A Word From The Pastor

It is believed that Father’s Day was first observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd, a Christian woman and the daughter of American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart.

Sonora’s mother died when she was 16, and she wanted a day that would commemorate and honor fathers like her own, who had raised her and five other children. Initially, her efforts were met with quite a bit of push-back, but she persisted and in 1913, A bill was introduced in Congress and three years later, President Woodrow Wilson spoke at a Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington, expressing his desire to make the day an official holiday.

For reasons unknown to me, Congress put up a fight and it wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson would make a proclamation for the third Sunday of June to be Father’s Day.
It was made an official national holiday when President Nixon signed an official proclamation in 1972.

Now, as a church, we are governed by the scriptures, and this brings about an interesting question: Should we celebrate Father’s Day as a body of believers this Sunday?

The Bible never mentions Father’s Day, but we can very clearly see that God does recognize the importance of fathers and even gave them special honor throughout history.

You can follow this theme of fatherhood, and its honor in the very person of God Himself (Matthew 5:45; 6:9,32; Romans 1:7; 15:6; 1 Corinthians 8:6). Time and time again, we find Jesus Christ, the Son, honoring His Father and honoring the will of His Father (John 17:1 and John 17:5). The apostle Paul taught that to honor one’s earthly father is not only a commandment but the first commandment that, when obeyed, has a promise of living a blessed life on the earth (Ephesians 6:2-3). In light of these verses, and countless others, it seems perfectly fitting and God-honoring for His church to celebrate a day in which fathers, the God-ordained spiritual head of the family, would be honored.

Tomorrow morning at 10:30am, we will recognize Father’s Day at North Anderson Baptist Church. Now, to be sure, we’re not gathering together for this purpose. The worship of King Jesus is our unapologetic priority, but we will certainly honor fathers in the process.

Dads, lead your homes well and be in church tomorrow. Sing loudly! Pray fervently! Give generously and purposefully! Bring your Bible and follow along! Model for your family what it looks like to live a life devoted to the King! As you do so, you’ll make a generational impact.

In Christ Alone,
Pastor DK

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags