RESOURCES FOR FATHER'S/MEN'S
DAY
Third Sunday in June
If you illustrations, stories, prayers, web links,
sermons, whatever appropriate for
Father's/Men's Day, please send them to me at bass.mitchell@homiliesbyemail.com
and they will be added here with due recognition. God bless.
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news article |
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A Sermon |
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A Puppet Skit |
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STORIES, ILLUSTRATIONS, QUOTES
Father's/Men's
Day
#1
My dad
also loved me. I've known that from my
earliest moments of
awareness. I'm told that when I was a small child,
perhaps three years of
age, we
lived in a one-bedroom apartment. My little bed was located beside
the bed
of my parents. Dad said it was not
uncommon during that time for
him to
awaken at night and hear a little voice whispering, "Daddy? Daddy?"
He
would answer quietly, "What, Jimmy?" Then I would reply, "Hold
my hand!"
My dad
would reach across the darkness and grope for my little hand, finally
engulfing
it in his. He said the instant he
encompassed my hand, my arm
would
become limp and my breathing deep and regular.
I had gone back to
sleep. You see, I only wanted to know that he was
there!
—Dr.
James Dobson, Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives
#2
While
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman was conducting a prayer meeting a man gave this
testimony:
"I got off at the Pennsylvania depot as a homeless person, and
for a
year I begged on the streets for a living. One day I touched a man on
the
shoulder and said, 'Mister, please give me a dime.' As soon as I saw his
face, I
recognized my father. 'Father, don't you know me?' I asked. Throwing
his
arms around me, he cried, 'I have found you; all I have is yours.' Think
of it,
that I, a homeless person, stood begging my own father for ten cents,
when
for eighteen years he had been looking for me to give me all he was
worth!"
#3
A
father was watching his young son trying to dislodge a heavy stone. The
boy
couldn't budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the
father
asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you are
not," the
father
replied. "You haven't asked me to help you."
#4
Perhaps
you've seen the poster that pictures a dad and his seven- or
eight-year-old
son in an old rowboat on a little lake.
It's early in the
morning,
there's a faint mist still on the lake, and the father and son are
sitting
there, quiet and still. They're each
holding little bamboo fishing
poles,
and the two corks attached to their lines are floating motionless on
the
placid water. Underneath the picture
are two words: "Take Time."
#5
A young
boy was driving a hayrack down the
road, and it turned over right
in
front of a farmer's house. The farmer came out, saw the young boy crying,
and
said, "Son, don't worry about this, we can fix it. Right now dinner's
ready. Why don't you come in and eat with us and
then I'll help you put the
hay
back on the rack." The boy said,
"No, I can't. My father is going
to
be very
angry with me." The farmer said,
"Now don't worry, just come in and
have
some lunch and you'll feel better."
The boy said, "I'm just afraid my
father
is going to be very angry with me."
The farmer and the young boy
went
inside and had dinner. Afterwards, as
they walked outside to the
hayrack,
the farmer said, "Son, don't you feel better now?" The boy said,
"Yes
but I just know that my father will be very angry with me." The farmer
said,
"Nonsense. Where is your father
anyway?" The boy said, "He's
under
that
pile of hay."
#6
Fatherhood
isn't brain surgery. I say this in defiance of the new
conventional
wisdom that being a father is breathtakingly difficult, that it
creates
tough dilemmas, and that fathers need a strategy for carrying out
their
duties. I don't think so. Most men I know have an instinct for
fatherhood
that is triggered the day their first child was born. They
instantly
recognized the number one requirement of fatherhood: to be there.
—The
New Republic
#7
Illinois
Bell reported not long ago that the volume of long-distance calls
made on
Father's Day was growing faster than the number on Mother's Day. The
company
apologized for the delay in compiling the statistics, but explained
that
the extra billing of calls to fathers slowed things down. Most of them
were
collect.
#8
A
church in Florida had been having monthly family events for the whole
community
in an effort to reach new people. They were having a problem,
however,
with some parents dropping off children but not coming themselves.
To
combat this problem, they issued the following announcement: "The Magic
of
Lassie, a film for the whole family, will be shown Sunday at 5 P.M. in
the
church hall. Free puppies will be given to all children not accompanied
by
parents."
#9
Carlyle
Marney says that we need to take three trips home. First, we need to
go home
to ask forgiveness for what we have done wrong. Second, we need to
go home
to forgive our parents for what we feel they have done wrong. Third,
we need
to go home and ask our parents to accept us the way we are.
#10
"The
thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey
their
children."
—Duke
of Wellington
#11
Nervously
preparing to meet her boyfriend's parents for the first time, a
young
woman noticed that her black pumps looked dingy. So she gave them a
fast
swipe with the paper towel she had used to blot her breakfast bacon.
When
she arrived at her boyfriend's impressive home, she was greeted by his
parents
and their much-beloved but rotten-tempered old poodle. The dog got a
whiff
of the bacon grease on her shoes and followed the girl slavishly. At
the end
of the evening, the pleased parents remarked, "Cleo really likes
you,
dear, and she is an excellent judge of character. We are delighted to
welcome
you into our little family."
—"Off
the Record," Detroit News
#12
Parents
often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have
anything
to do with it.
#13
Often,
the difference between an emotionally strong child and a weak one is
how
well parental expectations match the child's capabilities. A mismatch
can
leave a child naked to misfortune. Psychiatrists Stella Chess and
Alexander
Thomas studied a group of middle-class children from birth to
maturity.
One child, Tim, could not do what his father wanted—stick to a
task
for hours on end. "You have no character," the father raged, "no
willpower."
Finally, the boy decided his father was right—he had no
character,
nothing. So he simply gave up, dropping out of school and
drifting
as an adult.
#14
Police
received a complaint of a man and woman fighting. Officers questioned
the
couple, who said they were arguing about which justice of the peace to
use
when they got married.
—Democrat
Herald
#15
When
Lauritz Melchoir, the great Wagnerian tenor, was a young man studying
music,
he was sitting in the garden of his boarding school in Munich.
Practicing
a certain passage of a song he was learning, he sang out one of
the
lines. It went, "Come to me, my love, on the wings of light." Scarcely
had he
sung the words, when a young lady literally dropped out of the sky
and
landed at his feet. The young lady was Maria Hacker, a Bavarian actress
who had
been doing a stunt for a movie thriller. Part of her act was to
parachute
from a plane. The winds had changed and she landed far from her
mark.
Instead she landed in the garden of the music school. In a short time
Lauritz
and Maria were married.
#16
When a
couple come to see me about their wedding, they are always filled
with
excitement and hope. They are so much in love! Do I ever say, "Come on,
settle
down. People get married every
day!"? Never! People do get
married
every
day, but for this couple it is new. Similarly, a couple always rejoice
at the
birth of their first child. Do I say,
"Aw, settle down, children are
born
every day!"? Of course not. Children are born every day, but for this
couple
it is new! So with the gospel. Whenever this old, old gospel is
heard
and believed, for the believer it is new.
—Dr. C.
A. McClain
#17
Two
ladies attended a fashionable brunch in Boston, where the local minister
gave an
inspiring speech on the beauties of married life. The ladies left
the
church feeling uplifted and contented. "That was a wonderful sermon,"
one of
the ladies said. "Oh yes, it was," said the other. "I just wish
I
knew as
little about the subject as he does."
#18
A house
without a roof would scarcely be a more different home, than a
family
unsheltered by God's friendship, and the sense of being always rested
in
God's providential care and guidance.
Horace
Bushnell
***************************
Subject: If Men Were to Rewrite the Rules
Rule #
1 - Anything we said six or eight months ago is inadmissible in an
argument.
All
comments become null and void after seven days.
Rule # 2
- If we say something that can be interpreted in two ways, and one
of the
ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other way.
Rule # 3
- It is in neither your best interest or ours to make us take those
stupid
Cosmo quizzes together.
Rule # 4
- You can either ask us to do something OR tell us how you want it
done -
not both.
Rule # 5
- Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during
commercials
or time-outs.
Rule # 6
- Christopher Columbus didn't need directions and neither do we.
Rule # 7
- When we're turning the wheel and the car is nosing onto the off
ramp,
you saying "Is this is our exit?" is not necessary.
********************************
From: Bass Mitchell bass.mitchell@homiliesbyemail.com
Worship Resources
Father’s/Men's
Day
PRAISE
SONGS
Father,
We Adore You
God and
God Alone
Honor
Him
How
Majestic Is Your Name
I Give
All My Life to You
Lord of
All
Love
Runs in the Family
Love
Will Be Our Home
HYMNS
Where
Charity and Love Prevail
When
Love is Found
Help Us
Accept Each Other
Gift of
Love
Happy
the Home When God Is There
O Lord,
May Church and Home Unite
Our
Parent, By Whose Name
Children
of the Heavenly Father
For the
Beauty of the Earth
Faith
of Our Fathers
GREETINGS/CALLS
TO WORSHIP
LEADER:
May the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you.
PEOPLE: And with you also and with all who
would call Christ
Lord.
LEADER: Our God is merciful and loving and
seeks only what
is best for us.
PEOPLE: Even when we were yet in our sin
Jesus died that we
might know God's love.
LEADER: Then let our hearts be joined in
praise for God's
loving grace.
ALL:
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
OR
L: We
have gathered here to honor the One who created us.
P: The
One who gave us life.
L: The
One who sustains our lives each day.
P: The
One who is our constant companion.
L: The
One who loves us more than a father and mother.
ALL:
The One who is worthy of our praise and of our service all the days of
our
lives.
OPENING
PRAYERS
O God,
You are the power that moves and shapes the universe,
yet You are so gentle and kind to us.
Touch us, Lord,
and use us, for we would be Your loving
servants. in
Christ we pray. Amen.
OR
Lord,
how good it is to come together with our sisters and
brothers, mothers and fathers, your great
and wonderful
family - all here to praise and thank
you. Help us this
day to be reminded of all your many
blessings,
especially the special people you bring
into our lives
to bless and love us. In the name of
Jesus, your
greatest blessing, we pray. Amen.
OR
We sing
praises to you, O God; we raise a psalm in your
honor. You clothe us in all goodness; we
are draped in
accordance with your design. As you have
sent Jesus
Christ to make your will known, you
promise your Holy
Spirit to guide us along your path. As
your holiness
fills this place, hear us as we worship
your name.
Amen.
PRAYER
LITANY
(Silent
prayers may follow each petition)
For our
fathers, who have given us life and love,
that
we may show them respect and love,
we pray
to the Lord...
For
fathers who have lost a child through death,
that their faith may give them hope,
and their family and friends support and
console them,
we pray
to the Lord...
For
men, though without children of their own,
who like fathers have nurtured and cared for
us,
we pray
to the Lord...
For
fathers, who have been unable to be a source of strength,
who have not responded to their children
and have not sustained their families,
we pray
to the Lord...
God, in
your wisdom and love you made all things.
Bless
these men, that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers. Let the
example
of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and
daughters,
may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant
this
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
OR
Pastoral
Prayer for Father's Day
Loving
and Merciful God, whose power is beyond our scope
and
whose wisdom is beyond our understanding,
We turn
to you in faith assured that know our every emotion
and are
aware of our every need.
Our
thoughts and prayers today are turned towards our fathers.
For
those whose fathers have increased the joy in their lives,
we give you thanks.
For
those whose father's presence is greatly missed
may we take time to gratefully recall all
they have given to us,
providing for us in our growing.
For
those whose fathers have recently lost
or who are facing the imminent loss of their
own fathers,
may
they find comfort in their grief, hope in their despair,
courage in the love that their fathers have
given them.
We give
thanks, God, for these good men
who sustain and support us in our living,
who love us no matter
what!
What a
blessing they are to all who know them!
We give
thanks to you, O God,
for all those whose gift for fatherhood is
so strong
that their have allowed their caring to
spill over into the lives of
others providing the guidance and stability,
the nurture and the
love needed.
How
distressing it is for us to consider
that not all fathers have been good
fathers.
We
pray, compassionate God, for those whose father has been
a source of hurt and pain,
for all
those for whom one or more members of their family
has caused them to suffer.
May
their wounds be healed.
May
they find in you, in us, in others,
the nurturing, sustaining love that is
needed
for their growth and well-being.
We
recall with sadness fathers who are separated from their children
though life choices made by them or others.
Give
them the insight and wisdom, the courage and perseverence
to parent in whatever creative and
life-giving ways are open to
them.
Give
them the courage to make the decisions which allow their children
to
prevail.
We
remember to you single fathers and mothers who struggle to be both
parents to their children
--to provide all the emotional, physical and
spiritual needs without
the constant support of a spouse.
May
they find the strength, the courage and wisdom for their task.
We pray
for those fathers whose relationships with their children have
been
difficult or disappointing.
We
pray, too, for those who have been denied a chance to be fathers,
and for those whose years of parenting have
been cut short by the
loss of a child.
We turn
to You, most holy God, knowing trusting that you can console
where
consolation seems impossible. May these
receive comfort for their
soul and peace and hope for living that
their gifts may not be
denied to others.
Finally,
O God, we rejoice with you, O God, at the many fine men, who
in
spite
of confusing roles in a rapidly changing
society, have taken their
place as fathers with open hearts, with willingness
and joy.
And we
join all fathers everywhere in praying that their children may
be well
and happy, a source of joy for years to
come.
Hear
our prayers this day, O God,
and give to us such assurance of your love
that your love may spill forth from us into
the lives of others.
Amen.
(FROM Gayle)
OR
Newspaper
columnist Abigail Van Buren has composed a "Parent's Prayer" in
which
she stresses the practical side of raising children. Says "Dear
Abby":
"Oh,
heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Teach me to understand my
children,
to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to answer all
their
questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting
them.
Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Forbid
that I
should ever laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame or ridicule
when
they displease me. May I never punish them for my own selfish
satisfaction
or to show my power. Let me not tempt my child to lie or steal.
And
guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do that
honesty
produces happiness. Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. And when I
am out
of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue. May I ever be mindful
that my
children are children and I should not expect of them the judgment
of
adults. Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselves and
to make
decisions. Bless me with the bigness to grant them all their
reasonable
requests, and the courage to deny them privileges I know will do
them
harm. Make me fair and just and kind. And fit me, O Lord, to be loved
and
respected and imitated by my children. Amen."
OR
Let us
pray:
Dear
Lord, we who are fathers and mothers need your help.
You
have placed in us the care of each other and of our children.
Give us
the strength and patience to cope with the many ups and downs of
family
life.
Grant
us the grace to be deeply thankful for its laughs, joys and blessings.
Let our
children come to know of your love through our love for them.
Help us
as we try to make ours a home where love dwells, a home like that of
Jesus,
Mary and Joseph in Nazareth.
When we
fail each other and when we hurt each other, soften our hearts so
that
forgiveness and reconciliation comes quickly and easily.
Protect
this family, Lord, and let it flourish in your light and in your
love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen..
OR
Lord,
Keep my
parents in your love.
Lord,
bless
them and keep them.
Lord,
please
let me have money and strength
and
keep my parents for many more years
so that
I can take care of them.
(Prayer
from a young Ghanaian Christian)
BENEDICTIONS
Let us
leave this place to go to our homes and live there the love of God.
Let us
be God's love for and to one another. Let love dwell in our hearts
and
overflow into God's world.
OR
Go,
knowing God goes with you.
Go,
knowing Jesus goes before you.
Go, knowing
the Holy Spirit is within you.
Go,
knowing that we, your brothers and sisters, walk beside you.
<>< <>< <><
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<>< <><
Bass
Mitchell, Hot Springs, VA
HOMILIES
& BIBLE STUDIES BY E-MAIL
Check
out my web site at http://www.homiliesbyemail.com
bass.mitchell@homiliesbyemail.com
****************************
(Some
of these you can use and others not!)
WHY MEN LOVE BEING MEN
1. We know stuff about tanks.
2. Only one suitcase required for a 5-day trip.
3. We can open our own jars.
4. We can go to the bathroom without a support
group.
5. The same hair-style lasts for years -- maybe
decades.
6. We can leave a motel bed unmade.
7. We can kill our own food.
8. We get extra credit for the slightest act of
thoughtfulness.
9. Wedding plans take care of themselves.
10. If
someone forgets to invite us to
something, they can still be our friend.
11.
Underwear is $10 a three-pack.
12. If
you are 34 and single, nobody notices.
13.
Everything on our faces stays the original color.
14.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
15. We
don't have to clean the house if the meter-reader is coming.
16. Car
mechanics tell us the truth.
17. We
can sit quietly and watch a game with a friend
for hours without thinking "He must
be mad at me."
18.
Same work -- more pay.
19.
Gray hair and wrinkles add character.
20. We
can drop by and see a friend without bringing a gift.
21. If
another guy shows up at a party in the same outfit
you just might become lifelong friends.
22.
Your pals will never trap you with: "So, notice anything different?"
23. We
are not expected to know the names of more than five colors.
24. We
almost never have a "strap problem" in public.
25. We
are totally unable to see wrinkles in our clothes.
26. We
don't have to learn to spell a new last name.
27. We
don't have to show below the neck.
28.
Belches are expected and tolerated.
29. Our
belly usually hides our big hips.
30. One
wallet, one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.
31. We
can do our nails with pocketknife.
32. We
have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
33.
Christmas shopping can be accomplished for 25 people
on the day before Christmas and in 45
minutes.
34. We
know nothing about "dust" and we don't care.
*****************************
From:
Bass Mitchell <bassm@va.tds.net>
Pass It On
Psalm:
78:1-4
Key
Verse: We will not hide them from our children; we will tell to the
coming
generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and God's might, and the
wonders
that God has done (Ps 78:4).
(I use
a ruler below. You could use something that belonged to someone
special
in your life who passed along much that helped make you who you
are).
Laying
on my desk right now is an old extension ruler. It's made of wood
with
metal brackets holding it together. It extends to six feet. Some of the
markings
and numbers are faded and others missing from years of use. Some of
the
joints are loose, almost worn out. It belonged to my father who was a
carpenter.
I saw him use it so many times on so many projects. It was the
only
thing I have really asked for that was his. I think of him each time I
see it
and wonder if I will ever measure up to the man he was, if I will
ever
make as good a use of the tools God has given me as he did.
As a
pastor, I have seen so many families torn apart after the death of a
parent
because of arguments over the inheritance. Someone thinks they
deserve
something but someone else gets it. Jealousy. Anger. Old sibling
rivalries
come back to the surface. Why? Over things! We let things - pieces
of wood
and metal - divide us, keep us from the best thing of all - love for
one
another. To sacrifice a brother or sister for a clump of wood or glass
or even
money does not make a lot of sense.
Yes,
Dad's ruler is special to me, but if my brother or sister wanted it, I
would
gladly give it to them. For the greatest inheritance I have received
will
never be things but his love, his example, his gentle spirit, his
wisdom,
his faith - all these and more live within me. He passed along a lot
of who
he was to me. This I value above all material things. These no one,
not
even time, can take away. You can't put them in a bank but they have
made me
wealthy. And he also passed along a brother and three sisters who
mean
the world to me, so that I will not let things come between us. He
would
not want that.
I know.
This is not the experience of everyone, perhaps even you. What you
inherited
from your father or mother - internally - you may well wish you
could
get rid of. But like it or not, our parents brought us into the world
and are
a part of us. They passed along much of who they were to us - for
good or
ill. I hope it was for good, at least
some of it. But they were not
perfect
and neither are we. God help us to forgive them as our children may
well
need to forgive us.
I pray
today that I might pass along more good than ill; more wisdom than
foolishness;
more faith than fear; more love than neglect; more pride than
judgment;
more understanding than impatience. I pray that when they see a
ruler,
or a book, or a sermon, or a pen left to them from me, that they
might
have more good memories than bad. I will work hard to pass those
higher
things along to them, those things that matter more than money and
material
things.
What
are the most meaningful "possessions" that have been passed down to
you -
material and spiritual? (Share them or ask people in the congergation
to do
so).
What
are you passing along to your children and grandchildren?
Prayer:
God of love, you give us so much. You pass along so many blessings
that we
cannot count them all. Thank you for our parents, imperfect as they
are.
Thank you for those who have been like parents to us. Help us to daily
pass
along to our own children and to children we have adopted as our own,
those
things that matter most, that last for all time. Amen.
Might
use the chorus, "Pass It On," as part of this.
<>< <>< <><
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<>< <>< <>< <><
<>< <>< <><
Bass
Mitchell
HOMILIES
BY E-MAIL/BIBLE STUDY BY EMAIL
bassm@va.tds.net
visit
our web site at
http://www.homiliesbyemail.com
toll
free number 1-877-681-3349 (for USA, Canada)
****************************
Here's
a wonderful and moving sermon which I think is most appropriate for
Father's/Men's Day. Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share it
with you.
Bass
From: Peter K. Perry
<pkperry@cableone.net>
Sons of Zebedee
Mark
1:16-20
January
22-23, 2000
Prescott
United Methodist Church
(Mark
1:16-20) As Jesus passed along the
Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and
his
brother Andrew casting a net into the
sea--for
they were fishermen. [17]
And
Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I
will
make you fish for people."
[18]
And immediately they left their nets
and
followed him. [19] As he went
a
little farther, he saw James son of
Zebedee
and his brother John, who were
in
their boat mending the nets. [20]
Immediately
he called them; and they
left
their father Zebedee in the boat
with
the hired men, and followed him.
James
and his brother John were called by
Jesus
to become fishers of men.
They
were part of the inner circle of
disciples. They were close to Jesus.
The
tradition says that they were
tempestuous,
like when they tried to
summon
fire from heaven as punishment for
a
village that rejected Jesus.
They
sometimes seemed selfish, like when
their
mother sought a special
position
for them in Jesus’ kingdom. But
they
were faithful disciples,
present
along with Peter at the
transfiguration
and the crucifixion.
John
was the beloved disciple, the
traditional
writer of the fourth gospel.
And
James was the first of the twelve
martyred
for the faith, executed by Herod
Agrippa
about 44 AD. There is a lot more
we
could say about James and John.
But
today I want to lift up simply that
they
were the sons of Zebedee.
"As
Jesus went a little farther, he saw
James
son of Zebedee and his brother
John,
who were in their boat mending the
nets. Immediately he called them; and
they
left their father Zebedee in the
boat
with the hired men, and followed
him."
James
and John we know, but who was this
Zebedee,
and why does Mark bother
to say
anything at all about him? Is he
important? Is he significant in
any
way? Was he famous? Maybe some of
those
who heard the gospel story
told by
Mark and Matthew, Luke and John,
maybe
some of them might have known
Zebedee. Maybe they bought their fish
from
him. Maybe he was a member of
their
synagogue. Maybe they were related
by
marriage. Maybe not.
On
January 5th of this new year a man
died in
Fullerton, California. His
name
was Thomas Clifton Perry, and he was
my
father. Not many here in Prescott
had met
him. You knew him only through
his
son, and maybe you knew him better
than
you might because Dad made for some
pretty
good sermon illustrations over the
years. He wasn’t famous, though he had
many
friends. He worked hard all his
life,
and in his own way he made the
world a
better place. And I am proud to
be his
son. You see, here in Prescott
Tom
Perry is just the father of Peter…but
back
home Peter is just the son of Tom
Perry.
Zebedee. In Hebrew tradition, one was
known
as the son of one’s father.
James
and John were the sons of Zebedee.
James
bar Zebedee. John bar Zebedee.
One’s
last name was the name of one’s
father. I would be Peter bar Thomas.
Centuries
later in our European
tradition,
I would still bear my father’s
name
and I would be Peter Thomason.
Today,
I almost wish we still followed
those
naming customs, for those I believe
reminded
people of from where they’d
come.
I
wonder if James and John looked like
Zebedee. Or did they more closely
resemble
their mother? I wonder if they
sounded
like Zebedee? I wonder if
they
walked like him, shook hands like
him,
laughed like him? While Zebedee
was
teaching his sons to mend the fishing
nets,
what else did he teach them?
Did he
tell them about how a man should
love
and honor a woman? Did he
instruct
them in the wise use of money?
Did he
encourage them to believe in
themselves
and live for a high purpose?
Did he
ever talk with them about
God? Did Zebedee have any daughters?
What
lessons did he teach them? What
gifts
did he give them?
What
does a father give to his children?
What
lessons do we learn from our
fathers? In the Proverbs of Solomon, it
is
written…
"Listen,
children, to a father's
instruction,
and be attentive, that you
may
gain insight; for I give you good
precepts:
do not forsake my teaching.
When I
was a son with my father, tender,
and my
mother's favorite, he taught
me, and
said to me, "Let your heart hold
fast my
words; keep my commandments, and
live.
Get wisdom; get insight: do not
forget,
nor turn away from the words of
my
mouth." (Prov.4)
James
and John, the sons of Zebedee, grew
up, and
God in Christ called them
away
from their father and his life’s
work. When Jesus called, Mark says
they
immediately dropped their nets and
followed
him. But I guarantee you
that
the lives of James and John were
shaped
by the life of Zebedee, just as
my life
has been shaped by my father, and
your
life has been shaped by your
father.
Not
everyone has a loving father. Was
Zebedee
a loving father? I don’t
know. No father is perfect. Zebedee was
a just
a man, with all of limitations
that go
along with being human. So too
with my
father.
Tom
Perry had his share of problems in
life. He had a horrible childhood,
abandoned
by his father, passed off by
his own
mother as her little brother,
raised
alternately by his mother, his
aunts,
his grandparents…he never had a
stable
family. And so that became my
father’s
driving purpose in life…to
create
the kind of family he never had,
to
provide for his children the kind
of
father he only dreamed of having.
Most of
the time he did a pretty good
job of
doing that. And two weeks ago,
all
five of his children gathered
together
to say by our presence together
as a
family, that he had succeeded
in
instilling in us the importance of
family. Each of us has left home,
followed
our dreams, created our own
families,
and without realizing it, we
have
furthered our father’s ambition.
As you
sit here today, I want you to
think
of your own father. I hope you
knew
him. I hope you loved him. I hope
he was
a good father, as mine was.
But
even if you didn’t know your father,
even if
you didn’t love your father, your
father
has still helped make you,
negatively
or positively, who you are
today. Some people spend years in
therapy
trying to figure out if
that’s
a good thing or a bad thing. :-)
But
good or bad, it is true. James
and
John and Zebedee, Peter and Thomas,
even
Jesus and Joseph. You and
your
father. There is a bond between
father
and child that nothing can
break, not even death.