[The following was delivered at Ridgecrest Presbyterian Church, Locust, NC, on Sunday, June 20, 2010.]
Old Testament reading:
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
-- Genesis 22:1-12 (New International Version)
New Testament reading:
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
--Romans 8:1-4, 12-19 (New Living Translation)
Message scripture:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
-- John 14:1-21 (New Living Translation)
We all remember the story of Abraham. Originally named Abram, he and his wife Sarai lived out their lives with his extended family, having no children of their own. God speaks to Abram one day, telling him to pack up Sarai and his belonging and go to a place He'll tell them about later. Abram says “Sure thing, Lord.” and they head out for Canaan, accompanied by a nephew by the name of Lot and his wife, who later will become a real pillar of the community. No arguments, no questions, no recorded concerns, this couple in their mid-seventies simply did what God told them. Maybe the promise of a son, and an entire nation for that matter, helped persuade this childless couple. Along the way, God gives them new names and the promised son, Isaac. By that time, Abraham and Sarah had passed the century mark. Could you even imagine being a new parent at a hundred years of age? While Isaac was still a boy, God ordered Abraham to take the lad and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Again, with no protestations recorded in Genesis, Abraham started out to do as he was told. Just as he raised the knife to take the life of his son, the son he had waited a hundred years for, the angel of the Lord stopped him. “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
So was Abraham a good father? That he loved Isaac is evident in the Bible. But he was so readily willing to kill his son, seemingly without any questions or protest. How many of us fathers, if we heard a voice say, “Kill your son.”, would reply, “OK”, and go about the business of doing just that, no questions asked? The answer is that Abraham loved God even more than his own son. Just as promised, God rewarded Abraham's love and loyalty, making him the father of his nation, the father of an entire people, for that matter. We call George Washington the father of our nation, but Abraham was the father of a race and a religion.
And that nephew Lot mentioned earlier was also a father, of two daughters whom he obviously loved. Yet he offered these two virgin girls to an unruly mob that demanded to have sex with two visiting angels of the Lord. Lot loved his daughters, but he loved God more and wanted to protect His messengers in any way possible. Was Lot a good father?
Being a father is a tough job, one filled with many dangers and bearing tremendous responsibility. A father is supposed to be a provider, a protector, a leader, a guide, a teacher, a role model, and the Biblical foundation for the family, among other things. But a father must not be prideful or pretentious. His leadership must be one of sacrifice, not of force. He must know when to be gentle and when to be firm. He must be able to deal with small, developing children without being condescending. And like mothers, he must be able to figure all this out on his own because there are no instruction manuals.
The Old Testament relates many stories of men whose paternal skills leave a bit to be desired. Isaac fathered twins and let one fool him into giving his blessing and birthright to the younger rather than the older. That wily son, Jacob, fathered twelve sons of his own. He favored one over the others so much that they turned on the one and sold him into slavery, breaking old Jacob's heart. And a couple of mighty King David's sons tried to take the throne a little early, one by force and the other by trickery.
Fathers fare a little better in the New Testament, where they are often shown trying to get help for their children, taking them to Christ for healing. The little we know about Jesus' own earthly father, Joseph, indicates he was a good father, teaching Jesus the law and the scripture as well as a trade. What we do know about Joseph is that he was an exemplary husband, a very good man. His initial reaction to Mary's declaration of being with child not from a man but from the Holy Spirit was fairly typical: skepticism. But he loved God and relented when an angel came to him and explained the truth of the situation. And he indeed served well as Jesus' surrogate father.
We can all relate to these Biblical fathers, because we have all seen or heard of similar examples in our experiences. We know of great fathers and those that are downright terrible. Some perhaps dote too much over their offspring, others walked out of their child's life at a very early age and never looked back. Sadly, too many children don't even know who their father might be. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul assures us that whether our earthly father has been present and active in our life or completely absent, we all have a Father in heaven who has willingly adopted us and calls us His children.
In Romans chapter 8 verses 1 through 4, Paul tells us that the law handed down through Moses could not save us from our own sinful nature, so God did what the law could not do. He sent His Son to save us. The Apostle John, in his chapter 3 verse 17, tells us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved. He accomplished this by sending Jesus not as an invincible warrior, not as God Himself in all His radiant glory, but as a man, in the fragile, destructible body of a man, a body just like the one that you and I wear. In this way Jesus was one of us. I can only imagine He knew all about growing pains, indigestion, insomnia, even heartbreak. God did this so that His law could still be fulfilled for us, if not by us.
Paul continues in verses 12 through 19 with a truly wonderful message, that of our adoption by God. He assures us that the sacrifice God and Jesus made on our behalf can free us from our sinful nature. We no longer have to give in to the urgings of Satan, we can resist them. For when Christ returned to the Father, He sent down the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us just as Jesus did while He walked this earth. Paul further says that if we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, then we are the children of God; the adoption is complete. Now we can call God “Abba, Father”. “Abba” is the familiar form of “father” in the Aramaic language of that day. It is like our endearments Daddy, Pop, Poppa, Dad. I personally have a little trouble calling the Lord of All Creation, the Maker of the universe and everything in it, Daddy, but that is what He wants. Why? He loves us, and wants us to love Him in return. He wants us to be comfortable with Him, to truly understand and realize that He cares for us as His own.
Now if God is our Father, what is Jesus but our Brother! As the Son of God, Jesus followed His role model's example. In John, chapter 5, verses 19b through 20a, our Savior says, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” Of course, Jesus took that a little further. Our Brother was beaten and suffered for us. Our Brother died and defeated death for us. Our Brother bodily rose from the grave for us. Our Brother took all our sins upon Himself and washed us clean with His blood so that we might be able to stand beside Him as together we face our Father on our day of judgment.
While it is sadly true that not all fathers care what fate may befall their children, most of us, even if we aren't perfect Dads, only want what is best for our offspring and will make any sacrifice trying to ensure their lives are better than ours. Jesus knew this sentiment even if He never experienced it personally. As we said, by all indications, Joseph was a good father to the young Jesus and probably did everything he could to ensure the lad's success in life. How tough a job would that be, trying to prepare God for the future? Jesus shows us He understands when in Matthew chapter 7 verse 11 He tells us, “Even though you are bad [sinful], you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!”. So if you think you're a great Dad, just wait until you see what our heavenly Father has in store for us.
A good father will try to give his child what he is asked for, within reason, Jesus tells us our heavenly Father will do just that also. But a really great father will anticipate and plan for his child's needs. He will start a savings fund or a college fund when the child is still a baby. He'll get presents ahead of time for birthdays and Christmas. He will even get the family auto insurance upgraded before the kid gets a drivers license. He'll surprise his child with little things, pleasing things. God is a really great Father. We know if for no other reason than that Jesus tells us so. When He teaches us how to pray to God, He begins by telling us why we should pray. It isn't for the obvious reason, so that God will know what we need. In Matthew chapter 6 verse 8b, Jesus assures us that “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” No, like any other father, God just wants us to talk to Him, to build a relationship with Him, to spend time with Him, to get to know and understand Him better. God doesn't need us to tell Him anything; He already knows. The need to pray to God isn't His, it is ours. We need to talk to Him, to share our daily lives with Him, to grow in our love for Him. And unlike many earthly fathers, our heavenly Father is never too busy to stop and listen to our problems, our cares, our concerns. We wants nothing more than to hear about our triumphs and our defeats, our gains and our losses, our loves and our heartbreaks.
As for the great things our Father has in store for us, John offers a little insight in his first letter, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” How wonderful to see God as He really is! Even His servant Moses had to hide in the cleft of the rock as He passed. As His children, He will reveal Himself to us in all His glory. Jesus adds to this as related by John in chapter 14 verse 21 of his Gospel: “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who really loves Me; and whoever really loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and will reveal Myself to him. I will let myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.” Now this isn't so much a matter of seeing what God and Jesus physically look like, although that in itself would be truly awesome. No, it is more about seeing the inner being of God and His Son, their essence, their thought processes, their reasons for doing what they do. It is all about fully knowing our triune God.
“Don't let your hearts be troubled.”, Jesus comforts us in John 14. “Trust in God, and trust also in Me.” There is more than enough room in our Father's house, in His heart, for all of us, and when all is ready Jesus will come and take us home. We may often note how a child looks or acts just like their father. Jesus remarked on this also. By knowing the Son, we know the Father. And by loving Jesus, we find our way to our Father. There is no other way to our heavenly home than through Him. Christ goes on to say something remarkable: “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” (vs. 10 and 11) In this He says that He is not just following some example His Father set, but that He is actually following the instructions of His Father that is within Him. Now we know that we are children of God and a brother of Jesus, and we know that we have the Holy Spirit within us. So just like Jesus, we have the Father in us and we are in the Father! Praise the Lord, God is within each of us! Anything we ask in His name, He will do it so that the Son can bring Glory to the Father. But this gives us a certain responsibility as well. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (vs 12) This isn't to imply that Jesus expects more of us than He was able to perform, but that He will do great works through us if we love Him, backed by the extra strength and power of God our Father.
Jesus ends his message to us in John 14 by assuring us He will return to take us home. Unlike earthly fathers may do, our heavenly Father will not abandon us or leave us orphaned. Then He promises His love. “Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them.”
Every child needs love. Studies have proven how development is delayed and a child may well become emotionally disturbed when they are not given love. Every child longs for the love of their father. Good fathers love their children without reservation, under any and all circumstances, regardless of what the child does or turns out to be. Unconditional love is a mark of a good father. Our heavenly Father is a great father. He loves us even when we ignore him, turn against Him, sin against Him. All He asks is that we love Him, and our brother Jesus, in return. What greater reward than to be loved by God.
There is a church choir tenor I know who, without fail every Mother's Day, when the preacher would proclaim Happy Mother's Day, would remark rather sarcastically, “Every day is Mother's Day”, referring to the special treatment he seemed to think women, and mothers especially, afforded themselves. After many years of this, one Father's Day he took his seat only to see a small hand-lettered sign taped to the back of the chair in front of him that read, “Every Day Is Father's Day!”. When the preacher welcomed us with a hearty Happy Father's Day, the three sopranos in front of my tenor friend turned, smiled sweetly, and intoned in perfect unison “Every day is Father's Day”.
Those words came to me as I considered what message to deliver today, when I wondered what God might want you to hear. “Every day is Father's Day” echoed in my head as clearly as if those lovely ladies were singing it in front of me. When we love our Lord and Savior, when we remember God is our Father and Jesus our Brother, when we hold Their commandments in our hearts and love Them with all that is within us and love our earthly brothers and sisters as much as we love ourselves, then every day is indeed Father's Day. Happy Father's Day, Lord! Happy Father's Day!
Amen.
So was Abraham a good father? That he loved Isaac is evident in the Bible. But he was so readily willing to kill his son, seemingly without any questions or protest. How many of us fathers, if we heard a voice say, “Kill your son.”, would reply, “OK”, and go about the business of doing just that, no questions asked? The answer is that Abraham loved God even more than his own son. Just as promised, God rewarded Abraham's love and loyalty, making him the father of his nation, the father of an entire people, for that matter. We call George Washington the father of our nation, but Abraham was the father of a race and a religion.
And that nephew Lot mentioned earlier was also a father, of two daughters whom he obviously loved. Yet he offered these two virgin girls to an unruly mob that demanded to have sex with two visiting angels of the Lord. Lot loved his daughters, but he loved God more and wanted to protect His messengers in any way possible. Was Lot a good father?
Being a father is a tough job, one filled with many dangers and bearing tremendous responsibility. A father is supposed to be a provider, a protector, a leader, a guide, a teacher, a role model, and the Biblical foundation for the family, among other things. But a father must not be prideful or pretentious. His leadership must be one of sacrifice, not of force. He must know when to be gentle and when to be firm. He must be able to deal with small, developing children without being condescending. And like mothers, he must be able to figure all this out on his own because there are no instruction manuals.
The Old Testament relates many stories of men whose paternal skills leave a bit to be desired. Isaac fathered twins and let one fool him into giving his blessing and birthright to the younger rather than the older. That wily son, Jacob, fathered twelve sons of his own. He favored one over the others so much that they turned on the one and sold him into slavery, breaking old Jacob's heart. And a couple of mighty King David's sons tried to take the throne a little early, one by force and the other by trickery.
Fathers fare a little better in the New Testament, where they are often shown trying to get help for their children, taking them to Christ for healing. The little we know about Jesus' own earthly father, Joseph, indicates he was a good father, teaching Jesus the law and the scripture as well as a trade. What we do know about Joseph is that he was an exemplary husband, a very good man. His initial reaction to Mary's declaration of being with child not from a man but from the Holy Spirit was fairly typical: skepticism. But he loved God and relented when an angel came to him and explained the truth of the situation. And he indeed served well as Jesus' surrogate father.
We can all relate to these Biblical fathers, because we have all seen or heard of similar examples in our experiences. We know of great fathers and those that are downright terrible. Some perhaps dote too much over their offspring, others walked out of their child's life at a very early age and never looked back. Sadly, too many children don't even know who their father might be. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul assures us that whether our earthly father has been present and active in our life or completely absent, we all have a Father in heaven who has willingly adopted us and calls us His children.
In Romans chapter 8 verses 1 through 4, Paul tells us that the law handed down through Moses could not save us from our own sinful nature, so God did what the law could not do. He sent His Son to save us. The Apostle John, in his chapter 3 verse 17, tells us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved. He accomplished this by sending Jesus not as an invincible warrior, not as God Himself in all His radiant glory, but as a man, in the fragile, destructible body of a man, a body just like the one that you and I wear. In this way Jesus was one of us. I can only imagine He knew all about growing pains, indigestion, insomnia, even heartbreak. God did this so that His law could still be fulfilled for us, if not by us.
Paul continues in verses 12 through 19 with a truly wonderful message, that of our adoption by God. He assures us that the sacrifice God and Jesus made on our behalf can free us from our sinful nature. We no longer have to give in to the urgings of Satan, we can resist them. For when Christ returned to the Father, He sent down the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us just as Jesus did while He walked this earth. Paul further says that if we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, then we are the children of God; the adoption is complete. Now we can call God “Abba, Father”. “Abba” is the familiar form of “father” in the Aramaic language of that day. It is like our endearments Daddy, Pop, Poppa, Dad. I personally have a little trouble calling the Lord of All Creation, the Maker of the universe and everything in it, Daddy, but that is what He wants. Why? He loves us, and wants us to love Him in return. He wants us to be comfortable with Him, to truly understand and realize that He cares for us as His own.
Now if God is our Father, what is Jesus but our Brother! As the Son of God, Jesus followed His role model's example. In John, chapter 5, verses 19b through 20a, our Savior says, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” Of course, Jesus took that a little further. Our Brother was beaten and suffered for us. Our Brother died and defeated death for us. Our Brother bodily rose from the grave for us. Our Brother took all our sins upon Himself and washed us clean with His blood so that we might be able to stand beside Him as together we face our Father on our day of judgment.
While it is sadly true that not all fathers care what fate may befall their children, most of us, even if we aren't perfect Dads, only want what is best for our offspring and will make any sacrifice trying to ensure their lives are better than ours. Jesus knew this sentiment even if He never experienced it personally. As we said, by all indications, Joseph was a good father to the young Jesus and probably did everything he could to ensure the lad's success in life. How tough a job would that be, trying to prepare God for the future? Jesus shows us He understands when in Matthew chapter 7 verse 11 He tells us, “Even though you are bad [sinful], you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!”. So if you think you're a great Dad, just wait until you see what our heavenly Father has in store for us.
A good father will try to give his child what he is asked for, within reason, Jesus tells us our heavenly Father will do just that also. But a really great father will anticipate and plan for his child's needs. He will start a savings fund or a college fund when the child is still a baby. He'll get presents ahead of time for birthdays and Christmas. He will even get the family auto insurance upgraded before the kid gets a drivers license. He'll surprise his child with little things, pleasing things. God is a really great Father. We know if for no other reason than that Jesus tells us so. When He teaches us how to pray to God, He begins by telling us why we should pray. It isn't for the obvious reason, so that God will know what we need. In Matthew chapter 6 verse 8b, Jesus assures us that “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” No, like any other father, God just wants us to talk to Him, to build a relationship with Him, to spend time with Him, to get to know and understand Him better. God doesn't need us to tell Him anything; He already knows. The need to pray to God isn't His, it is ours. We need to talk to Him, to share our daily lives with Him, to grow in our love for Him. And unlike many earthly fathers, our heavenly Father is never too busy to stop and listen to our problems, our cares, our concerns. We wants nothing more than to hear about our triumphs and our defeats, our gains and our losses, our loves and our heartbreaks.
As for the great things our Father has in store for us, John offers a little insight in his first letter, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” How wonderful to see God as He really is! Even His servant Moses had to hide in the cleft of the rock as He passed. As His children, He will reveal Himself to us in all His glory. Jesus adds to this as related by John in chapter 14 verse 21 of his Gospel: “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who really loves Me; and whoever really loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and will reveal Myself to him. I will let myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.” Now this isn't so much a matter of seeing what God and Jesus physically look like, although that in itself would be truly awesome. No, it is more about seeing the inner being of God and His Son, their essence, their thought processes, their reasons for doing what they do. It is all about fully knowing our triune God.
“Don't let your hearts be troubled.”, Jesus comforts us in John 14. “Trust in God, and trust also in Me.” There is more than enough room in our Father's house, in His heart, for all of us, and when all is ready Jesus will come and take us home. We may often note how a child looks or acts just like their father. Jesus remarked on this also. By knowing the Son, we know the Father. And by loving Jesus, we find our way to our Father. There is no other way to our heavenly home than through Him. Christ goes on to say something remarkable: “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” (vs. 10 and 11) In this He says that He is not just following some example His Father set, but that He is actually following the instructions of His Father that is within Him. Now we know that we are children of God and a brother of Jesus, and we know that we have the Holy Spirit within us. So just like Jesus, we have the Father in us and we are in the Father! Praise the Lord, God is within each of us! Anything we ask in His name, He will do it so that the Son can bring Glory to the Father. But this gives us a certain responsibility as well. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (vs 12) This isn't to imply that Jesus expects more of us than He was able to perform, but that He will do great works through us if we love Him, backed by the extra strength and power of God our Father.
Jesus ends his message to us in John 14 by assuring us He will return to take us home. Unlike earthly fathers may do, our heavenly Father will not abandon us or leave us orphaned. Then He promises His love. “Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them.”
Every child needs love. Studies have proven how development is delayed and a child may well become emotionally disturbed when they are not given love. Every child longs for the love of their father. Good fathers love their children without reservation, under any and all circumstances, regardless of what the child does or turns out to be. Unconditional love is a mark of a good father. Our heavenly Father is a great father. He loves us even when we ignore him, turn against Him, sin against Him. All He asks is that we love Him, and our brother Jesus, in return. What greater reward than to be loved by God.
There is a church choir tenor I know who, without fail every Mother's Day, when the preacher would proclaim Happy Mother's Day, would remark rather sarcastically, “Every day is Mother's Day”, referring to the special treatment he seemed to think women, and mothers especially, afforded themselves. After many years of this, one Father's Day he took his seat only to see a small hand-lettered sign taped to the back of the chair in front of him that read, “Every Day Is Father's Day!”. When the preacher welcomed us with a hearty Happy Father's Day, the three sopranos in front of my tenor friend turned, smiled sweetly, and intoned in perfect unison “Every day is Father's Day”.
Those words came to me as I considered what message to deliver today, when I wondered what God might want you to hear. “Every day is Father's Day” echoed in my head as clearly as if those lovely ladies were singing it in front of me. When we love our Lord and Savior, when we remember God is our Father and Jesus our Brother, when we hold Their commandments in our hearts and love Them with all that is within us and love our earthly brothers and sisters as much as we love ourselves, then every day is indeed Father's Day. Happy Father's Day, Lord! Happy Father's Day!
Amen.
