than
God. Amen!
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