“A Father’s Faith”
June 18, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today, on this Father’s Day, we give thanks to God for all of the fathers, and father figures, who are here with us today, whom we remember, and who, in different ways, have influenced us and have given us the life we now live. No one of us have had the exact same kind of father or father figure, and no one of us who are fathers are the same in our own experiences or styles. So today, we value our fathers and father figures for who they are and have been; we give thanks for husbands and partners who are fathers; and we who are fathers value and affirm ourselves for who we are, and give thanks for the wonderful gift of our families. More importantly, we give thanks to God that He is our heavenly Father, and the best father we could ever want or hope for.
We already know that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-seeing. We also already know that God created and continues to sustain everything, and that all good things happen because of Him. But we have to be reminded every so often that, because all this is true, God has a special interest in caring for us. The reason He created this world was so we could live in it, and enjoy a close, personal, loving relationship with Him. Even though we may not always love God, He loves us unconditionally. As our provider, nurturer, and protector, God is our loving Father. He is always with us, watching over us at every moment, giving us comfort in moments of trouble, help and assistance in moments of struggle, and guidance in moments of uncertainty. He is always on our side, with us to defend us, and here in both good and bad times. While there may be times when He may seem far away, He is actually never so: He is always near to us. What causes Him to seem far away is whenever we allow our own circumstances to overwhelm us, and focus on our problems and what could or is going wrong, instead of on our Father, and what is or could go right. He is always dependable and reliable, and never lets us down. Sometimes we may not always receive what we want or expect from Him, but we always get what we need. Especially for those for whom this Father’s Day is a struggle, because of negative experiences with fathers, God offers Himself as the best father of all, who is always genuinely and honestly loving caring, with everyone’s best interests at heart, who is always there, never distant, who never leaves, and who is always attentive to everyone’s needs at all times. We also call God our heavenly Father, not only because He lives in heaven, but because He has all the qualities of a heavenly being. Besides being all-powerful and immortal, He is also perfect in His love and mercy: His love for us is, once again, unconditional, freely offered and freely given, without any fear of reneging on that promise. He is also welcoming to everyone, and accepts us, and everyone, just as we are. All these qualities make Him perfect, because He is all of these things without any selfish or ulterior motive: He gives Himself only for the sake of giving, without even necessarily demanding anything in return. This is what Jesus reminds us of when He quotes the passage from Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” God does not want anything from us except to trust Him and accept what He has to offer us; and accept others the way He accepts us.
All of these were things I actually learned not just from reading the Bible: in order to be able to be inspired to read the Bible, I had to have someone guide me there and help me understand what I was reading. And that was, of course, my own dad. I’m happy to say, by the way, that I’ve just made plans to fly back out to California after Christmas to visit my parents for the first time in four years. I ask for your prayers that, when the time comes, the weather would actually cooperate this year and I would be able to fly out west safely, without any issues. And even though I have been living thousands of miles away from my parents for the last six and a half years, I thank God that I am still as close with them as I’ve always been, especially with my dad. As I’ve mentioned on previous Father’s Days, my dad is still the same man he was when I was growing up: I can still always count on him to provide me with helpful advice, genuine encouragement, wise guidance, and unconditional love, just as he did when I was younger, and as I’ve gone through many different stages in life. He’s been an excellent role model for me for being a dad, especially as I became a dad fourteen years ago, and recently became a stepdad. Though both of us have our own unique and distinct styles when it comes to being pastors, my dad has been a patient mentor and encourager for me over the almost twenty years that I have been ordained. Also, although my own personal and private views on many issues have evolved, and continue to evolve, this has not in any way affected my relationship with my dad, nor has it caused me to stop seeking guidance and advice from my dad, especially as I have struggled in different ways over the years. And one of the most important ways he’s encouraged me is to trust in God at all times, whatever might be happening, and no matter how impossible things may seem.
My dad is certainly an example of putting this into action. As many of you, my dad was diagnosed with cancer back in 2010. Now, thirteen years later, I am pleased to say that he is still very much with us. He’s been able to keep going, even though at times the effects of the chemo, pain from his deteriorated bones, or overall discomfort has been too much to bear. A lot of that can be attributed not only to the excellent medical care he’s received, but to the hard work and dedication my mom has given these many years to making sure he’s had the best life at home he possibly can. But, through everything he’s been through for the past thirteen years, the most important quality he’s demonstrated has been faith. He especially has demonstrated the same kind of faith Abraham had, which Paul talks about in today’s Second Reading in Romans. Even though Abraham couldn’t see how God was going to fulfill the promise He made to make him, Abraham, the father of a great nation, he still believed that God was going to do as He promised, because He had been faithful in everything up to that point. And that’s exactly what happened: God did as He promised Abraham, and Abraham did become the father of the Jewish people – the people from which Jesus, the Savior of the world, was born. In the same way, my dad didn’t know how or whether God would help or deliver him through his cancer, but he continued to trust God every day. While he was going through his chemo and other treatments, he prayed for strength and guidance. He’s also been able to participate in many groups and boards, nowadays virtually, where he’s received a lot of prayer and encouragement. And the result has been that, again, thirteen years later, he is still here, God has preserved his life, and he is still here to be a blessing to me and all my family. And all because he has faith which trusts in God.
Now, normally we think of faith as simply agreeing with theological ideas or propositions. But faith is something more: it is believing that God is who He says He is, and accepting that who He is is something special and personal for us. The statement “God is love,” for example, is actually not a theological proposition or abstract idea: it is a fact which God Himself has demonstrated in visible, real ways. Even in our Old Testament reading from Hosea, God still demonstrates His fatherly love. Even though His people have gone through a severe period of trial and trouble, God will rescue them, bind up their wounds, heal their hurts, and restore them. In fact, He has already done this, by sending His Son, Jesus, who took the consequences for human brokenness on Himself, dying on a cross, remaining dead for two days, and then rising again back to life on the third day. What this also demonstrates is that, again, just as we hear in Romans, God is faithful in everything He promises. Speaking through Hosea, He promises to restore and give life to His people again, and He makes that same promise to us today. If any of you have been broken, your life is messy, you’re going through a major struggle, or you’re having to deal with something you have no idea how to handle, then accept the promise God gives you today. If you come to Him, trust what He promises, and place your life and problems in His hands, He will give you a fresh start for life; clean up whatever mess is in your life; and fight your battles and resolve your struggles for you. In some ways, what you are going through may also be lessons to help you be able to trust and rely on God; and believe that what He promises you is true. I myself can speak from experience that this is true: before coming here to Farmersville, I had to go through a period of trouble and struggle, especially as I was starting to go through a divorce, wasn’t able to see my son regularly, and was finding that many of the approaches and views I held had been harmful for me both as a person and as a pastor; and had caused a number of messes in my life. So, I had to ask God for help, for Him to show me guidance, forgive those things I had done to throw my life off track, and restore me to going in a more healthy direction: all of which I had to undergo in order to start off on the right foot here and be an effective pastor. But none of which I would have been able to endure or know what to do without the example of my dad and his strong faith. So, on this Father’s Day, we are all encouraged to think of the qualities our own dads, and those who have been like dads to us, have passed along to us, and live out the examples they gave us. And let us give thanks to our heavenly Father for being who He is, thank Him especially for His love, care, and power, and trust Him, and His help, with everything at all times.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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