The Creativity of Father

June 15, 2014 Genesis 1:1-2:4 Father’s Day First Sunday After Pentecost Year A Difference between mothers day and fathers day We just celebrated mother’s day a few weeks ago, and today we celebrate our fathers. Some have said that there is a big difference in the way we celebrate our mothers, and our fathers. On mothers day the restaurants are full, on fathers day, it is not too late to get a reservation. Mother’s get flowers, candy, thoughtful presents. Father’s get socks. Kevin Hart even mentioned this week, that on Father’s Day his son will go into his closet, wrap one of his shirts, and say Dad, I know that you will like this gift, because I saw you wear it already. Neither holiday is a sacred holiday for the church. But if you look at every major religion, honoring your mother and your father is a major tenant. We don’t choose out parents, but it is important for us to acknowledge the gifts that they have given us, and the lessons that they teach us. If they were not who they were, we would not be who we are today. We get out identity from our parents. God created fathers And I would say that the gift of fathers is no different from the gift of mothers. It is just that we honor them differently. God created them differently. On Mother’s Day I shared the story of how God created mothers. So I thought I would share the story of how fathers were created. This is a story by Erma Bombeck. . In one of her humor columns Erma Bombeck described what the scene must have looked like when God created fathers. She writes: When the good Lord was creating Fathers he started with a tall frame. And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of Father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put Fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping." And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child-size, who would children have to look up to?" And when God made a Father's hands, they were large and sinewy. And the angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do you know what you're doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats." And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day...yet small enough to cup a child's face in his hands." And then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders. And the angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked. "Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?" And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle, and hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus." God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had every seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?" And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to ride a horse, or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill." God worked throughout the night, giving the Father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that saw everything, but remained calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought, he added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you satisfied that he can love as much as a Mother?" Erma Bombeck concludes, “The angel shuteth up.” While it is obvious to us that God created Adam and Eve, we don’t readily consider the fact that the differences between men and women are God made and purposely suited to the task of raising a child. This is why father’s need to be connected to God. Men, fathers, dads: Your eyes, your hands, your strength, your heart, your mind, your soul have been given you not only for your pleasure but for the pleasure and well being of your children. Fathers and creation I thought that it was important for us to look at the creation story on Father’s Day. God created the earth and all of the creatures on it. God created male and female. God even had a plan for what we should do with our lives while here in the midst of creation. We should care for all that God has given us. The bible makes it clear that God is a spirit. God is neither male nor female. And yet when we think about all that God has done for us. When we think of the role that God plays in our lives, we think of the role of the father. When Jesus speaks of his relationship with God, he calls the almighty father. I thought that it was interesting that the verb – to father, means to create, to be the foundation, to author into existence. The definition of fatherhood If, as C.S. Lewis wrote, "fatherhood must be at the core of the universe," then disrespect for a father means engaging in some very dangerous vandalism. That is true culturally, but also personally. Gordon Dalbey writes, "We had better teach our sons mercy. A man who curses his father...curses his own manhood." Being a father is an awesome responsibility. And makes an awesome difference in the life of our children. The father plays a very important role in the identity of our children. We know the familiar story of Jesus being taken to the temple in ordered to be names and circumcised eight days after he was born. What we may not have realized that it was his father’s Joseph’s responsibility to present him to the public, to claim him and to give him a name. Giving a child identity It is important for fathers to be present at the baptism of a child. Baptism in some ways is that naming ceremony, where the child is introduced to the community. The child is bought into the family of God. But most important the father promises that he will be present in the life of the child. But that he will make sure that the child had a relationship with God. The child will be raised in the ways of God. In a relationship between father and child, the child will pick up in anything that a fathers does. But when we are reminded that our relationship with our children is an extention of our relationship with God. We cant help but to do what is best for our children. Being a father means being connected to our child, our family, our God and our church. All four roles are equally important. So today we honor our fathers for all that they have done for us, all that they have taught us, and all of the places that they have led us. a father’s greatest creation is always present in the life of he child. Father’s may your footsteps lead your children to a place close to God. Amen. Children's Message for Father's Day Lectionary: : • Lectionary: Item 15 of 17 | Back to Results Object: Basket/box full of items such as hammer, frying pan, book, sales receipt pad, Bible, sewing materials, dental/medical item of equipment, small flower trowel, telephone. Be sure to have more than enough for the highest number of children anticipated and avoid sharp or overly heavy objects. Good morning, young people! Today is Father's Day. Today we are going to give God thanks for the things our fathers do for us, and the things they do to make a living. Would you all take turns and find some tool or item in the basket that you think a father/your father might use in helping your family - or you - or at work? (Supervise this experience, being sure that all have a chance to retrieve an item.) Could you explain what item you have and how fathers might use these in their work or around our homes? (Be prepared for anything! Especially help each contribution to be heard, unless a microphone is available, by repeating for those too soft-spoken to be heard.) (You have chosen some items that might not be picked to be included. Knowing your young people is essential here, for they are often very "liberated" and very "traditional.") What about this ___________? (etc.) Can anyone think of how Dad might use this? (Be prepared again for almost anything! Seek to mold the comments into a constructive understanding of the differing roles/jobs of fathers.) How do you feel about what our fathers do for us? (Pause long enough to get some good comments that might be shared.) Let's let our fathers know how we feel. All together now, let's say, "Thanks, Father! We love you!" 1-55673-106-X Back to Results | Item 15 of 17 Illustrations not used in sermon Some of you are familiar with William Raspberry, a syndicated writer with the Washington Post. In a recent column he made this analogy: Some years ago, South Africa's game managers had to figure out what to do about the elephant herd at Kruger National Park. The herd was growing well beyond the ability of the park to sustain it. And so they decided to transport some of the herd to a nearby game park. A dozen years later, however, several of the young male elephants (now teenagers) that had been transported to the game park began attacking the park ‘s herd of white rhinos, an endangered species. They used their trunks to throw sticks at the rhinos, chased them over long hours and great distances and stomped to death a tenth of the herd all for no discernible reason. Park managers decided they had no choice but to kill some of the worst juvenile offenders. They had killed five of them when someone came up with another bright idea. They brought in some of the mature male elephants still residing in the Kruger Park and hoped that the bigger, stronger males could bring the adolescents under control. To the delight of the park officials, it worked. The big bulls quickly established the natural hierarchy and reduced the violent behavior of the younger bulls. "The new discipline, it turned out, was not just a matter of size intimidation," says Raspberry. "The young bulls actually started following the Big Daddies around, yielding to their authority and learning from them proper elephant conduct. The assaults on the white rhinos ended abruptly." (3) Raspberry's point was that young males whether they are wild animals or human beings need Dads. And, it is only possible to use these gifts to their good purpose when God is allowed in. When we allow Him to define who we are who we can be for our families. Text Illustration: B. Charles Francis Adams, the 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: "Went fishing with my son today--a day wasted." His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: "Went fishing with my father--the most wonderful day of my life!" The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son, but his son saw it as an investment of time. Text Illustration: HONORING OUR FATHERS I believe there is something in us--a law written on our hearts--that says, "Honor your father and mother." That’s how it’s stated in the Bible, but you’ll find it in all of the world’s religions. The ancient Chinese Analects advise, "surely proper behaviour to parent and elder brothers is the [tree] trunk of goodness." We must consciously attempt, first of all, to find the good in our fathers, no matter how badly they seemed to have fathered us. To put a spin on Marc Antony’s cry: "We have not come to bury our fathers under the dirt of our accusations; we’ve come to praise them for what we have discovered in them, and for what they have given us." What our fathers did right is every bit as important as what they did wrong. SOURCE: Ken Canfield, PH. D. The Heart of a Father. Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 1996. Pg. 30. 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."(5) What an awesome responsibility! Fatherhood. We present our children in baptism and promise to raise them in the knowledge and love of God, then too often we forget that as our sons and daughters grow and learn, they come to that question, "Is God like Daddy?" Are you sure you would like to hear the response to that one, Dad? If you are not certain, then this Father's Day can be the day, by the power of the Spirit of a loving Heavenly Father, to make a new start. Do you know why God commands us to honor our fathers? Well .. one reason is because of the meaning of the word "father." In the verb form .. the word "father" means "the founder .. to be the foundation .. to author." . Those of us who grew up in families in which Dad was a positive influence will quickly agree. It doesn't always work out like that, of course. There are some families in which Dad is absent, and it cannot be helped. There are other families in which Dads do more harm than good, but fortunately that's true in only a minority of families. Most Dads do the best they can. And we're proud to be able to honor them. Fathers are important. A conscientious father can do wonders in the lives of his children. Many of us have observed this in our own families. A conscientious Dad can have a wondrous impact on the lives of his offspring. Well, of course, Father’s Day is technically not a religious holiday; it is a secular day. But, it is not, for that reason, less appropriate for our consideration. We also don’t simply want to give equal billing to fathers this morning because we gave homage to mothers a month ago. We want to recognize dads for another very important reason. The message that is going out to so much of society today is that fathers are simply not needed. While the number may numerically be small there are some women who actually chose to be single parent mothers. And there are far too many men in America today who father children that they have no intention of raising. The church, therefore, needs to send out the message loud and clear that fathers play a critical role in the life of the family, that they are needed, and that God expects something of them. Fathers, you will have a powerful impact upon your family if you connect in three crucial areas. How is that father’s play such a huge role, whether they are willing or not, in the development of a child? I believe it is by design The role of a father, to connect with his family, cannot be ignored. Ten years ago statistics showed that from 1960 to 1990 the percentage of children living apart from their biological fathers more than doubled from 17% to 36%. It was estimated that by the turn of the century 50% of all American children would go to bed at night without being able to speak to their father. So, here we are. At the turn of the century. How are we doing? The good news is that it’s not as bad as they had predicted. The bad news is that 4 out of every 10 children live in a fatherless home. The tide may have been stemmed a bit but it’s nothing to gloat over. The effects of this are horrendous. Here’s what happens when dads walk out on their children. You won’t believe what you are about to hear. 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census) 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (Source: Center for Disease Control) 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes (Source: Criminal Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26, 1978.) 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (Source: National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools.) 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes (Source: Rainbows for all God’s Children.) 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988) 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home (Source: Fulton Co. Georgia jail populations, Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992) What an awesome responsibility! Fatherhood. We present our children in baptism and promise to raise them in the knowledge and love of God, then too often we forget that as our sons and daughters grow and learn, they come to that question, "Is God like Daddy?" Are you sure you would like to hear the response to that one, Dad? If you are not certain, then this Father's Day can be the day, by the power of the Spirit of a loving Heavenly Father, to make a new start. Amen! ____________________