Father’s Day is not an extension of Mother’s Day, and it was not created by Hallmark to sell greeting cards.
The celebration of Dad’s special day is credited to Mrs. John B. Dodd of Washington State, who first suggested the idea in 1909.
William Smart was widowed when his wife died in childbirth, delivering their 6th child. Despite the obvious hardships, Mr. Smart managed to raise the newborn along with their other 5 children by himself.
It wasn’t until his daughter Sonora became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The original date chosen for Father’s Day was June 5th, Mr. Smart’s birthday, but it was postponed until June 19th, the third Sunday of June, because Mrs. Dodd didn’t have enough time to prepare.
The idea spread quickly and cities across America began celebrating Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day, but it didn’t become official until 1966 when President Lynden Johnson signed a presidential proclamation setting aside the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
There is no perfect earthly father, and the Bible gives us all kinds of examples of fathers.
a) A good but neglectful father like Eli (1 Samuel 2)
Eli’s neglect to correct and counsel his children was so grievous that they sinned against their own people.
They made a sham of the priesthood.
They ignored what their father told them about their shamefulness and greatly dishonored the heavenly Father.
The Lord was so distressed at Eli's lack of will to correct his children that he rebuked and chastened him and cursed his household.
b) A bad and rotten father like Ahab (1 Kings 16-22)
King Ahab followed his father King Omri’s example by being a worse sinner than King Omri himself was.
A father's example can lead to the destruction of himself and the entire family.
In this case, it was the destruction of Israel. A little bit of love and respect for the Lord could have gone a long way here.
c) Good men who, from time to time, left bad examples like David (1&2 Samuel)
We all know the troubles King David had controlling his desires.
d) And good fathers like Abraham
Abraham loved and respected the lord very much.
He did as the lord asked, without question, even to the point of sacrificing his own son Isaac, and Abraham would have if God had not stopped him.
That is trust, faith, obedience, and love.
However, despite the shortcomings of fatherhood, it is amazing that when God chose how we should relate to Him, he chose Father, and He demonstrated and continues to demonstrate the perfect attributes of a Father.
This is not a sermon on how to become a great father.
Sure, there are things that fathers can do to become better,
Sure, there are ways to make our children feel special,
Sure, there are many things that God himself shows us about perfect fatherhood.
It is common knowledge that children end up imitating their fathers a lot of time.
So, there is no denying the fact that we can become better fathers.
All of us sitting here, young or old, married or not, father or child, man or woman, all of us have one thing in common. We all have a loving heavenly Father.
This morning, I want us to turn our focus on Him and encourage us to examine how we honor our heavenly Father.
How do we honor our heavenly Father?
We might start thinking about numerous ways to do that, some of which might be right and some of which might not be appropriate.
However, fortunately for us, God has sent a perfect example. So, let us look at that perfect example.
Look at how the Son honored the Father.
We have all seen the red-letter word in the Bible.
Does anyone remember the first “red letter” words of the Bible? These are the very first words of Jesus recorded in the Bible.
Let us turn to Luke 2: 41-49. The story is familiar.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents[g] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
The parents take the child to the temple in Jerusalem. When the feast is over, they leave Jerusalem and return home.
On the way, they realize that the boy Jesus is not with them, so they come back—probably halfway —and search for him.
They finally find him in the temple, “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.”
His parents were annoyed with Him. As any good parent would be.
They asked him why he did such a thing. Then Jesus, who was just 12 years old at the time, gave a profound answer.
He says (I read from the NKJV) Luke 2:49,
“Why is it that you are looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Some translations say,
“Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?.”
The original Greek version uses an expression that could be translated as House, business, Father’s matters, or Things.
This one sentence sums up Jesus’ mission, the whole purpose of his coming to this earth. To complete His Father’s business.
So, let us ponder over this a little bit.
What is His Father’s business that Jesus is talking about?
Well. the answer is obvious:
the business of salvation,
the business of bringing His people back in communion with him,
the business of bridging the gap that has been created between the creator and the creation,
the business of defeating Satan’s schemes,
the business of rectifying the fall,
the business of paying for all mankind’s sins once and for all.
Jesus, having existed with the Father before the world was created, fully understood the great lengths to which His Father had gone to help His people. The Father had sent them prophets, appointed kings, and even utilized Judges like Esther and Samson to lead the people back to Him. However, all these previous efforts were not meant to provide redemption but rather to foreshadow the arrival of the Messiah. Jesus realized that His mission was the ultimate and flawless solution.
God had decided to send His own son so that the mission would succeed through the righteousness and sinlessness of the one who has been sent.
During His ministry, Jesus would be heard saying, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (John 5:17
and
"The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." (John 8:29).
And remember that at the end, when He faced his most daunting task, as He prayed in the Garden, Jesus said, "Not my will, but thine be done."
So often, we hear this expression today: WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? So, I would like us to ask today. What Would Jesus Do on a Father’s Day? It all could be summed up in this - He would do His Father’s Business.
How about us? Whose business are we doing?
Perhaps we’ve become too caught up in doing our own business, doing what we want to do – sometimes what we think we have to do.
Perhaps we believe it is not our duty to participate in His business.
Perhaps we think he does not need our help.
Perhaps we think we are in the wrong place, the wrong job, and the wrong neighborhood to do His business.
Perhaps we think we lack the right skills to do His business.
But Jesus has already achieved the major portion of what is required. All that the Father is asking us to do is make Jesus known to people.
He is not asking us to go to the cross or bear everyone else’s sins.
He is just asking us to be the light and salt of the earth.
He is just asking us to “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).
He is just asking us to be Imitators of Christ.
It is not that Our heavenly father will love us or care for us any lesser if we do nothing about His business.
It is not that He will give up on us. He has promised us multiple times that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
We can let go of every care in the world because we know that we have a Father who will always be there for us.
Here is a fascinating story that comes out of the 1989 earthquake, which almost flattened Armenia. This deadly tremor killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son’s school. When he arrived there he discovered the building was flattened.
Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he made to his son, "No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he could not take his mind off his promise.
Remembering that his son’s classroom was in the back right corner of the building, the father rushed there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging, other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son! "My daughter!"
They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school, saying: "It’s too late!" "They’re dead!" "You can’t help!" "Go home!"
Even a police officer and a firefighter told him he should go home. To everyone who tried to stop him, he said, "Are you going to help me now?" They did not answer him, and he continued digging for his son stone by stone.
He needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive, or is he dead?" This man dug for eight hours and then twelve and then twenty-four and then thirty-six. Finally, in the thirty-eighth hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his son’s name, "ARMAND!" and a voice answered him, "Dad?" It’s me, Dad!" Then the boy added these priceless words, "I told the other kids not to worry. I told ’em that if you were alive, you’d save me, and when you saved me, they’d be saved. You promised that, Dad. ’No matter what,’ you said, ’I’ll always be there for you!’ And here you are, Dad. You kept your promise!"
We have a promise-keeping Father in heaven. How are we going to honor Him this Father’s Day? How will we do His business?