I’m Glad There’s A Fathers Day!

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

(Revised: 2011)

ILL. “You,” said the doctor to his patient, “are in terrible shape, & unless something is done you’re going to die. You’re under too much stress, & you’re not eating right. You need to tell your wife that she must start cooking more nutritious meals.

“And to help reduce stress, have her keep the kids off your back so you can relax. Then make a budget, & have her stick to it. If she’ll do this, the good news is that you should recover completely. But if she doesn’t, you’ll be dead in a month.”

Obviously shaken, the patient asked, “Doc, would you call my wife before I get home & give her those instructions?” When he got home, his wife rushed to him. “I just talked to the doctor,” she wailed. “Poor man, you only have 30 days to live.” (adapted from Steve Malone on SC)

A. Yes, today is Father’s Day, & let me wish a “Happy Father’s Day” to all the dads & granddads who are here today.

ILL. One little boy, when asked to explain about Father’s Day, said, “It’s just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.”

That’s a joke, of course, but really, Father’s Day is not as big as Mother’s Day. On Mother’s Day there is a higher attendance at church, mothers often receive corsages, emotions run high, & people gather at Mom’s house – all to pay honor to the hands that rock the cradle.

But on Father’s Day the church is not as full, emotions are not as high, & businesses do not profit as much - all except for the telephone companies, of course. You see, they report that Mother’s Day is the busiest telephone day of the year. But Father’s Day is a big money-maker for them, because there are more collect calls on Father’s Day than on any other day of the year.

Maybe we’re not quite as sentimental about Father’s Day because, after all, most fathers seem not to be as sensitive to children’s needs or alert to sentiment as mothers are.

ILL. I heard of a mother who went into the nursery & found her husband staring at their newborn baby. The mother could tell he was captivated by the baby by how intently he stood there looking down at it.

She was so touched that finally she tiptoed up behind him & slipped her arm through his, & said, “Honey, what are you thinking?” He said, “I just can’t understand how they’re able to make a crib like that for $89.95.”

ILL. It’s Father’s Day, & the very first national celebration of this day was on June 19, 1924, by proclamation of President Calvin Coolidge. But it all came about because of the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd.

Sonora was sitting in church in 1909 listening to a Mother’s Day sermon when the idea of Father’s Day first came to mind.

Having been raised by her father after her mother’s death, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her for all his parental sacrifices & for being, in her eyes, so courageous, selfless, & loving.

Through her efforts, in 1924 Pres. Coolidge designated the 3rd Sunday of June as “Father’s Day.” And our nation has been celebrating it ever since.

B. I’m glad there is a Father’s Day. Even though it isn’t as celebrated or special as Mother’s Day, it still gives us a chance to honor those who stand at the helm, who gather their team in a huddle, & who lead their family through life’s battles.

ILL. James Dobson, in his book, “Dare To Discipline,” says, “Good fathers are made, not born.” Then he goes on to suggest 3 specific things for a father to keep in mind.

1. #1 - Children oftentimes follow in the footsteps of their father. During the earliest years of a child’s life he or she usually spends a great deal of time with the mother. But the passing years bring a change, & father often becomes the example in attitude & action that a child follows.

Like it or not, the example that a father sets about God, & the church, & spiritual things will make an indelible impression upon a child’s life. Someone said, “Fathers are followed,” & this is not something that we can just turn over to mother to handle. The father should be a spiritual leader in the home.

2. The 2nd thing he suggests is that the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Next to his own close & personal relationship with God, a father’s top priority should be to love his wife.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church & gave Himself up for her.” If there is that kind of love in the family, then that home is blessed indeed.