On Father’s Day we honor the fathers among us. Scripture clearly teaches that the role of fathers goes beyond mere providers and protectors. Notice how Ephesians 6:2-4 reminds us of their responsibility beginning with how not to do it. — Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Three Points About What Father’s Day Is …
You’ll find the following three key reminders for Father’s Day in the Holiday Reflections Discipleship Guides resource, along with additional subpoints, Scripture, and some questions to reflect on. Father’s Day is one of fourteen holidays covered in this resource which can be used for personal benefit, in a small group, or distributed to your entire church.
- Father’s Day is a time to remind fathers to bring up their children “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).
- It’s a time to remind children that to honor and obey their fathers isn’t just for the benefit of the parent but also for their own good “so that it may go well with” them (Eph. 6:1-3).
- And, Father’s Day is a time to remember God as the Greatest Father, “a father to the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5) which would include those whose father is no longer alive and those whose father wasn’t there for them as they should have been. Check out this post: God as Our Father
This article tells us that fathers day is a day for reminding everyone about their responsibilities, especially fathers. The article on mothers day tells us to be sensitive to everyone’s feelings about their mothers or their motherhood. This fits the societal pattern that there are deadbeat dads but no deadbeat moms. This is not biblical. My mother was an alcoholic. My dad made breakfast on school days while my mom was sleeping off her last blackout. She picked up her mother’s day flower whenever it was offered. The father’s day beat-down, is a common sermon topic on the day we choose to acknowledge the male contribution to the family progeny. On father’s day, Dad needs to be reminded that the success or failure of his family is all on his shoulders. He should be prepared to fall on his sword or go down swinging; but we know, statistically, that he is on the couch, watching sports, while his wife does everything else…every dad…all the time. ( Except when he is sinning sexually… then, no sports … every man …all the time.) So gird your loins or man-up or “suit-up and show-up”. You are saved by grace through faith BUT you really aren’t good enough. Try harder. The whole creation waits in eager expectation for the dad who will simply do his God-ordained job. After that, I go home encouraged to love and good deeds; grateful indeed to be alive at such a time as this and to hear such a fervent reminder of my responsibilities. My mind is renewed and I am closer to being transformed into the graven image of “christian manliness” that the church leadership worships. I feel “challenged” in more than one way. I cordially dislike father’s day at church and have often wished I were sick that day. I have spoken out about the beatdown sermons and our pulpit has changed but I still go in dread of what the topic will be on father’s day.
Anon, your reaction to Father’s Day certainly is understandable. To be sure, both fathers and mothers have responsibilities before God and either can fail to fulfill their responsibilities. For that reason the article you referenced about being sensitive to mothers deals with both (Let’s Be Sensitive on Mother’s and Father’s Day). And then there’s another post, But My Mother (Father) Abused Me, which deals with the possibility of either parent.
God’s Word does provide guidelines that lead to healthy family relationships rather than dysfunctional or abusive ones. Laying a guilt trip on people for their failures will not be the answer but rather grace. — “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, speak truth in love.” (Titus 2:11-12) — So, in reality, we are, as you wrote, saved by grace but we also live by grace. As a Church, that doesn’t mean we avoid communicating God-given responsibilities but we must always speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). We must always care about the people we serve, not just “speak” at them. Sadly this does not always happen in every church but that is God’s intent.