A Father Story
For Father’s Day, a pastor in a church of another denomination invited me to preach. In our planning of the worship service, I revealed my intention to preach a “Father’s Day” message from Luke 15. “Oh, no,” the pastor exclaimed! “Father’s Day is not on our liturgical calendar. That is a secular holiday, and we do not recognize it in the ‘church.’”
What? Father’s Day is not on the church calendar? You do not recognize the day? What blindness! What a missed opportunity! This pastor had never experienced being a father (a great blessing in my life) and seemed less than fond of fathers. I made a mental note to discuss it later. Was the pastor’s father/child relationship poor? Could I encourage the church to seize the Father’s Day opportunity? Unfortunately, previously planned events prevented such discussion, but I remember the experience every Father’s Day.
The church makes a significant contribution to families when it promotes good father/child relationships. Fathers need to hear what God expects of them in the family. The public media has ample suggestions for men on Father’s Day. . . sports, careers, hobbies, entertainment. The church is the only voice telling men about their spiritual responsibilities to God and the family.
On Father’s Day the church should proclaim God the Father. Check the references; Jesus taught us God is like a father. He suggested when we pray, say “Our Father, who is in heaven . . .” Have you noticed the parable of the prodigal son (a favorite parable) occurs within a family? It concludes with the father loving both sons---the one who ran away and the one who stayed home. That is Jesus’ picture of God, a loving Father.
For Father’s Day, tell that story to your family, especially your church family.
