Today we celebrate Father’s Day, and our worship is led by Children’s Church. Echoing the readings from Scripture we are encouraged to explore the ways in which our father’s play such an important role in our lives, particularly when life gets rough, the storms rage, and we are asked to face our personal Goliaths. It is true that being a parent does not come with a manual. And that our father’s are far from perfect. Yet, they carry a central role in shaping our relationship with God the Father.
So today we lift up all those who are biological fathers, or are playing the role of father-figures in our homes. These are difficult and uncertain times, where we face many storms not only as individuals but as a whole family of humanity. Today, God seeks to encourage fathers, that as David trusted in Him, so too they can trust in Him. God reminds us that as Jesus is able to calm the storm, so too fathers are encouraged that Jesus is able to do the same for them. We hear Paul speak today about the necessity to rely on the help of the community so as to endure in the ministry. So too our fathers are encouraged to lean into a community of practice to help them navigate others through this time.
Some of us have no fathers or father-figures in the home. This is a sad reality of how broken our family relationships can become. Yet God speaks decisively today into those circumstances as well.
Offering the hope of the gospel, which promises a God who never leaves or forsakes. A God who loves us with the perfect love of a parent for a child. Offering us the confidence to commit to God’s grace and mercy all the circumstances we face. Trusting that God not only hears but also responds to our needs and supplications. So, let us enter this new week, comforted by the presence of God our Father, trusting in His promises, and committing all our cares and worries into His grace.
Pray for me, I am praying for you.

Reverend Anastasia Huntley

20 June 2021