God's Last Words

“The Blessing of Children”

Matthew 28: 16-20

The family children talked their mother into getting a hamster as long as they agreed to take care of the animal. Two months later, when Mother was caring for Denny the hamster, she made some phone calls and found a new home for him.

When they got home from school she broke the news to them and they seemed to take it well, but they did offer some comments. One of the children said, “He’s been around here a long time and we’ll miss him.” Mom agreed, saying, “Yes, but he’s too much work for one person, and since I’m that one person, I say he goes.”

Another child offered, “Well, maybe if he wouldn’t eat so much, and wouldn’t be so messy, we could keep him.” But she insisted, “Go and get his cage.”

With one voice and in tearful outrage the children shouted, “Denny? We thought you said Daddy!”

A 5 year old boy had a very precocious interest in motorcycles. Whenever he saw one, he would let out a howl of joy, accompanied by remarks like, “Look at that! Look at that motorcycle! I’m going to get a motorcycle someday.”

His father’s answer was always the same, “Not so long as I’m alive, you won’t.”

         One day, while the boy was talking to a friend, a brand new stylish bike zoomed by. He excitedly pointed it out to his friend and exclaimed, “Look at that! Look at that motorcycle! I’m getting one of those – as soon as my dad dies!”

Happy Father’s Day! Let’s read our Gospel lesson for today (Matthew 28: 16-20):

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

And  Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go thereforeand make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Several years ago I was asked to help raise money for a child who had cancer. He was one of four children to a mother who had 3 different men as fathers of her children, of whom none lived with her.

I remember asking her, “How do you keep them straight?” She said, “Luckily, I named each boy after their father.” Not quite the way God envisioned it. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be at that house on Father’s Day! And think of the problems that might occur when one father does something for a child that none of the other children got. It sounds like a recipe for heartbreak.

Because of circumstances like this there has been an effort to minimize the importance of, and impact on fathers within families. Over the last 15 years or so most social and psychological research has been designed to suggest that fathers are a “non-essential” part of families.

Recent studies are showing that at least 24 million children in the U. S. will go to bed tonight without their father present in the home. In addition, 45-50 % of all children born are to unmarried couples (it’s at least 70 % among African-American children). And studies report that 70 % of all adults 18-29 think having a child outside of marriage is okay.

There is a reason why God made it necessary to have both a male and a female to create a new life and raise children as a family. Fathers, as do every member of the family, offer a unique and irreplaceable contribution to a child’s development.

Today since its Father’s day we’ll focus on Fathers. Let’s look at 8 reasons fathers are good for Families:

(One) A good father provides financial stability.  (1 Timothy 5: 8) God has given FATHERS the mandate to provide for their family. In fact, children growing up in father-absent homes are 5 times more likelyto be poor.

(Two) A good father provides emotional security. You may heard it said that there is no such thing as "illegitimate" children – just illegitimate parents. In one very real sense that is true:  no child is morally responsible for the circumstances of his or her birth.  No child is to blame for the decisions of a parent.

But there are some children who very keenly feel that they have never been emotionally "legitimized":  that is, no father has stepped forward to claim them as his own, to say "This is my son, my daughter, and I care about them."  And the absence of that connection can create lasting psychic wounds.

(Three) A good father can provide a model of a healthy marriage. When we get our priorities straight, when our children understand that they are deeply loved but they do not come before our wife, they are given three invaluable gifts:

SECURITY; CONSISTENCY; and A HEALTHY MODEL OF MARRIAGE.

(Four) An active father provides parental partnership. Here's the dirty little secret of parenting:  if you do it right and responsibly, it is hard, time-consuming, exhausting work!  And any parent – dad or mom – who is trying to do it by themselves is operating under a terrible burden.

(Five) A model of masculinity. Young men and young boys need to know what a mature, responsible man looks like – how he think – how he acts.  Fathers offer their sons a uniquely masculine model that young men desperately need. 

But young ladies also need dads:  specifically, they need to experience the healthy love of a good father. If a young woman doesn't receive love and physical affection from a dad, she'll attempt to find it in the arms of a male who doesn't have her best interests at heart. A young lady who grows up in a female-headed home is 7 times more likely to have a child out of wedlock. 

(Six) A launching pad for the teen years. Teens are "in between" – they are temporarily stuck in an ambiguous, confusing state of being no longer a kid, but not quite an adult. They are developing and preparing to accept responsibility for their own life, building their maturity muscles.  And what makes this particular stage of life so maddening for parents is that in order to build those maturity muscles, teens need something to "push" against.  Guess what it is?  Their parents!

(Seven) Christian faith.  As a Father it is our privilege and responsibility to bring our children up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6: 4). 

(Eight) The capacity to trust God. (Matthew 6)Jesus was especially fond of the image of God as a "Father:" that term is used only 3 times in all of the Old Testament to refer to God, but it is used over 300 times in the New Testament! 

In Luke 15 Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son and his loving Father. In Matthew 6 (Sermon on the Mount) he refers to God as our "Father" some ten times in the first 18 verses. How can you know God as “Father” if you don’t know your own Father?

How do you start being a Father? What can set you on the right road?

Becoming a Father is much like learning to juggle and engage a balancing act!Ask yourself: What do I want to accomplish as a Father and what do I want to give my children?

It starts with the right relationship with God and asking “What does God tell us is important as a parent?” That is the bestowing of a blessing.

The Hebrew words for blessing is “berek,” “Baruk,” and “Berakah.” The primary Greek words are “eulogia,” and “makarious.”  These words mean extending good fortune, good faith, good prospects, and becoming a blessing for others. The words generally serve as a synergistic catalyst for good. The ultimate blessing is God’s Salvation through the Grace of His Son.

Fathers, Mothers, and Grandparents bestow blessings in Scripture, but the ones most sought are from the Father. There are at least 23 occasions that God or Jesus speaks direct blessings of favor on a person or a group of people. The earliest blessing from Genesis:

Genesis 1:22 - God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

Blessings includes words and physical affirmation. It can also include inspiration, wisdom, and a sense of acknowledging the child with an eye to the future (“you are our future and we …”).

The blessing may be financial, it may be through loving support, encouragement, nurturing, and it may just simply be presence. Regardless the child will know you love and care and will be there with them.

The greatest gift we can give others is time and children need that time.

But another blessing we also need to share with children is the simplest blessing of all – Heaven’s Blessing:

Romans 5:6-8 says “ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Lastly, remember that your reputation, just as Jesus’ Glory was received from His Father, affects your children. You become responsible to your children for who you are as an indicator of your child’s potential. Don’t we often say “like father, like son?” What you do and who you are affect your children.

Keep that in mind as you go about the joy and challenge of being a father. AMEN.