Fathers' Day

We are family, all God’s children are we.

Today, are reminded that each one of us is a child of God.

It is with purpose that we take time each year to not only stimulate thought and memories about our fathers, but also to think about our relation to the God of the faith we profess.

Well, today is Father’s Day – my guess is that we will celebrate Father’s Day at our house, pretty much like you will celebrate Father’s Day at your house.
About like any other day.
Some wag said, you know, Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day, except you don’t have to buy presents.

Bill Cosby claims that Mother's Day is much bigger deal because women are more organized than men.
Mothers say to their children, "Now here is a list of what I want. Go get the money from your father and you surprise me on Mother's Day."

Bill Cosby even goes so far as to suggest that Father's Day is almost as exciting as Ground Hog Day.
Among the many problems that he discloses about this observance is the issue of buying a present for Dad.
Among the dumbest gifts that Cosby has received on this day of obligatory recognition is soap-on-a-rope – a remembrance which ranks slightly higher than the time he received a thousand yards of dental floss.
There have been other thoughtful gifts, such as a sweater in June (it was on sale), the hedge cutters, weed trimmers and plumbing snakes.
But, according to Cosby, "even General Patton would have lacked the courage to give his mother soap-on-a-rope."

One of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes comics has Calvin and his Dad outside walking in a beautiful sunny day, and Calvin looks up and says:
“Hey Dad, what are clouds made of?”
And his father looks somewhat stumped, and says “Hmm. I used to know that. I think they are mostly water.”
And Calvin says, “So how come they float?”
And his Dad says: “Well, it’s sort of evaporated water. Maybe there are other gases, too. I’m not sure.”
Then Calvin says: “So why are they white, when the rest of the sky is blue?”
And his Dad says, “Heck, beats me. I guess we ought to look this stuff up.”
And then Calvin says, “I take it there’s no qualifying exam to be a Dad.”

Dad's don't get the respect that they used to. Remember "Father Knows Best."
For many fathers, those were the good old days. Recently a college professor conducted a careful, two year study that asked children aged four to six: "Which do you like better, TV or Daddy?"

Forty-six percent of the youngsters indicated that they preferred television.

I like the story about the ten-year-old boy who answered the doorbell at his home one day.
When he opened it, there stood a strange man on the porch.
The man said, "Son, you don't know me, do you?" The young man said, no, he did not.
The man replied, "Well, I am your uncle on your father's side."
To which the young fellow replied, "Well, I am glad to meet you, but you are certainly on the losing side."

So it is with purpose that we take time each year to not only stimulate thought and memories about our fathers, but also to think about our relation to the God of the faith we profess.

A major thrust of the Bible is the proclamation of this God that is in relationship to the people of the stories and to us.
Here at Christ Church for probably 15 years or so, we have boldly put this relationship out front to each other and to anyone who walks into our worship in many ways:
every single week our bulletin proclaims an acclamation that all are welcome here – we are family, all God’s children are we.
And we always end our service singing the words
with God as our Father, family all are we.

Perhaps the most succinct statement of this relationship is in this passage from Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia:
For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.
As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is no longer Jew nor Greek,
there is no longer slave nor free,
there is no longer male nor female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Here, you and I are reminded, that each one of us is a child of God.

“For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,” writes Paul.
We are Children of God.
We are family.
God loves us even more than our earthly mothers and fathers.
God loves us without reservations, conditions, or restraints.

It doesn’t matter who we are.
Paul writes: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is no longer Jew or Greek,
there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer male and female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
It doesn’t matter who we are, God loves us.

This passage from Galatians reminds us that we are all children of God.

Each and every one of us is a child of God.
Rather than letting our lives get bogged down in jealousy or envy or mistrust,
or worrying about the differences between men and women,
let's go out and claim the rich inheritance that is ours by the grace of God.

Four ministers were talking one day about translations of the Bible.
One said, "I like the King James Version best.
The beauty of the language and the rhythm of the cadence is unsurpassed."

Another said, "I like the Revised Standard Version because it is the closest to the actual Greek and Hebrew tongues."

Another said, "I like the Good News Bible because it is easy to read."

The fourth thought a moment and then he said,
"Of all the translations, I think I like my father''s the best."

One said, "You mean your father has translated the Bible?"

He said, "Oh yes, everyday he translated the Bible to me in his life of love, compassion, forgiveness and sacrifice.
Because of his translation, I am a Christian today."

Yep, you and I are bible translators.
You and I are faith proclaimers.
As Augustine observed long ago, you and I may not use words all the time, but we are constantly acting as bible translators by the way we treat others,
by the lives we lead.
What is being observed when folks see you?

Friends, you and I are children of God.
We are family.
We are loved without limits or reservation.
And when you think about that a while it will change your life.

Appropriate thoughts, I think for a Father’s Day.
Amen.

This sermon was a part of a worship service at Christ Presbyterian Church at Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, Fathers' Day, June 19, 2011.