Hosea 11:1-4

When my children were small I would call them. They would come running to me and jump in my arms. I would carry them on my shoulders. I would care for them and protect them.

When they hurt themselves they would come to me and I would take care of them. Sometimes their boo boos required a hug. Other times their injuries required a bandage. Once when Mary was three she fell down and hurt her knee. The skin was not broken or even red so I put the band aid on the knee of her blue jeans. She was all better.

Calling my children has changed. Sometimes it involves a cell phone and texting. Sometimes an email or perhaps a facebook post. But whether physically or electronically they come running.

I can only imagine how God the Father felt. God the Father had brought Israel to life. God had called the descendants of Abraham and Sarah out of slavery in Egypt. God had turned them into a nation. God had nurtured them in the wilderness. Then God led them to the Promised Land and enable them to possess it.

Yes when God called they ran. God had fed them and they went running after false gods. God had loved them. And when they were hurt God Administered first aid.

Yet like a teenager they rebelled. They forgot who they were and whose they were. God had taught them to walk. And they chose to run from God.

How must God have felt?

This is the story of Israel's history. God the Father cared for them. Sometimes in their distress they ran to God like a child running to their father. And God would care for them. But other times they would run from God and worship false God's.

But God always loved them. Like the father of the Prodigal son God was always waiting for the wayward child. And then God would embrace Israel when they came running back. Whether it was worshipping Baals in Israel, or being carried off into captivity God was always there.

This went on for 1,400 years. Then God intervened. Like a father stepping in to reach out to a grown child who is addicted. God came in the flesh into our world. God came in Jesus to find us in our lostness. Not just Israel but the whole human race had run from God by serving false God's. But in Jesus God the Son, God the Father came to us to embrace us.

You might say wait a minute preacher you are mixing your metaphors. Jesus God the Son is the Father embracing the child? Yes, that is what the doctrine of the Trinity does. It mixes our metaphors to reach a deeper truth.

Jesus himself said that he and the Father were one. Hosea described God as a father reaching down and lifting a small child to the cheek. And in Jesus God reached down to the whole human race to lift them up. Yet most seem to be running from the loving arms of God.

Are you running from God? God is reaching out to you. Have you been seeking after the thing of this world? Have you been worshipping the Baals or selfishness and hatred? Have you placed the golden calves of wealth and power and acceptance above God?

God gave you life, like a good father, God has cared for you and lifted you up. In the midst of your rebellion God has called you. When you were injured God kissed your boo boos goodbye.

Don't run from your Father. Run to God. And he will lift you up like a father lifting up a child. God has and will bend down to feed you!

Psalm 42

Water is essential for life. A person can go for long period of time without food, but for a relatively short period without water As living beings we are mostly water. When scientists consider the possibility of life on other planets, they often see water are the necessary compound. Water is necessary for life - as we know it.

That is why the image of the deer panting for water is so strong. You see you don't have to teach a deer to long for water, just like you don't have to teach a person to thirst. To thirst for water is basic and biological. Thirsting is chemical. It is built into who we are on a molecular level.

I say all this to make a point about the first line of this psalm. It says as a deer pants for water, so my soul thirsts for God. Many people read that and they think "OK, it says I should thirst for God."

No, that misses the point. It is not sating you should thirst for God. It is saying you do thirst for God. You are spiritually thirsty because God is as essential to your makeup as a spiritual person as water is to your makeup as a physical person. In the Bible a person is the dust of the earth made alive by the breath or spirit of God. God is the essential element of the chemical makeup of your soul.

You thirst for God! That is the fact. We as human beings all experience that thirst to know God and to have God living in us. God made us that way. It has been said that each of us has a God shaped hole in our hearts and only God can fill that hole and make us whole and complete. The deer does not pant for water because someone said "Oh, you should be thirsty." The deer pants for water because it is thirsty.

You are thirsty for God! The problem is that sometimes we find other things that seem like what we are thirsty for and they do not do the job. Have you even been dehydrated but instead of drinking water you drank a soft drink. It was liquid but it did not provide what you really needed as well as plain water would have. That is why doctors tell you when you are dehydrated to stay away from soft drinks and drink either water or drinks designed to help rehydrate you. We have all heard stories of people adrift at sea who were thirsty and drank the salt water only to die quicker as the salt water actually drew the water out of their cells instead of putting it in. We all thirst for God, but sometimes we try to fill that need through other things.

Since today is Father's Day I want to speak especially to men. Our lives are so full. And many of those things in our lives can be fulfilling. It is easy to think that these things will fill the thirst we have. So I want to enumerate some of those things that will not satisfy that thirst.

Your job will not satisfy your thirst. One of the things that brings men fulfillment is our jobs. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. If you find fulfillment in your job I am not suggesting that you give up your job and go find an unsatisfying one. I know I find fulfillment in my job. I get to go to church every day and get paid for it! I get the help people and teach people about God! If you find fulfillment in your job that is probably a sign that you have found your calling.

But we should not expect that to satisfy our deepest needs. As satisfying as a calling or career can be, we are not what we do for living. Too many men lived for the job and when the job ended what did they have, a few plaques for being best employee and a pension? A job may be meaningful, but it cannot provide deep meaning. It is not that water that you thirst for.

Hobbies will not satisfy your thirst. Hobbies and activities can be good. They can be creative outlets and can be productive. Activities can be meaningful and satisfying. I know following Duke Basketball has been tremendously satisfying for me. Sometimes following Carolina foot ball has not been satisfying.

People often try to satisfy their longings with hobbies and activities. But all the hunting trophies or homemade furniture in the world cannot fill the void. Even a National Championship cannot satisfy that ultimate thirst. Only God can do that. -Family cannot satisfy your thirst. Family is a good thing. It can and should be a satisfying thing especially being a father. Let me tell you about my kids� Well maybe not. We don't have all day.

The love of family can and should be a source of satisfaction and meaning. But it will not fill your longing for God. The relationships with in a family are vehicle for expressing and experiencing God's love. But the family is not the source. God is the source of the living water that can satisfy your thirst

Church cannot satisfy your thirst. "Wait a minute. Did the preacher just say that church cannot satisfy your thirst?" Yes, I said that. Church can be the place where your relationship with God is nurtured and grown. So coming to church can be a vehicle of receiving the spiritual water we thirst for.

But church itself can also make us thirsty. There are a lot of thirsty people in church. Some are even dying of thirst. Because church is not what satisfies our thirst. God is what satisfies that thirst.

Only God can satisfy your deepest longings. Only God can quench your spiritual thirst. Only God give your life ultimate meaning. Other things may be meaningful, but they will not bring ultimate fulfillment. But God can fulfill you.

Jesus is your connection to God. He came into this world and died for your sins. He did that so that you can know God. Trust in him so that you can receive that living water that will satisfy your thirst.

Don't try to fill your life with work or hobbies or family or even church. Don't let you soul be downcast within you. Put your trust in Christ. Place your hope on God. And let God quench your thirst.

Are you thirsty? Now, that was a silly question. Of course you are! Let Jesus give you the living water you thirst for.

1 Samuel 17:32-49

It takes a lot to be a good Dad these days. We have to care for and protect our children in a world where it gets harder every day. I remember when I was little the kids in my neighborhood would just run around to each other's houses and play out in the yards of the neighborhood and ride our bikes up and down the street without a thought of any danger except the occasional car coming down our cul-de-sac. We were told not to talk to strangers or get in to cars with strangers but that was about the extent of it. Now we live in a world where kids are snatched off the streets and where they are not even safe in their own yards.

As our kids grow up the list of vices that young people can get drawn into seems to have multiplied. When I was coming up there was basically cigarettes and alcohol. Now a days there is that plus crack and meth and the list goes on. And the access to explicit materials is so much easier. Sometimes it seems like they invent a new vice every day.

The dangers young people face in our day are many. How do we fathers prepare ourselves to care for our children? What do we need to face these dangers? What equipment does it take to do battle against the myriad of dangers our children face?

It seems to me that what men today need most of all is some armor. We need to be able to protect our children. There are so many dangers in our world. With a thick enough armor we can keep the things in the world that would hurt them away. Fathers today need to have a thick skin so that they can take a stand and not be touched. Being a good father takes having a think skin.

I remember one time I had to have thick skin. Mary had just learned to talk. I would rock her to sleep at night and then put her in the crib. One night she kept waking up and I have to keep rocking her to sleep again. After a while I decided I just had to leave her and let her cry herself to sleep. So I put her in her crib and when she woke up she started calling for me: "Daddy, Daddy, O daddy, O daddy O�" I don't know where she got that "o" from but that was the twist of the knife. But I stood strong and made her cry herself to sleep. The way Melissa tells the story I cried, but not when I tell it.

So armor is good for a good father but it really is not enough. There is always something that can get past our defenses. And if we get to thick skinned then we can never be tender hearted when we need to be.

I guess then that what fathers today really need are weapons. We need strategies and resources to fight the evils of the world. We need to be able to beat back the evil forces that would effect our children. We need spears that can hit the devil at a distance so that we can keep him far from our children.

We also need a sword. We need to be able to do close combat with the forces and evil that would infect and injure our children. We need to be able to beat off the devil and his minions.

But could we ever amass resource and weaponry great enough to ward off the devils of this world? Especially as our children grow up. When my kids were little we used to put the TV on a children's channel and leave it there. For the longest time they didn't even know how to change the channel. But as they get older we can't control the influences on their lives. More and more they are beyond the reach of any weapons that we can wield.

So what do men need to be good fathers today? Let's take a look at David; after all the title of the sermon is "David's Lesson for Dads." The story of David and Goliath is familiar to most people because we teach it to our children. David is a youth keeping his father's flocks. His older brothers go to war to fight the Philistines. And David follows them.

It just so happens that the Philistines have a soldier named Goliath who is a giant. This Goliath says that if any single soldier from the Israelites and defeat him then the Philistines will leave. None of the Israelites is willing to go do battle with Goliath, but David volunteers. Saul offers David his personal weapons and armor to go into battle against Goliath. But they are too large and heavy for the boy.

So David goes out with no armor and only the sling he used to fend off wild animals while keeping the flocks. Goliath chides him for coming out with no sword or spear or armor. David replies, "I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts." Of course you know the rest of the story. David slung a stone at Goliath and kills him with one blow.

David did not need the armor or the weapons. All he needed was the name of the Lord. That's all fathers need today. We don't need armor and weapons to be good fathers. All we need is the Lord. The Lord will take what we have and make it sufficient for the task.

Fathers need to be tough as nails and tenderhearted. Fathers can ward off the evils of the world. But in the end we need the Lord. He is the only one who can enable us to protect and care for our children.

This is a message for all of us not just fathers. To face the troubles and dangers of our world we don't need armor and weapons. All we need is the name of the Lord. So like David put your faith in the power of the name of the Lord. Then you will be able to defeat the evil Goliaths that you face no matter how big they are.

Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

Role models: that is what they talk about when they talk about fathering now days. It is all about role models. Who was your role model? What did you learn from their example? What kind of example are you setting for others?

We learn by watching. Especially us guys. We certainly don't learn by listening, our wives will tell you that! You know the old saying, "Do what a say and not what I do." Well too often what we say gets drowned out because what we are doing is too loud.

So, who are our role models as Christian fathers and grandfathers? Of course God the Father, but those shoes are a little too big for most of us. What is a little more down to earth example? One of the first examples of fatherhood in the Bible is Father Abraham. His name "Abraham" is based on the same root as "Abba" which means father. Certainly Abraham was not perfect. Just read Genesis and you will find that out. But how is he an example for fathers today?

First of all Abraham welcomed God. In our story today God comes to Abraham. In the heat of the day Abraham was resting in the entrance to his tent where he was shaded from the Sun and he could feel the wind. Then he saw three strangers. He didn't know that these were the Lord and two angels. But he welcomed them. Even though Abraham did not know at first who he was welcoming I believe this incident shows the openness of his heart.

How can we be open to God? It is a stance that we have to take with life. The fact that you are here shows a certain openness to God. Placing ourselves where we can be influenced by God shows an openness to God. Reading the Bible, worshipping, praying are all important ways that we open ourselves to God.

Have your children or grandchildren ever seen you pray? You know, I think the problem is that most men don't know how to pray. You know we guys are the strong silent type. We are not big on communication. But praying is just talking. It doesn't take any flowery speech or even correct grammar. Have you ever had a friend that no mater what you say they know what you mean. Well, God already knows what you mean before you say it - He's just waiting to hear you say it.

How is Abraham a role model for father's today? Abraham was open to God and he trusted in the Lord. The first part of the passage we read tells of God having a little fun with Abraham. God appears in disguised as an ordinary traveler. Appearing as an ordinary traveler he predicts that Sarah will have a baby. Sarah laughs because she doesn't realize that this is God. Then God said, "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?" It was then that they realized this was no ordinary traveler.

I believe that the fact that God could pull this practical joke on Abraham shows the kind of relationship they had. Guys, you know that there are some people you just don't joke with. There is not enough trust in the relationship for them not to misunderstand. But then there are friends that you can joke with because there are years of trust between you. God knew that Abraham trusted him enough that he could joke with Abraham and have a little laugh with him and Sarah.

What kind of relationship do you have with God? Is it a tenuous and shaky one? Or is it one where trust has developed over years of interaction? Your children and grandchildren will see what level of trust you have in the way you face crises in your life. So take time to get to know God. Develop a deep level of trust and your children will see that trust.

How is Abraham a role model for father's today? Abraham was open to God, he trusted in the Lord, and he rejoiced at God's goodness. Now I don't want you to get the idea that Abraham's relationship with God was not without its problems. There were difficult periods. Just read the chapters between the two passages in our lesson today and you will see.

But in the end Abraham was able to rejoice in what the Lord had done for him. Notice it was Abraham who gave Isaac his name. Isaac means "Laughter." Abraham was celebrating the laughter of Joy that God had given him. Every time he called his boy he would remember the laughter of God's joke under the oaks of Mamre. And at the same time he would celebrate the joy of God's promise of a child being fulfilled.

Do you celebrate God's goodness in your life? When something good happens is your first response to give thanks to God. Come on now guys, when one of our sports teams pulls off a great play we have no problem celebrating. We jump up and down. We even dress for such occasions and prepare to celebrate. Now I am not suggesting that you should come to church with your chest painted red or orange, please! But I am saying our children should see us taking joy in praising and worshipping God. Even if you can't sing well, even if you can carry a tune in front loader, you can make a joyful noise.

Fathers, and I am not just talking to those who have been primary caregivers to children � (I am talking to all the men of the church. All the uncles and godfathers and all who in the church are fathers and grandfathers in the faith.) Fathers, follow the example of Abraham. Be open to God. Develop a relationship of trust with God. Rejoice at the goodness of God.

Perhaps the overriding theme in this lesson is the joy and laughter. Is your faith a source of joy? One day a child asked the preacher "Is it true that God puts joy in our hearts if we love him." The preacher decided to step out on a limb and said "Yes." At pointing to some of the people in the church the child said "Well, I think someone forgot to tell their faces."

Abraham laughed his way all the way to eternity. Do your children see the joy and the laughter of God when they look at your face? I am not saying that we should not be reverent. But you can be reverent and smile at the same time. You can be religious and have fun. If you don't believe me, just take a look at Abraham.

Genesis 18:1-15

Once day Jesus went golfing with St. Peter. When Jesus got ready to tee off he pulled out a nine iron. St. Peter said, "Lord, excuse me but you don't use a nine iron to tee off. If you do the ball will go into the water hazard over there. Only Tiger Woods could use a nine iron and hope to get the ball over the water." Jesus said, "If Tiger Woods can do it, I can do it."

So Jesus used the nine iron anyway and the ball went into the water hazard just as Peter had said. Since Jesus had been so gracious to forgive his sins, St. Peter decided to show the same grace to Jesus. So they gave Jesus another chance. So Jesus walked down to the pond to get his ball. When he got there he stepped out onto the pond, walked across the water until he saw the ball. Then Jesus reached down into the water for his ball. He put the ball back on the tee and started to use the nine iron again. Peter said, "Lord, you know best, but I told you before; only Tiger Woods could hit that ball over the water with a nine iron. Jesus said, "If Tiger Woods can do it I can do it." So Jesus hit the ball into the water again. Jesus had forgiven Peter three times for the same mistake so he decided to give Jesus another chance. So Once again Jesus went down to the pond and walked out on the water to find his ball. As Jesus was out there walking on the water looking for his ball a group came up to play and one of them saw Jesus out walking on the water. He fell to his knees and in amazement blurted out, "Who does he think he is, Jesus Christ!?" Peter said, "He is Jesus Christ. But he thinks he's Tiger Woods."

I am not a good joke teller. Maybe my timing is off or something because a lot of time when I tell a joke people don't laugh. So I don't tell a lot of jokes. But God can tell a joke. You may not realize this but God has a great sense of humor. The problem is sometimes people are afraid to laugh at God's jokes.

The Story I read from Genesis is a joke. It's a story with a humorous ending. Perhaps more accurately it is a story about a practical joke. Not the kind of mean spirited practical joke that people play on each other, but a practical joke full of grace and love. You see God wanted to bless Abraham and Sarah again, but God wanted to have fun with them too.

So one day God and two angels came to visit Abraham with a message. But God and the angels did not appear as one might expect; as heavenly creatures in bright robes with wings. Rather they just looked like three ordinary travelers. So Abraham did what any Godly person would do, he offered them some food and a place to rest. Back then travelers were easy victims. So God commanded that faithful people should always treat travelers with the utmost respect and hospitality. That is what Abraham did. After such hospitality it would be appropriate for the guest to bless the host. So God said, "Where is Sarah, I mean, your wife." Now Abraham should have suspected something when the man knew his wife's name. But he just said, "There in the tent." And the traveler said, "I will be coming back this way and your wife will have a son."

Sarah heard this from the tent and started laughing. You see Sarah and Abraham were very old: like 90 or 100. The Bible says, "It had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women." She had aged beyond he biological capability to conceive and bear children. Maybe this stranger thought that "Old Man Abraham" had a young wife in the tent. Or maybe he was just being silly with a jest blessing. Either way this stranger's folly made Sarah laugh. Maybe she imagined two 100 year olds timing contractions and laughed even more. Then God revealed to Abraham who he was and said, "Why is Sarah laughing? I am God. I can do the impossible if I want to." At that moment Abraham and Sarah realized that these were no ordinary travelers but messengers from God. And Sarah came out from behind the tent flap her wrinkled face red with embarrassment. And she said, "I didn't laugh." I imagine God chuckled as he said, "Yes you did."

Sometimes in the course of living, God surprises us with a sudden unexpected gift of grace. That is what the story of Sarah laughing is all about. My last year in Seminary, early in January, Melissa started saying, "I think I am pregnant." I said, "Sure you are." It was too early for the doctors to even test to see if she was. It was what we have hoped and prayer for. It would be too good to be true. I know I've told you the story of how when we could get a test they took some blood and told us to call back later that afternoon for the results. When we called they said the test was positive. I was so dazed I had to ask them if that meant that we're pregnant. When I told Melissa she started laughing, crying, hollering, and jumping up and down all at the same time. The nurse on the phone must have heard Melissa because she said we made her day.

Since that moment my life as a Christian father has been one joyous surprise after another. And that is what Christian Fatherhood is. It's constantly being surprised by the grace of God. God has graciously allowed us to raise these wonderful little people.

Laugh about it! Enjoy yourself. When we are possessed by the God, who invented joy and laughter, we should be filled with that joy and laughter.

Life is a laughing matter. The problem is that most of us are afraid to laugh at it. We get too caught up in the responsibilities of life to enjoy it. But we serve a God who constantly surprises us with joy. We serve a God who took pleasure in making an old woman laugh and then making her cry for joy at the birth of her firstborn.

Christian Fathers especially fail to laugh joyfully at God's grace. We get so involved in the matters of providing for our children that we miss the joy. We are so concerned with raising them right that we forget to laugh with them. Years from now they will not remember how many clothes you bought them or how much money you made. They will remember sitting on you lap and hearing a story. They will remember fishing and camping and playing ball. Try playing with your children, reading to them, shooting hoops with them. Let your daughter try to teach you how to bake cookies. These are the important things, but most people don't do them until they are grandparents.

Enjoy your life. God graciously gave it to you. And enjoy the life of your family and friends; they are gracious gifts from God. Remember life is a laughing matter and God, the author of life, is a real joker. God is a joker who loves us with every laugh.

And if some day a stranger comes to your door and says "Why were you laughing?" Don't deny it. Remember it might not be just any traveler. Instead say, "I'm laughing because my Heavenly Father loved me so much."

1 Kings 19:9-14

Elijah was running from the reality of his life. He was scared. Have you ever been scared, for your life.

Elijah had been zealous for God and had made some evil people mad. There was a contest between God and the gods of the people. And God demonstrated that the other gods were false. When the priests of the false gods called on them, they did nothing, but when Elijah prayed, God poured down fire from heaven. After that Elijah and the people executed the priests of the false gods. Of course Jezebel, the Queen, was very upset about this. She vowed that she would do the same thing to Elijah that he had done to her priests. She would hunt him down and see him killed as well. That was the reality from which Elijah was running. He was running for his life. He had made the powers of evil mad and they were retaliating. They were tracking him down to kill him. So he sought to escape that reality.

Real life for Elijah was that the Queen wanted his head. In the past Elijah had needed God, and God had answered his prayer with fire from heaven. But after the smoke cleared, he saw no sign of God left. All he saw was Jezebel's army charging at him. So Elijah panicked and ran.

Everyone who runs from something also runs to something; Elijah was no different. He was running to a cave in the wilderness on Mt. Horeb. He was seeking safety there. The wilderness is where God had protected the people of Israel in the past. In the wilderness God had cared for Israel and gave them food and water. And on Mt. Horeb God had spoken to the people of Israel and given them the law.

Elijah was afraid. He remembered that God had cared for the people in the wilderness. So he ran to the wilderness seeking God. The wilderness is where God had parted the Red Sea. That was where God had followed the people in a pillar of flame and smoke. Elijah was looking for a simpler time when life was not so complicated. No Jezebels and false gods to deal with. Just God's people trusting God to see them through the wilderness. God had spoken to the people from that Mountain once long ago. So Elijah ran back to the place of Israel's childhood. The place where their Heavenly Father had cared for them in the past.

And when he got there God said, "What are you doing here? This is not where you should be. You should be proclaiming my word and working my deeds in the face of evil, not running in fear of it." Elijah was seeking to escape from the here and now and hide in a comfortable past. But God was in the present, as unpleasant as the present was for him. God was in the midst of the turmoil that Elijah was running from. God had been there all along, but Elijah had failed to see it.

Elijah ran to hide form the reality of his life, but God met him where he was. He ran to the cave of a familiar past out of fear. He was running from the present task that God had for him. But God followed him there. And God cared for him there. And God spoke to him.

Sometimes the way God speaks is as important as what God says. There was a great wind, and God was not in the wind. There was an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake. There was a great fire, but God was not in the fire. Then there was a silence and God was in the silence.

God doesn't always speak to us out of the great and miraculous. Often God speaks to us out of the mundane and ordinary. Elijah saw no pillars of smoke and fire in Israel. He saw no manna from heaven, no parting of the sea. He saw no divine hand carving commandments in stone. He saw no rocks gushing forth living water. So Elijah ran to the wilderness seeking these things so that God could comfort him in a troubled time. But God was there, back in Israel all along. Not in burning bushes or pillars of fire. But in the ordinary and mundane. God's thundering voice was there all the time in the silence of everyday life.

People today are running from reality. They are afraid of the responsibilities and the troubles of everyday life. People today look around and they see no burning bushes or pillars of fire. Occasionally we see a flash of brilliance, a miracle, the hand of God. But after the smoke clears all we see is life's troubles bearing down on us. So people try to escape into materialism, or consumerism, or drugs, or entertainment.

Many men, fathers, run from their responsibilities to their families. Our society is experiencing an epidemic of absent fathers. Some fathers are abandoning their families. Some are refusing to pay child support. The courts have to track them down to make them pay for their children's bread. These are the obvious cases. Not all men abandon their families, but many run away in other ways. They run to their jobs and hide there. They run to the lake or to the woods and hide there. They spend time with the T.V. instead of with their kids. Ouch! That one hurt me.

I don't mean to pick on fathers today; especially myself. This epidemic of absent fathers is but a symptom of a larger ailment. We in our society run from reality. We look around and real life doesn't look exciting to us. No burning bushes. No parting of the Red Sea each morning to get us going. All we see is the same old thing day after day. So we escape.

Elijah shows us that God is present in the ordinary as much as in the extra-ordinary. Like us he tried to escape from his troubles. It is true none of us has Jezebel's army hunting us down. But we have all tried to run from our troubles as he did. Elijah had tried to run and hide in the past. He tried to find God by running from his troubles.

Then God appeared to him. Not in the wind earthquake and thunder, but in the silence. Silence is nothing more than nothing. It is not a presence. It is an absence. It is the absence of voices and sounds. But it was in that absence of sound that God appeared and spoke to Elijah. And God showed Elijah and us that our Saviour is always with us. Even when there are no obvious signs of that presence.

Don't run from reality. I know you have trouble seeing God at work in the hum drum of everyday life. I know I sometimes do. What does changing diapers and bandaging knees have in common with pillars of fire and smoke. What does peanut butter and jelly have do do with manna from heaven. Where are the miracles of God in the mundane day to day tasks of Fatherhood? But God is there. We may only see it in the flashes of glory. When a child says a prayer on their own for the first time. Or spontaneously gives a hug or a kiss. The responsibilities of life, like Fatherhood, may seem devoid of burning bushes and pillars of fire. But God is there in the absence of such grand things. God is in the small ordinary things. God even speaks through silence.

Listen! Really listen. (pregnant silence) Did you hear it? God is speaking to you!

Mark 4:26-34

I was surfing the net and I came a cross a "Father's Day Photo Album." It was a collection of photos of fathers and their children. These photos had been sent in by people who wanted to share them. In one picture a man was sitting with his son in a fishing boat. In another, two fathers were with their children on the shore. Each of the photos showed a father and his children smiling and happy.

At that same site there were surveys and discussions of the state of Fatherhood. As I read this discussion I realized that the photo album was not presenting the real life situation. The photos were the ideal of what fatherhood should look like. The discussions brought up the realities of absentee fathers. The reality of fathers who feel the need to work overtime or who are emotionally isolated from their children.

There were some bright spots. Many people thought that fathers were getting more involved in the raising of their children by choice. There was a lot of discussion about changing diapers. "I have changed hundreds of diapers but my father barely changed a dozen" one father proudly proclaimed. But even this points toward an ideal that is not yet reached. We want fathers to be involved in the lives of their children and grandfathers too. We want that picture perfect relationship of father to child for all children. We fathers wish we could be that way and our wives do too. We wish all children could have a relationship with their father that fits the photo album ideal.

Father's Day is a little different in the church than in the world. In the church all men are fathers. Each time a child is baptized in the church the whole church promises to "nurture one another in the Christian faith and include" the child being baptized in that nurturing. We also promise to "surround them with a community of love and forgiveness that they may grow in service and love to others" and to pray for them. Any Christian man who takes those vows takes the responsibility of raising and nurturing those children in the faith.

A good example of Christian fatherhood is Paul and Timothy. Paul was not Timothy's biological father. Timothy's biological father was an absentee father - at least he is absent from the Bible. All we know about him is that he was not a Christian. We don't even know his name but we know the names of Timothy's mother and grandmother which indicates that they had a deeper relationship with him than his father.

In many ways Paul filled this void. He became a father figure to Timothy. He took Timothy under his wing and "nurtured him in the Christian faith." He even called Timothy his "son."(1 Tim. 1:18, 2 Tim 2:1) And Timothy grew to be a dedicated servant of God in part because of the care of his father in the faith.

So if we were to create a photo album filled with pictures of the ideal of Christian fatherhood what would it look like? It would include men teaching children to pray. It would include pictures of men working beside children in serving others. It would show men and children laughing and playing at Church picnics, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. It would show men listening to young people as they talk about their problems. It would have picture after picture of men passing on the faith.

That is what we want to see. We want to see the faith growing in the lives of our children. We want to see the same thing Jesus was talking about in Mark. He said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who scatters seeds and then they grow." The point is that all the farmer does is scatter the seed. The seed grows on its own. And finally it comes to fruit.

Jesus further emphasizes this point with his next parable. He said the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It is so small but it grows into a huge plant. Faith is like that: It starts with a small seed but it grew into something big. Faith may start with singing "Jesus Loves Me" but it grows into the faith of a Luther, or Susannah, or Wesley, or Theresa.

We want to see faith growing like a mustard seed in our children's lives. We want to see faith in God shoring up the lives of our children. We want to see youth who are standing on the solid rock of Christ. We want to see the love of God coming to full fruit as young people serve others in the name of Christ and devote themselves to Christ.

But in order to see all this we first have to plant it. And to plant it we first have to have it growing in our lives. The Kingdom of God is like a man who tried to get grass to grow in a dandelion patch. Year after year he yearned for grass to grow there but only more dandelions grew until one year he got rid of the dandelions and planted grass seed. Our children are catching the seeds falling from our lives. If we have faith and the fruits of the Spirit growing in our lives those are the seeds that will grow in our children's lives. But if we have the dandelions of the world growing, that is what will germinate and grow to fruition and its seeds will fall into our children's hearts.

Put simply: if we want our children to grow in faith we must be people of faith. We have to live the faith, to study the Word of God, to model the love of God. Then those things will fall in the soil of our children's hearts and minds and grow.

Fathers - when was the last time you prayed with your children? When was the last time your children saw you reading the Bible? When was the last time you told them that you love them and that God loves them? When was the last time you helped with children in the church?

To train our children to follow Christ we first have to be following Christ ourselves. To see faith growing in their lives it must first be growing in ours. To see them devoting their lives to Christ, we must first devote our lives to Christ. To see the fruits of the Spirit growing in the lives of our children they must first be growing in our lives.

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Genesis 21:8-21

"Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham." Well, that is what the song says. When we think of Father Abraham and his sons we think of Isaac. And one of the most famous stories is that of Abraham offering up Isaac.

You know the story. God comes to Abraham and says, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and offer him up to me at a place that I will show you." And Abraham does just as the Lord commanded despite the pain that is caused him. He is ready to sacrifice Isaac when the Lord stops him and tells him to sacrifice in place of his son a ram that has providentially gotten caught in a thicket near by.

But that was not the first time Abraham offered up one of his sons at God's command. It is true that Father Abraham had many sons, "I am one of them and so are you," but Issac was not his first son. In a sense the story today tells how Abraham offered up his first born son, Ishmael, at God's command.

The story actually starts several chapters earlier. God calls old man Abraham and his barren wife Sarah to go where he leads. And God promises that they will have descendants. But years pass and Sarah is not getting any younger. She is already twice the life expectancy for a woman in her century. So she decides to help God's plan along.

She gives Abraham her servant Hagar to be his wife. And old man Abraham has a son by this young wife. But that was not God's plan. As well intentioned as Sarah was, it would not do. It is nothing for an old man to have a son by a young wife; it happens all the time. God wanted to perform a miracle and cause old barren Sarah herself to bear Abraham a son.

So Sarah finally does have a son and she names him Isaac which means laughter. And Abraham dearly loved both his sons. But there is a problem, and Sarah notices it when they are celebrating the weaning of Isaac. In their day most children died in infancy so when a child was weaned they celebrated because it had survived those early years. But Sarah saw Ishmael playing with Isaac and she realized that Ishmael was the elder son. That gave him a right to a larger share of the Father's inheritance. In other words before long old man Abraham would die and her servant's son would be her son's master. So Sarah asked Abraham to send Ishmael and his mother away.

The Bible says that this matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. Sarah wanted Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, to cast them out of their family. This would mean in essence disowning his first born son and sending them to fend for themselves in an uncertain world. Abraham loved his son Ishmael and did not want to abandon him, possibly leaving him to die. But he probably realized that Isaac was the child of promise.

To solve this dilemma Abraham turned to God. Probably to Abraham's dismay, God told him to do as Sarah wished. But God promised to care for the boy. God said that He would watch over Ishmael and make a great nation out of him on account of Abraham.

So early in the morning Abraham gathered Hagar and the boy and sent them off. Bible scholars point out that the description of that morning parallels the description of Abraham setting out to sacrifice Isaac a few chapters later. In a sense Abraham is sacrificing his eldest son to do what God has told him to. We are told that God did care for Ishmael and even sent an angel to protect and provide just as God had promised. We speak of Israel as the descendants of Abraham but the Moslem world claims to be Abraham's descendants too by Ishmael.

Since today is Father's Day, I thought that a nice safe story about Father Abraham would make for a good sermon. But this story of Father Abraham is hardly safe or easy to deal with. Good old Father Abraham's family hardly corresponds to any 20th century ideal of a nuclear family. And what does this business of sending his son off say in a society of deadbeat Dads. We have an epidemic of so called "fathers" who physically, financially, emotionally, and or spiritually abandon their children. And what does this story of Father Abraham tell us about the Fatherhood of God!

Putting all that aside, the overwhelming lesson that I believe comes out of this story is Abraham's trust in God. Abraham didn't want to send off his first born son Ishmael. Every indication we have is that he loved Ishmael as much as Isaac. Sarah's suggestion that he send Ishmael away grieved Abraham because he loved him. Yet because it was God's will Abraham did it. He trusted that God would take care of and bless Ishmael.

And what of the Fatherhood of God? It shows us that God keeps his promises. God promised to bless Ishmael because of Abraham and God did. God sent his angels to preserve and protect Ishmael and Hagar even thought they did not fit into God's original plan. This story shows us that God doesn't abandon the unwanted and "inconvenient" people of our world.

Being a father, or a mother for that fact, is like this story. It is not neat and easy, and there are difficult decisions to be made. The solutions that seem the best often are not. And I certainly feel for God because even the best people he could find, Abraham and Sarah, managed to mess up God's plans. I just wonder how much we complicate God's plans for our children?

But this story shows us that God will take care of those who turn to Him. So like Abraham we should turn to God with our messy problems and our difficult decisions and trust him to guide us. And we can rest sure in the truth that God cares for and blesses his children.

Since today is Father's Day, I could give the father's here a lot of advice. I could tell you how to do this or do that. But it would all pale in comparison to this one piece of advice: just trust the Lord; and that is good advice for everyone here whether they are fathers or not. Just go to God with your difficulties, decisions, and questions. God didn't steer Father Abraham wrong and He won't steer you wrong either.

Luke 15:11-32

I became a Father at about the same time I became a preacher. Mary was born 3 months after I arrived at my first appointment as a preacher. As my experience of Fatherhood grew my understanding of the Fatherhood of God has grown too. Being a father can be such a joy! To watch our children learn and grow. To experience the world through their eyes. But being a Father can also be frustrating. Sometimes we tell our children to do one thing and they do another. We do it for their own good but they still disobey us.

Sometimes God our Father get frustrated with us. He tells us not to worship other gods or to steal or to hate our neighbor, and then we do it. He tells us for our own good but many times God�s children still disobey.

Well our passage from Luke tells of God the Father having one of those frustrating times. God had led the children of Israel out of slavery and put them in a promised land and then they got feeling superior. When God sent his Son, Jesus, he made it a practice to minister to everyone equally; even tax collectors and sinners! Some of the religious Israelites didn�t like that. You know the type. The ones that go to church and carry their Bibles around and wear ties with religious symbols on them. Well, yeah, folks like you and me. Well, some of these religious folk didn�t like Jesus spending his time on these sinners.

So Jesus told them a story which, if he were telling it in our day, might have gone something like this:

Once there was this man who had two sons. This man owned a business with a large corporate headquarters in an industrial park out near the airport. His two sons were his partners: "Father and Son�s Inc." The younger son barge into his office one day and said, 'Drop dead old man! I�m sick and tired of this Job and I m sick and tired of you. I�m tired of waiting for you to croak so I can get mine so just give me half of you assets now." The Father could have fired the son then and there, had security escort him off the premises and then called his lawyer to have him written out of the will. But instead he called his accountant and arranged for half of his assets to be given to the boy.

Then the younger son caught the next plane to Los Vegas where he threw away his fortune on wine, lose women, and gambling. Soon the money ran out. The country was in the middle of a recession so the only job he could get was as a migrant worker. So he traveled from place to place picking crops for less than minimum wage. He was so destitute that sometimes he would put the produce he was picking in his pockets and eat it later. Then one day when the boss man was particularly mean he realized, 'My Father never treated anyone like this. Even the people in the mail room got a decent wage and benefits. I'll go home and beg him to take me on at the bottom of the ladder for I am no longer worthy to be his son.'

So the son hitchhiked home. Well the Father was looking out the window of his office when he saw a lone figure walking down the road. He quickly took the executive elevator down to the lobby and ran across the parking lot. He stopped only for a moment at the security booth to borrow a pare of binoculars. When he saw it was really his son he ran to meet him. When he got to his son he threw his arms around him and hugged him and kissed him. The boy tried to tell his father that he was unworthy to be his son and that he just wanted a job no matter how menial. But by then the security guard had caught up with them and the Father told him. Get my son some decent clothes. I have an extra Armoni in the executive wash room. Get him and executive ID and key card. Call the caterers and give everyone the afternoon off with pay! My son who was dead is alive again; he was lost but now is found.'

Now the older son had been off on a business trip was just coming back from the airport. As he pulled up to the security booth he could see through the large plate glass windows and party going on in the lobby. He though "who could they be having a party for. Maybe its for me! After all I have been picking up a few extra accounts lately. Maybe his father wanted to congratulate him." He tried not to act like he already knew what was going on when he asked the guard, "Who�s the party for?" It was a shock when the guard said, "It�s your brother. He came back earlier today and your father is throwing him a party!"

This infuriated the older brother. He had been working twice as hard to fill in for what his lazy brother had taken. "This lazy bum had thrown away half his father�s hard earned money. And now they were celebrating his return. What next!" The older brother slammed his car into park and just sat there fuming.

It wasn't long before the Father heard about it and went out to the parking lot to talk to his oldest son and to ask him to come to the party. But the oldest son said, 'Look, my whole life I have been working my fingers to the bone for you. I have haggled with vendors and gone off on trips to visit clients and close accounts. I have always done what you wanted, and never once did you throw a party for me. I am the one who deserves a party not this freeloader. He took your money and wasted it on gambling and show girls and you welcome him like the is the prince of England for heavens sakes.'

But the father said, "Look you have been with me and all that is mine is yours, and let me tell you I really do appreciate all that you have done for our family, but your brother was lost. We didn't know if he was dead of alive, but now he is found. Let's rejoice and be happy that he is alive and back home."

What was that? Oh yes, what did the older son do? Did he go join the party? Well, I don't rightly know; Jesus never said. What would you do?

I believe Jesus ended the story the way he did to make all religious folk ask themselves if they were joining the party and rejoicing when the lost are found. It is meant to make us ask what we would do and then answer by our actions. I believe Grace has chosen to join the party. Like the older brother, Grace has been hard at work taking care of the Father�s business. You have been teaching Disciples Bible Studies. You have been studying God�s Word. You have been building habitat houses. You have been helping the preacher get moved into his house. But unlike the older brother in the parable Grace has been rejoicing at people finding their way home to the father.

There are a lot of prodigal sons and daughters all through Irmo and the Columbia area. This parable tells us that the Father is looking for them to come to their senses and start the journey back home. And just like the Father in the parable God meets them in the road to help them finish the journey. And all the angels in heaven rejoice when one lost soul is saved. Grace has been reaching out into the community and rejoicing at the salvation of lost souls

I don�t know where each of you individually fit into this parable. We may have some prodigal sons and daughters here today. If that is the case let me tell you that the Father welcomes you back to his house and wants you to make yourself at home here. But to all who are rejoicing with the angels, I want you to know I am here to join the party. I want to join you in celebrating and sharing the joy our Father feels at the redemption of one lost soul. As your new pastor I want to continue to lead you in seeking the lost and rejoicing in the found.