June 18, 2023
Greetings and blessings to all of you. Today we celebrate Fathers. We know who is our Father. “Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thine Name. Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matt. 6:8-13) I could stop right there. However, today is a fitting time to speak to that father that is here today as well as all fathers in the Body of Christ. Being a father or to know someone you consider to be a father is special. Some of you and others have had a coach/or a close friend who you looked to as a “role model” …. or a “second father”. He was there encouraging you, affirming you, acknowledging your strengths and weakness, reminding you how to be excellent at the task at hand. Fathers are needed even though the high priority role of the father is being systematically attacked and destroyed in our culture. However, that does not alleviate fathers (now) to ensure that their sons or the people in their circle learn to honor and respect the position of fathers. Because we are all sinners saved only by the gift and grace of God, we still have that flesh that wants to usurp God’s authority causing serious problems. For example, in the O.T. Jacob who is also known as ‘the schemer’ tried to be his own man (do him) instead of trusting God. He lacked integrity. He was a thief and a liar. He showed favoritism to his son Joseph which caused a rift between the brothers. You know the story in (Gen.37). They tried to kill him except one of the brothers stepped up and with a better plan. ..sell him. But God…. He will work with our disobedience- our rebellion to have His Plan come to pass. So, to the fathers of today the lessons to learn even from Jacob as a father of the twelve tribes; God wants you to trust him so you will benefit from his blessings. Those who want to do what they want to do without the ok from God the Father …. know this …Fighting against God is a losing battle. You often worry about missing God’s will for your life, and run ahead of God just to fall flat on your face; but God in His Grace and Mercy works with your mistakes and bad decisions because God’s will be done. His plans cannot be undone. Fathers have an awesome responsibility because God have given the fathers/men leadership roles and capacities. In the garden after Eve sinned God spoke directly to Adam about the incident. If we teach our sons, they could lead the ladies well. So, Fathers learn well- from the Scriptures.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC