Father's Day 2018

Proverbs 17:6

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their fathers.

A lot of children are missing “a glory” in their lives

          That’s why Father’s Day evokes different emotions than Mother’s Day

Proverbs:  Fathers “provide instruction & insight” – mothers do that as well

A key trait to being a man is “Responsibility” – mothers can teach that

There are 2 gifts that fathers give that are part of a child’s glory:

Mothers love, but…

Father’s Give Affirmation

     “This is my beloved child and I am well pleased with them”

Father’s give the Gift of Presence

          It’s as simple as ‘being there’

The absence of these 2 ‘gifts’ creates “Father Hunger”

“Father Hunger” grieves the heart of God

    So much so, that He steps in, Himself

Psalm 68:4–6a

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds,

By His name Yah, and rejoice before Him.

5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,

Is God in His holy habitation.

6 God sets the solitary in families.

This becomes real through us…

James 1:27

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:

to visit the fatherless and widows in their trouble,

and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

True Religion is not just about doing good

True Religion is about filling any voids left by a Father

The Church must be “Present”

The Church must be “Affirming”

Malachi 4:5–6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,

And the hearts of the children to their fathers,

Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

Look at the 2 reasons for the conditions of our world – the curse

It is not Absent Fathers

1.    It is “hearts”, and

2.    It’s us not believing in ‘Religion’

Work to turn Men’s Hearts towards Responsibility

Turn Hearts towards authority, instruction, affirmation

We must stop turning hearts away from Fathers

What follows is an example of turning the children's hearts back to the father:

A Letter to My Ex-Husband on Father's Day

While we both know we don't belong together any longer, there was a time when we did. Back then, all I could see was you, our future, lots of children and a house in the country. I got all of that — we got all of that — and then some. Then, our marriage fell to pieces and broke us both wide open. But the love we had, the kids we had, the life we had will forever be a part of us. 

When we decided to go our separate ways, it was the hardest decision we've both had to make. We didn't handle it perfectly; in fact, we hurt each other, sometimes deliberately and sometimes by mistake. But we made it through to the other side.

I know with all my being that despite the fact that we aren't in love anymore, you were the man who was supposed to father my children. I've never doubted that, not even for a moment. And it's important that our kids know I feel that way — and that they will always be a product of our love.

Just because their parents aren't married any longer, it doesn't mean these kids didn't come from a beautiful place.

Happy Father's Day.