What’s Your Plan
Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship “Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth” (Ps. 48:9–10 NIV).
*Praise #505 “Make Me a Blessing”
*Invocation (Lord’s Prayer) Teach us, Lord, the ever-present need of gathering together to worship as the community of faith. Keep before us the vision of your son, Jesus Christ, who as a child worshipped with his family. May that vision inspire us, as members of your Church, to maintain the joy of our witness—in worship and love.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen
*Gloria Patri (Sung together) #575
*Psalm for Today Psalm 32(NRSV)
Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Our Offering to God “You are to receive an offering for me from each one whose heart prompts him to give” (Exod. 25:2 NIV).
*Doxology #572
*Prayer of Dedication Living Savior, help us to know the ecstasy of your eternal Lordship, that we may be cheerful givers. Bless these gifts to the building of your Kingdom.
Scripture Reading Galatians 2:16-21 (NRSV)
16 we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. 17 But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
*Hymn of Prayer #545 “I am Bound for the Promised Land”
Pastoral Prayer
Heavenly Father, we will be listening to your word today. Our hearts will be listening to your Spirit this morning. Those who are fathers will be listening.
Because we love our sons and daughters, like you, our heavenly parent, we want our children to be strong, wise, mature, gentle, and loving. Daily bring to our hearts what and how our roles as fathers mean to these children in our lives. For those men among us who are not fathers, give us the vision and the heart to love these children as our very own. For all of us— children, women, and men—accept our thanks for the gift of our very own lives in which each of our own fathers played a part. Some of us can easily thank you for our fathers, remembering many wonderful experiences. Others of us may not be so fortunate. Hear us as we express our thanks to you for giving us those loving fathers and whoever else has loved, initiated with us, and encouraged us throughout our lives. [A silence is kept to permit silent prayers of thanks.] Father, enable us not to exasperate our children, yet to discipline wisely.
We pray that we will not be too busy to see, play with, talk with, and be completely present with our children for however long they are in our care. It always seems much too short.
Teach us the joy of learning from our children, for they too are made by you in your image. Help us to learn about faith, trust, innocence, quick forgiveness, and love. [A silence is kept.] It is in the strong name of Jesus our Savior that we pray.—Larry Ellis
*Hymn of Praise # 530 “Happy the Home When God Is There”
Scripture Text Joshua 24:14-18(NRSV)
14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.
Message What’s Your Plan
THE IDEA FOR CREATING A DAY for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Her father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.
The family will usually follow the parent, especially the father.
Someone has said, “A boy loves his mother, but will follow his father."
His little arms crept round my neck,
And then I heard him say,
Four simple words I can’t forget,
Four words that made me pray.
They turned a mirror on my soul,
On secrets no one knew,
They startled me, I hear them yet,
He said, “I’ll be like you!” /////
TEN WAYS TO FAIL AS A PARENT
1. Have fights in front of your children. Then when guests come, turn around and act affectionate toward one another.
2. Stifle your children’s questions by saying, “Don’t bother me now; I’m busy.”
3. Take no interest in your children’s friends. Let them run around with whomever they choose.
4. Never discipline your children; try to use psychology instead.
5. Nag them about their schoolwork; never compliment them on their achievements.
6. Demonstrate your love for them with material things. Give them everything their little hearts desire.
7. Never discuss the facts of life with them. Instead, let them learn about sex from their friends, public school, or pornographic literature.
8. Set a bad example so the children will not want to grow up to be like you.
9. Absolutely refuse to believe it if you are told that your children have done something wrong.
10. Let your children make their own choices in the matter of religion. Be careful not to influence them in any way. ///
WE COULD GO TO MANY PLACES IN THE BIBLE for an example of a godly father. Without a doubt, JOSHUA is one.
At the age of 110, he summoned the leaders of Israel to Shechem for a farewell address. He charged them to obey the Lord who had fought for them and given them an inheritance. He warned them of the danger of apostasy, saying, “Choose you this day whom you will serve….”
He chose the perfect setting, because Shechem was alive with sacred memories: § Abraham’s altar §Jacob’s well §25 years earlier, a tremendous dedication service had taken place there.
As Joshua spoke, he did so with authority of experience, for he had walked with Moses for 40 years and led Israel into the conquest of Canaan for another 25 years.
He reinforced his appeal with the POWER of a GOOD EXAMPLE. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
I. Priest of the Home A. Joshua acknowledged his responsibility for the spiritual life of his family. He spoke for his family; he declared their intent. In effect he was the priest of the home.
(1) A priest cannot function unless he is in close contact with God.
(2) According to the Bible, the family was designed to be the basic educational unit (Deut. 6:6-9; 11:18; Eph.6:4).
It is the father’s duty, then, to make sure his children know how to be saved and how to walk in the ways of the Lord.
(3) The greatest thing a father can pass on to his children is the
love of God. We all know that love produces love. In chapter 3, verse 11, Joshua urges Israel to make love of God their special aim.
(4) Joshua, the warrior has become a man of peace. It brings to
Mind the scene on the seashore one day when the Lord looked at Peter and said, “Simon, do you love me more than anything?” / If we would give love we must first receive it. And if we are to pass it on to our children and grandchildren, we must first absorb it.
B. As priest of the home, the godly father is also a man of prayer. He goes to God often on behalf of his family, asking for wisdom and courage for himself, and protection for his wife and children. Job is an example: “Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom” (Job 1:5).
The second quality that Joshua possessed is that he had a….
II. Plan for the Family
Being priest of the family is not enough. The godly father must also have a plan for the spiritual life of his loved ones. Joshua said, “…we will serve the Lord.”
A. We must strive with God’s help for family unity.
When Joshua spoke his voice rang with the sound of unity: “me and my house.” There was togetherness. And I believe that the reason that unity was there was due to his godly character, his example. His faith was genuine, authentic and as a result his family said, in essence, “Whatever you say, dad, we will agree.”
When marriage vows are kept, and the couple is devoted both to the Lord and to each other, there is no more powerful statement of family unity.
B. When the family is united, it will endure the trials that come its way. Joshua pressed a godly determination to persevere with his family. He was prepared to stand alone with his family if necessary.
This wouldn’t be the first time he stood apart. 65 years earlier, at Kadesh-Barnea, he and Caleb had given the minority report.
C. This godly determination must extend into the devotional life of the family. Joshua was determined at least to establish a spiritual oasis with his family. In such an oasis, spiritual giants are grown.
Since its first publication many years ago, over 30 million copies of Charles M. Sheldon’s book, In His Steps have been sold. In it Sheldon gives this testimony:
In a log house on the prairie my father taught me to love the Bible. After breakfast every morning, the family would have a devotional time in the parlor. Each of us had a Bible of his own. Father would read two verses out loud from the chapter of the day. Then mother would read two verses and each of us would read two. Before five years were over, we read the whole Bible five times. I think I am the only man alive who has heard the whole Bible read five times. We never skipped, not even those long lists of worthies who begat one another. The minute we finished Revelation, father calmly turned back to Genesis and we went at it again. I want to repeat that my father taught me to love the Bible as the greatest book in the world.
After we had read the Bible passages for the day, we would sing a hymn and then all kneel down while father offered the morning prayer. We are Scotch-Irish, and naturally father prayed as long as he liked. And he would often pray for us by name.
When I finally left home to go down East to college, I would often be tempted to do what some of the college boys did—swear, gamble, go to the bars, etc. Just as I was about to give way to my desires, I would hear my father’s morning prayer in the log house. It was enough to keep me from falling away from God.
I came across this prayer the other day, which I thought you would appreciate:
Mender of toys, leader of boys, Changer of fuses, kisser of bruises,
Bless him, O Lord.
Mover of couches, soother of ouches, Pounder of nails, teller of tales,
Reward him, O Lord.
Hanger of screens, counselor of teens, Fixer of bikes, chaser of tykes,
Help him, O Lord.
Raker of leaves, cleaner of eaves, Dryer of dishes, fulfiller of wishes,
Bless him, O Lord. AMEN
*Hymn of Response #463 “Once to Every Man and Nation”
*Sending forth
*Postlude