Merritt Opening Hymn: #34 Wake the Song Title: Father Figure
Scripture: Malachi 4:6, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.
When God was creating a Father, He started with a tall frame. An angel said, "If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why put the Father up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without stooping." God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him childsize, who would children have to look up to?" When God made Father's hands, the angel shook her head, "Large hands can't do diaper pins, tiny buttons, pony tails, remove splinters from baseball bats." God smiled, "They can hold everything a boy empties from his pockets, yet cup a child's face."
God molded long legs and broad shoulders. "He has no comfy lap," the angel chuckled. God said, "A Mother needs a lap. A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, to hold a boy on a bicycle, hold a sleepy head coming home from the park." When God was creating big feet, the angel exclaimed, "Will such feet get out of bed when baby cries, or walk through a birthday party without crushing kids?" God smiled, "They will wear shoes that will be a challenge to fill." God gave the Father a firm voice, eyes that see everything yet remain calm. Finally, God added TEARS. Then He said to the angel, "Now, are you satisfied Fathers can love as much as a Mother can?" The angel said nothing more.
God the Father is NOT distant and angry as many churches portrayed, but loving, kind, gentle. He’s the nicest person in the universe, misrepresented by legalistic religion which distorted His image. Try to think of a perfect father. A perfect father would always love, always be there for you, supportive, sympathetic, protecting. A perfect father would give loving wisdom, true strength, stable, consistent, reliable, faithful. A perfect father can be trusted, obeyed, respected. That’s God our Heavenly Father!
Earthly fathers are not perfect, but they do best they can with what they know. Bill didn’t have much contact with Father who worked a lot. When Dad got home he listened to news, tucked Bill in bed and disappeared. By time Bill was five, he thought dads don’t talk. He could never get his attention, and it bothered Bill. Wasn't he, after all, a guy just like dad? At age seven, Bill asked if Father was unhappy, and if it was Bill's fault. At this, Father stared at Bill who asked, “How can you be happy if you don't talk?" Father took Bill's hand and walked silently to a great oak tree. "Son," Dad said, "there is no greater happiness in the world than in this old tree. It doesn’t talk. It's happy just being here."
"But you’re not a tree, you're my dad," said the boy.
"Yes, but knowing you’re my son makes me just as happy as this tree."
"Well Dad," the boy said, "how do you know the tree is happy?"
Father said with a rare smile, "We tell by the size, fullness, strength and richness of its branches."
After that it was never hard for Bill to find a way to talk to his father, believing that no matter how quiet father was, his Dad was happy and loved him. Sometimes our Heavenly Father may seem quiet, but He still cares and SURELY loves us.
SONG: MAN YOU’VE BECOME
Young children have complete confidence in their father. When mom told her son she didn't have money to buy a toy he wanted, the little boy, whose father made surveyor drawings, said, "Well, why doesn't Dad draw money?" Seeing his older siblings fly their kites, a 2-year-old carefully spread his kite on the ground, sat on it and said, "OK, Daddy! I ready; go for ride!"
When father was having trouble fixing his daughter's hair, she said, "That's okay. He's a daddy. He'll be a mom someday." A 5-year-old was gardening with his father and accidentally spilled Miracle Grow on his finger. "Is my hand going to get big like yours?" he asked. A dad took his 4-year-old daughter to see airplanes at Air Force base where he’s stationed. When a plane took off, Dad said, "That's the sound of freedom." A few days later father and child were outside when a plane flew overhead, "Daddy, I like airplanes, but freedom sure is loud!"
How do you define fatherhood? A four-year-old warned his dad, "You better watch everything you say, cause someday I'm gonna be just like you!" Another little boy put it this way, "I'm just a chip off the old pot!" Robert Fulghum had a 7-year-old daughter Molly who handed him a paper bag held together with duct tape and paper clips. "Just some stuff. Take it with you," she said. At noon, while hurriedly scarfing down his lunch, he opened Molly's bag and shook out two hair ribbons, three stones, plastic dinosaur, pencil stub, seashell, two animal crackers, marble, used lipstick, tiny doll, two chocolate kisses, and 13 pennies. Father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the garbage, Molly's junk and all. That evening, Molly asked, "Where's my bag?"
"I left it at the office. Why?"
"I forgot to put this note in it," she said. "And, besides, those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like. I thought you might play with them. You didn't lose the bag, did you?"
"I'll bring it tomorrow." While Molly hugged her father's neck, he unfolded her note that said, "I love you, Daddy." Molly had given him her treasures! All that a 7-year-old held dear. Love in a paper sack, and he not only missed it, but threw it in the trash! His heart was moved. So back he went just ahead of the night janitor to the office wastebasket. He carefully smoothed out the wadded brown paper bag, put the treasures inside, and carried it home gingerly, like an injured kitten. The bag didn't look so good, but stuff was all there; Molly had a memory about each thing. Sometimes in this life we miss the affection being given. Standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst. It's not the destination that counts in life, it's the journey. Little smiles, chocolate kisses wrapped in old paper bags we throw away each day, tiny treasures. The journey with people we love is what matters. Such a simple truth so easily forgotten.
Song: GRANDPA TELL ME ABOUT THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Bedtime came, we were settling down, I was holding one of my lads. As I grasped him tight, I saw a strange sight: my hands looked like my Dad's! I remember them well, those old gnarled hooks. There was always a cracked nail or two. Thanks to a hammer that strayed from its mark, his thumb was blue! They were rough, I remember, incredibly tough, as strong as a carpenter's vice. But holding a scared little boy at night, they seemed to me very nice. The sight of those hands, how impressive in eyes of his little boy. Other dads' hands were cleaner, effects of office employ. I gave little thought to the reason for Dad's raspy mitts: love in the toil, the dirt and the oil, rusty plumbing that gave those hands fits! Thinking back, misty-eyed, thinking ahead, when one day my time is done. The torch of love in my own wrinkled hands will pass onto hands of my son. I don't mind bruises, scars or the hammer that seemed to slip. I want most of all when my son takes my hand, to feel love in its grip -By David Kettler.
What are Dads for? In a child’s survey, kids aged 3 to 11 were asked as Father's Day project for church. Kelsey says we have Dads "to go to work and get money." Ashley said Dads are there "so you can ask questions," and Colby says we have them "to help us when we have problems." McKenzie’s Dad "works and golfs." Arla’s Dad "goes to work where he eats all day and looks around for his wife.” Bobby said, “To take out the trash.”
Their dads like basketball, four-wheeling, hunting, fishing, TV, sports and fixing cars. Jordan’s Dad "likes to play with reptiles." Leah’s Dad "likes to play outside with me.” Children were asked, "How will your Dad change once he turns 60?" “He will get kinda saggy like grandpa," said Justin. "I think he'll get serious and slow down," said Rochelle. "He won't be as hyper," said Michael. "He will be confused," said Jon. "What does your Dad say all the time?" Answer was "Put your shoes on!" "Roll up the game controls!" "Go to your room!" Frankie remembers Dad saying, "A job worth doing is worth doing well." Justin's Dad says, "You're great!" Chandler’s Dad says, "You know what I like about you? Everything!" Not a single reference to fancy houses or costly trips. God gave us Dads to "love us" by Kyle, "take care of us" by Allyson, "protect us" by Madison and "walk us across the street" by Tanner.
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in training and instruction of the Lord.” A father doesn’t plant negativity in his children by severity, injustice, favoritism, unreasonable authority. Father’s day used to be hard for me; it used to be a day of tears and bad memories. What helped me is knowing God the Father loves me, seeing how George loves our children, good father role models in church, and forgiving my earthly father.
SONG: HAPPINESS IS THE LORD
16-year-old Ryan was out late with friends one night. A friend said, “I bought Dad a tie.” Suddenly Ryan realized it was Father’s Day. By now it was late; stores were closed. Ryan found an open corner store. He asked for Father’s Day cards. The cashier pointed to a card rack, but the young man found only two cards left for Father’s Day. Picking one, Ryan brought it home rather embarrassed. Opening it, Dad read: “You’ve been like a father to me.” He was puzzled. Maybe Ryan doubted they were flesh and blood or Ryan felt Dad wasn’t a good enough father. So Ryan saw he had to explain the strange card. “Well, Dad, it was either that card or the card that said, ‘Now that I’m a father too!’ You wouldn’t want to hear that, would you?”
A man’s story: When I was little, my sister and I gave Dad worms for Father's Day. Night crawlers are big worms great for fishing. Our Dad loved fishing! We had to hunt night before Father's Day with a flashlight in the dirt and turn over big rocks. We found worms and put them in an empty can. Next day we brought the can of worms to give. Somehow one of us tripped, and we spilled crawlers all over the rug. Mom wasn't thrilled! Dad told us it was quite a good gift! Looking back, I don't think I'd recommend it again.
Malachi 4:6, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. The Elijah message is turn hearts of FATHERS to the children and heart of children to fathers. Many of us SEE God through sunglasses of our fathers. That is why it is CRUCIAL to ask God to heal rifts between fathers and children. Moses was dad of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, yet he also served as father figure to all children of Israel. That’s a tall order but fathers in Israel have an important task.
Back in 1900, a father waited for doctor to tell him when baby arrived. Now a father supervises how to breathe while using the camera. In 1900, fathers had children join the family business. Today, fathers hope their kids will come home long enough to fix the computer. In 1900, fathers shook children gently, "Wake up, it's time for school." Today, kids shake fathers at 5 a.m., "Wake up, I have hockey practice!" In 1900, father came home from work to find wife and children at the dinner table. Now father comes home to a note, "Tony’s at baseball, Cindy at gymnastics, I'm at night class, Pizza in fridge." In 1900, fathers said, "A man's home is his castle." Today they say, "Welcome to the money pit." In 1900, when father entered the room, children rose to attention. Today kids grunt, "Dad, you're invading my space!" In 1900, fathers threatened their daughter’s boyfriend with a shotgun if the girl came home late. Now fathers break the ice by saying, "So young man, how long have you had that earring?" In 1900, fathers were never truly appreciated. In 2014, fathers are never truly appreciated.
A father is a person who is forced to endure childbirth without anesthetic, and laughs when he is scared half-to-death. He never feels worthy of adoration in his child's eye, never the hero his daughter thinks or the man his son believes he is. This worries him so he works TOO hard to smooth rough places for those who follow him.
A man who doesn’t find himself in hot water is the one with a wife, two daughters and only one bathroom. While mothers cry where it shows, fathers stand and beam outside but they die inside. Fathers are men who give daughters away to other men, who aren't nearly good enough! Fathers fight dragons like Weariness, Work, and Monotony. They never quite win the fight, but never give up! Knights in shining armor are fathers in work trousers.
Then when father goes to heaven, he won't just sit and wait for dinner. He'll be busy repairing old stars, oiling heaven’s gates, gardening, building a house, a vineyard, and of course, patterning his life after our Heavenly Father.
Song: HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE