“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis 1:1)
We’ve talked much lately about God’s three persons (the Trinity). We always think of the first person being that of the Father, and the Father is the creator of all things-seen and unseen.
There used to be a bright blue hymnal that I think said on its cover that it was “The Sunday School Hymnal.” It had within its pages all the old good hymns that we almost all can sing from memory. Every Sunday night at Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church where I grew up, before our “Luther League” meetings, we would begin with a brief devotional service that included singing out of that blue hymnal.
We were always asked if we had one song that we would like to sing. My hand always went up and I always said that I wanted to sing, “This Is My Father’s World.” I just liked the sound of it, its melody, it ease of singing. For me as a child, who didn’t read music or understood the theory behind it, it was still my favorite childhood hymn.
And, for probably thirty one years now-especially if it was my turn (as an associate in Knoxville) to pick the hymns on Father’s Day, I would choose my favorite childhood hymn.
Somewhere, too, each time on Father’s Day, I would preach on the scheduled lectionary Gospel (that rarely ever related to the secular Father’s Day theme) and, as most good preachers would-still find a way to squeeze in a little tidbit about fathers and our appreciation of them all across the world.
It has never failed that before that sermon ended, I would claim that our greatest thanksgiving should be offered to the one and only heavenly Father who was the marvelous and mysterious creator of the universe!
This is my Father’s world. Not my earthly father’s-whom I loved very much-but my heavenly Father’s world. It is beautiful, and, it is called creation because it has this uncanny way of re-creating itself. The seasons of the year show this clearly to us, even though recently we have wondered what has happened to certain seasons because of the longer times of warmth that isn’t usually here that long and for the cold that seems to have shrunk! Still, His creative nature persists and wins out finally each time.
As we do ponder the memories of fathers of our past or or those who remain among us, et us not forget the Father of all Fathers: God. His blessings are as wide as creation, and His mercy is as deep as the endless sea. Give thanks for our Dads this week, but mostly the heavenly Father, who is always there – no matter what!
God love you and so do I!,
Pastor Jim