Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Father's Day

To my son and my daughter who made me a dad...

Happy Father's Day to all the dads and their sons!

Father's Day has traditionally meant the day that dad can relax from the many duties of being a father.  For some this may mean a lazy day fishing at the lake, and for others it might mean watching the final round of the US OPEN golf tournament on TV.  For some it may mean someone else stands over the Barbecue today.  For most dads this is a day to enjoy the fruits of our labors as we revel in the gift of family.

We are reminded by Jesus that this day, the sabbath is intended to be a day of rest.  That God did not intend for every day to be consumed by our labor, but that rest is necessary to our nature.  Resting on this the first day of the week is one of the ways we show our trust in God; that we are not what we earn because life begins as a gift.  Indeed the sabbath is a model for how we might look at each and every day.  I appreciate the Hebrew understanding that the day actually begins at sundown.  The implication is that the day begins with the gift of rest and that our labor does not earn us this but is in response.  Gift begets the gifting of others through our effort as well as our talents.

As we gather in worship on this Holy Trinity Sunday, we are reminded that God is like a good father.  He provides for us and he protects us.  He listens to us as he guides us.  Most importantly, he loves us not because we deserve it, but because we are his children.

Jesus was asked by his disciples to teach them how to pray, and Jesus began by saying, 'Daddy, Holy is your name.  May you reign, may your rule be evident in our world today, just as we expect in heaven.'    We know this as the Lord's Prayer.  This, however, was a significant departure from his contemporaries understanding of how God should be addressed.  In ancient Judea God's name was so holy that it was not something to make common.  Jesus wanted us to know that God is more than the great unknown, but has chosen to become familiar with us through his love.

I hope that this Father's Day is a day of celebration in your household as we remember the love that holds us together.  Whether our relationship with our father was good or bad, whether we feel we are fulfilling our expectations as a father or not, may we remember that today of all days, that God our Father loves us and may that be enough.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8