A NOTE FROM PASTOR MARGE
First off, Happy Father’s Day to those of you who are fathers! Thank you for your love, care, support, encouragement, and patience over the years. You all are simply the best! I realize that today, Father’s Day, may be a difficult day for many people for different reasons. Perhaps your relationship with your father is toxic or distant, for whatever reason. You don't feel safe, protected, cared for, heard, or loved. Perhaps you grew up without a father in your life. All you know are the feelings of abandonment, shame, and unworthiness. Perhaps your dad is no longer on this planet and this day, every year, just feels sad, depressing, and lonely. Perhaps you’re a first-time father celebrating your first ever Father's Day and you just feel like your head is going to explode. You're stressed out and tired and you have absolutely no idea what you are doing. Perhaps you're someone trying to become a father but, for whatever reason, it's just not happening. Whatever circumstance you find yourself in today, one thing is pretty clear to me: no one has a perfect earthly father.
However, the good news for you and for me is that we indeed have a perfect, Heavenly Father who loves us so much that He sent His One and Only Son to this earth to die the death that we deserved so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Did you know that in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus primarily refers to God as Father? In fact, 189 times Jesus calls God “Father.” That is pretty incredible, isn’t it? Now, Jesus does not call God “Father” as an illustration so that we can understand Him better. When we say that God is our Father, it does not mean that He is a reflection of our earthly father but rather, He is the perfection of what it means to be a perfect Father.
God desires for us to not only know Him, but He wants us to understand His heart. God came “to seek and save what was lost,” which is us. He rejoices when we are brought into His family as sons and daughters. God is our good, good Father that lavishes His love upon His children, upon you and me. He is not just a commander and lawgiver so that you can believe right things and do right things, but God is our Father. He is not looking for a bunch of bond servants. What God desires is you! He wants you to come home. Today, we can celebrate Father’s Day, whether you have the best dad on the planet or whether yours is all messed up, because we have a perfect Father “who art in heaven.” Today, we cry out, “Abba! Father!” and we give Him thanks and praise.
— Pastor Marge
Comentários