Celebrating Father's Day

Good Morning and welcome to Father’s Day here at Living Word. Today we take the time to say thank you and honor all the father’s grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and men who make our lives day to day special, and who have helpd us to become the men and women that we are.

So today as we celebrate Fathrs; I’d like to look at some things that as fathers we are expected to be, and how those things relate to our heavenly Father.

Father’s Must Be Present

In our Mother’s Day message we referenced the movie Hook and the namesake villain being called a “mean ol’ man without a mommy.” But in the film we also see an all-too-common example of a father who spends so much time working to provide for his family that he has lost sight of his family altogether. While the family is depicted as being well-off financially, they’re starving for their father’s presence and attention, which in turn causes conflict within the family. Peter’s greatest enemy, Captain Hook, is able to use Peter’s lack of presence in his son’s life to turn Jack against Peter in the lead-up to the final battle.

Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day can be a tricky holiday for some, bringing up past or present hurt. But regardless of how wonderful your birth father is (or isn’t), you have a heavenly Father who extravagantly loves. He is a Father you can approach at any time to ask for wisdom and advice,

James 1:5 ESV

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

who shows no favoritism,

Romans 10:11–13 ESV

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

and most importantly who promises repeatedly throughout Scripture that he will never leave or abandon his children

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Men if we want to be the Father’s that God called us to be, we have to be present.

Fathers Must Be Prodigal

fathers must be prodigal, what does that mean.....isn’t that a word used to describe the son?

In the story of the prodigal son, we focus on the actions of the son and his failures prior to coming back to the Father, but what does the word prodigal mean, the actual word?

You know I love to give you the greek or hebrew background of a word, to help us understand the context of a word or action or story.....in this case I can’t because prodigal isn’t actually in there. The only time that the word prodigal shows up is on the headers that are added if you have a subject headed bible as a title, but its never actually in the story. So I went to Webster and looked up Prodigal.

Prodigal - characterized by profuse expenditure, recklessly spendthrift.

“The word ‘prodigal’ does not mean ‘wayward’ but, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, ‘recklessly spendthrift.’ St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

… In the story of the prodigal son, the father represents the Heavenly Father Jesus knew so well. … Jesus is showing us the God of Great Expenditure, who is nothing if not prodigal toward us, his children” Yes, the term prodigal certainly applies to the son who left and wasted his inheritance on frivolity, but I think we miss a layer of meaning when we fail to understand the fact that the father is also prodigal towards the Son that He loves. There is NOTHING that God would not give into your life for your good. Beyond Scripture, beyond the cross, and beyond the resurrection, God shows his presence and his care for us in every little detail of our day—from the time the sun rises to the time the moon sets—if we have eyes to see it. God might not always give us the things we want, but he always gives us the very thing we need: himself.

Although much of the attention of Luke 15 is devoted the lost and wayward son and later another parable around lost sheep, Jesus uses these two parables to reveal the heart of our heavenly Father toward his children. In both parables, the shepherd and the father are fully aware of (and care about) the welfare of their charges—whether those charges are present or absent, obedient or disobedient, walking the line or outside the lines.

It is because the shepherd is present and mindful of his sheep out in the field that he notices when one of them has gone missing, instead of being surprised later on when he comes home (Luke 15:4–6). And when we read on in the parable of the prodigal son, we see a father who cares more about his children than he does about his wealth and reputation. He watches for his younger son daily, welcoming him back home with open arms when his son repents (vv. 20–24); and then he pursues his older son, who has also rejected him in his own way, pleading with him to come home, sit at his side, and lay claim to his inheritance (vv. 31–32).

Men not only must we be present , we also have to be prodigal in our delings with our children, being extravagantly spendthrift in our time and affection with them.

Men regardless of how you have done being present and prodigal to this point, wether you have been a zero or a hero......today is a brand new day! If you are a father who has been knocking it out of the park, keep it up and know that you are showing the Love of God in the lives of thse you impact. If you’re a father who has struggled with being present and prodigal in your family’s life, it’s not too late to begin fresh today. If something in your past requires forgiveness and reconciliation in order to begin building a healthy relationship with your children, first take that issue before the Lord. If counseling or discipleship is needed, perhaps it’s time seek out godly elders or trained professionals to walk with you down the road to recovery and making amends.

As the apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:12–16,

Colossians 3:12–16 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

as members of the body of Christ it is our privilege and responsibility to support the men in our lives as fathers and as brothers in Christ. Let us all be there in love and support of each other. Just as we celebrate the Ladies and what they bring into our lives, we celebrate the men, knowing that all of us together in love, celebrating the Gifts of God evident within this body of Christ are here for the putpose of sharing and showing the Love fo God together.