A Fathers' Day

A Father’s Day

First and foremost, we want to give thanks to our Heavenly Father, one of the greatest Fathers of all. Although we will poke fun at our earthly fathers’ we at the same time will give honor to them and God.

A small boy said, "Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the gift." And I say, "What gift?"

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 the old man learned in 7 years."

A son wrote home to his dad. He said, "Dear Dad, please let me hear from you more often, even if it’s only in fives or tens."

Being a parent and a father can be an interesting and trying experience. Someone said, "Parents spend the first part of a child’s life urging them to talk and walk, and the rest of their childhood telling him to sit down and keep quiet."

These following questions can apply to all of us, but for this message I am asking the dads, have you ever had broken or shattered dreams? Have you ever wanted the best for someone, and they seem to be on a destructive path and not even desire your help? Have you ever been so entangled in a situation that you see no way out of that situation? That is how this father from our text must have felt, and I believe that our Heavenly Father must feel as He looks at us at times. What I am about to say maybe a tough thing for a father or parent to wrap their head around…sometimes we need to let our child get hurt before they will start to listen to us. That must be what this father in our scripture is doing, because I know for sure that is what God is doing.

I know that there is not one Father here that would not lie down his life for his children. That is the way that it is supposed to be. I also know that there is not one Father here that has not blown it, especially if your children are older. If you have blown it, or when you do screw it up, don’t beat yourself up because we are far from perfect, and honestly none of us fathers have gone through a course on being a father…it is a learn as you go kind of thing. Because of this there will be times that we wish we could change how we handled a situation.

Most of the time for Father’s Day we look at leadership qualities, look at being a role model, but I want to look at the Father of this Prodigal son and how he handled himself when things did not go according to his plan and his faith that he had for his son to return.

Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”