Let’s start with a little trivia this morning, What day of the year are the most phone calls made???…… Mothers day. It seems that on mothers day everyone wants to call home.
What do you thinks happens on fathers day? Any one want to make a Guess? The most collect Calls.
Personally I believe that is ok. Dad’s like to be needed. They like to be called on for wisdom and help.
Mom’s job is to fix clothes, meals, a Wounded Body. Dads job is to fix broken stuff and defend the family, especially daughters.
I read something this week entitled 50 Reasons Why It’s Good To Be a Man. I won’t read all of them but I did put together my own top-10 list:
10 You know stuff about tanks.
9 You can go to the bathroom without a support group.
8 If someone forgets to invite you to something he can still be your friend.
7 You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift.
6 If another guy shows up at the same party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies.
5 One wallet, one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.
4 There is always a game on somewhere.
3 Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with, “So…notice anything different?”
2 If something mechanical doesn’t work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.
1 You can do your nails with a pocketknife.
Dad’s are different, Dad’s just seen to be like some of the tools in the garage that are just sitting there until you need them.
In our scripture today, We have the story of a dad and two son’s. It is a parable told by Jesus. It describes family relationships and how different members act.
If we think about it, you can probably find your place in the story. Some of us may look at our life right now and realize that we thought we were grownup and we moved out to make our own mistakes.
Others may feel that we have stayed with the family and done the best we can with all kinds of limits on our lives.
Some of us are Dad’s and we are doing the best we know how. In our scripture, the father, gives his younger son, what the ask. He hands over his share of what would one day be his inheritance.
Dad’s want to give their kids the things they want. They want their children to be happy. Dad’s will let you make a mistake and hope you will learn from it.
Dad’s will love you through your pain and suffering, many times never saying a word. They suffer with their children silently because a man, according to the world, is tougher.
I believe that most of us use our own fathers as a guide on what we believe God is like. If your father was distant or not there you probably feel that God is the same way.
Some of us have a real fear of our fathers. We fear punishment and rejection.
(Wait until your daddy Gets Home!) Dad being the ultimate punishment machine.
OR Maybe the problem is that we can’t be good enough. Perhaps it was grades, or friends and or any choices in your life that were judged harshly. And you just can’t see how you can satisfy your dad.
Too often we place our personal view of our earthly fathers on God. We take the human traits that we know about our dad’s - GOOD or BAD think GOD is the same.
Well, I am grateful to say that it is not true. In our scripture we saw this dad, give over 1 third of the family estate to the young man and let him go away and live whatever life he wanted to live. ( FREE WILL)
And except for the CASH, that is what earthly dad’s end up doing. But in our story the son comes running back home, but only after messing up royally.
In the story, the father is looking down the road, almost as if he expected or longed for the son to come home. And when it happens, he meets him down the road. And is happy to see him and accept him back.
I know more that one father that have accepted their children back home in this way. Sometimes they come home with Grandchildren in tow. ……
I don’t know if I can come anywhere close to the father in this story. I don’t know that I can be like the men I know that have already lived a similar story in real life.
I fear that as my children grow up and if they make some big mistakes in their lives I am going to be tempted to say I TOLD you SO!, I Fear I will make it hard for my kids to come home after they make a big mistake. I am afraid I am too human and that I can’t be enough like God.
As a dad I am also likely to choose a favorite. I might say something like why can’t you be like your brother. Stay here near home, work hard, make a life for yourself.
As the earthly dad it is really easy to try to make a comparison between the kids. Use one against the other to try to influence and control.
But even the kids at home can have problems with dad. Perhaps we kept them from becoming independent, we sheltered them and did not prepare them for the real world, maybe we were over protective. Over protection from the problems of Life can be just as big a problem for our children, because they are not ready and their reactions to the world, Even protected children cand be influenced by over control.
I think maybe God wants we to be like the father in the story. Able to accept the wayward child home like nothing happened, and able to beg the other brother to accept the one he sees as a bum back home without punishment.
In my heart I want to be like the dad in this story, to be a perfect dad. But I know I am human.
But what is the difference between God and myself. In this parable we see a father that has a divine love.
I see a father that can always do the right thing because the and I know I am not like that. I know I am making mistakes and getting deeper and deeper into trouble, what can I do.
What is it that a dad wants for father’s day?
Are we looking for a special Tie, chosen by our children, something that represents their love for us or some aspect of our personality?
Do we want a new multifunction remote control that will operate every appliance in our house?
Do we want breakfast in bed or to go out to lunch?
May it is Sports illustrated Magazine or some tool?
What do dads really want for Fathers day?
Let’s think back to the scripture.
They want to know their children are doing well and are not suffering.
They want their children to be safe.
Thy want their cars to be running and their homes to have heating and cooling.
Dad’s want to help children when they have needs.
Dad’s want to be wise, to make the right decisions for their children.
This is what our heavenly father wants as well. He has the wisdom to let us learn the hard way, and the love to welcome us back anytime we goof up no matter how bad. He never sez I told you so.
As God’s children, we can never mess up to bad that he will not welcome us home.
God is God, and God is the perfect father. When we go off to a far country, never expecting to return he waits, Not patiently but anxiously for our return.
What an earthly father wants is the same as the heavenly father. They would love to be perfect, but most know they aren’t. But just like the heavenly father they wait anxiously for the phone to ring, and are more than willing to accept the charges to hear from their children.
Because you know your mom worries, if we don’t hear from you……
Our God would love to hear from all of you on this father’s Day, Call call collect because you know he worries.
All Glory be to God!
