Fathers Day To those who became fathers this year—we celebrate with you To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you To those who have experienced loss through death, miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. To those who are foster parents, mentors, and spiritual fathers – we need you To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you To those who lost their fathers this year – we grieve with you To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own father – we acknowledge your experience
Transcript
Fathers DayTo those who became fathers this year—we celebrate with youTo those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and
wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate youTo those who have experienced loss through death, miscarriage,
failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with youTo those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes,
prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things.
To those who are foster parents, mentors, and spiritual fathers – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their fathers this year – we grieve with youTo those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own
father – we acknowledge your experience
To those who are single and long to be married and fathering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren - yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are to become fathers this year, both expected and surprising – we anticipate with you
This Father’s Day, we walk with you. Fathering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
Men of GodI acknowledge the call of God on my life.I WILL seek to be a visual representation of the character of GodI WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy. I WILL forgive those who have wronged me
and reconcile with those I have wronged. I WILL break the chain of destructive patterns
in my family historyI WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins,
and walk with integrity I WILL pray for others and treat them
with kindness, respect, and compassion.I WILL be faithful in loving, protecting and serving
my life-long relationshipsI WILL honour authority and live responsibly. I WILL work diligently to provide for my needs
and the needs of othersI WILL mentor others, teaching & encouraging them to love God
Ephesians 5-65:21Submit to one another out of reverence for
Christ.5:22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the
Lord.5:25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
loved the church6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord.6:4Fathers, do not exasperate your children.6:5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with
respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
6:9Masters, treat your slaves in the same way.6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power.
SubmissionGiving love unconditionally
Choosing the good of the otherChampioning the rights of others
Giving up “rights”to be loved in returnto retaliateto be heardto get my own way
Set free from anger and bitternessselfishness
Not self hatred loss of identity
Love given and received as a gift, not as a right
Mark 8: Submission34Then he called the crowd to him
along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
Love given and received as a gift, not as a right
Philippians 2: Submission1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,
if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
King of Kings
Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
SubmissionGiving love unconditionally
Choosing the good of the otherChampioning the rights of others
Giving up “rights”to be loved in returnto retaliateto be heardto get my own way
Set free from anger and bitternessselfishness
Not self hatred loss of identity
Love given and received as a gift, not as a right
Stand up for JesusIt’s amazing
Blessing
May the Fatherfrom whom every family in earth and heaven receives its namestrengthen you with his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith,and that, knowing his love,broad and long, deep and high beyond our knowledge,you may be filled with all the fullness of God;
cf Ephesians 3.15-19And may the Blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.
