The Prodigal's Father

THE PRODIGAL’S FATHER

We are thankful for all of our fathers.

Question: Do you know what day of the year that there are the most phone calls made???…… Mothers day.

On mothers day everyone wants to call home.

By contrast - What do you thinks happens on Father’s Day? The most collect Calls.

Dads often have to stand aside for everyone else.

We should have promoted Father’s Day in the bulletin, but the dads got bumped for the promotion of Vacation Bible School next week. Dads don’t mind.

Dad’s like to be needed. We will have a gift for all of our fathers given at the close of the service.

It is true that fathers like to give rather than to receive. If they are not giving they are fixing. Anything that is broken around the house. Mothers will fix meals, patch up a skinned knee or elbow, but Dads like it most when they can fix a lawnmower, a weed eater, a disposal, or a squeaky door. Dads are expected to be reliable no matter what’s going on around the house.

A good father loves his place in the home…

Dads still live in the day when it was said,

“Men are men, and women are proud of it.”

Obviously men are nothing like women, and so I have a countdown of the Top Ten Reasons – Why it’s good to be a Man:

10. Grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and eating on paper plates is “fine dining”.

9. Shaving on the weekends is always an option.

8. If your buddy forgets to invite you to a social gathering, you thank him and he becomes your best 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 now have something in common.

5. You only need one wallet, one pair of shoes, one color for your shirts…whether it is before or after Labor Day.

4. There is always a game on somewhere that has to be watched.

3. Your hunting buddies never have to compliment you on the way your hair looks.

2. If something mechanical doesn’t work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it out in the yard.

And the number one reason that it is Good to be a Man is:

1. You can manicure your own nails with a pocketknife.

Ladies – men are mysterious: “Why is it that a man would rather have another tool to add to all the other tools he already has out in the garage?”

Because Dads relate to tools. They are just like their tools. They just seem to just stay out in the garage and wait there in case someone might need them.

The women are expecting me to preach you guys, so…

In our text today, we have the story of a dad and his two sons. It is a parable told by Jesus that describes family relationships and how family members act.

Listen closely and try to find your place in this story…

Text: Luke 15:11 – 32 (NIV)

There are some who may look at their life right now and realize that at one time we moved out on our own (out on our own) to make our own mistakes. And then again – there are others that never seemed to move away and may have turned out just like their father. Good and bad…

There are some of us who are Dad’s and we are doing the best we know how. In our scripture, the father gave his younger son, everything he asked for. The father gladly handed over his share of what would one day be his inheritance.

So true…Dad’s do 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 often love you through your pain and suffering, while many times never saying a word. They suffer with their children silently.

I have noticed that earthly fathers are often like our heavenly Father.

It is only normal 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.

As well, some of us have a real fear of our fathers.

We fear punishment and rejection. A father is sometimes considered to be an overbearing ogre’.

Some of us are not sure what Dad thinks of us… what little we know about our father is what our mother will tell us,

”Wait until your daddy Gets Home!”

Dad seems to be the ultimate punishment machine.