On this page there are some illustrations, an introduction and 2 "all age" talks...
History of Father's Day
Fathers Day occurs on the 3rd Sunday in June. The idea for creating a day for children to honour their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Roses are the Father's Day flowers.
---------------------------------------------------------------
It's a fascinating story that comes out of the 1989 earthquake which almost flattened Armenia. This deadly tremor killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son's school. When he arrived there he discovered the building as flat as a pancake.
Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he made to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he could not take his mind off his promise.
Remembering that his son's classroom was in the back right corner of the building, the father rushed there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son! "My daughter!" They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying: "It's too late!" "They're dead!" "You can't help!" "Go home!" Even a police officer and a fire-fighter told him he should go home.
To everyone who tried to stop him he said, "Are you going to help me now?"
They did not answer him and he continued digging for his son stone by stone.
He needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" This man dug for eight hours and then twelve and then twenty-four and then thirty-six. Finally in the thirty-eighth hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son's voice. He screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" and a voice answered him,
"Dad?" It's me Dad!" Then the boy added these priceless words, "I told the other kids not to worry. I told 'em that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised that, Dad. 'No matter what,' you said, 'I'll always be there for you!' And here you are Dad. You kept your promise!"
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, "Chicken Soup for the Soul."
---------------------------------------------------------------
As we celebrate Father's Day today, I would like to share the following story about the effect that one father had on his family. This particular family had three small children who were determined to have a puppy. Mum protested because she knew that somehow or other, she would end up caring for the critter. True to form, the children solemnly promised that they would take care of it. Eventually, she relented and they brought their little puppy home. The children named him Danny and cared for him diligently - at first. But, sure enough, as time passed, Mum found herself becoming more and more responsible for taking care of the dog. Finally, she decided that the children were not living up to their promise so she began to search for a new home for Danny. When she found one and broke the news to the children, she was quite surprised that they had almost no reaction at all. One of them even said rather matter-of-factly, "We'll miss him."
"I'm sure we will," Mum answered, "but he is too much work for one person and since I'm the one that has to do all the work, I say he goes."
"But," protested another child, "if he wouldn't eat so much and wouldn't be so messy, could we keep him?"
Mum held her ground, "It's time to take Danny to his new home." Suddenly, with one voice and with tears in their eyes, the children exclaimed, "Danny?
We thought you said Daddy!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Twain's Father
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand
to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was
astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.
---------------------------------------------------------------
An introduction.
Fathers 4 Justice is a civil rights movement campaigning for a child's right to see both parents and grandparents. They have courted publicity by throwing purple flour at the Prime Minister and scaled various buildings dressed as Spiderman, and Batman and Robin.
20% of dependant children live only with their mothers and siblings. This contrasts with 3% who live solely with their father and siblings. Figures Spring 2003 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7256
Think of the number of children who are growing up without knowing their father? On Father's Day, Americans should ponder the appalling fact that an estimated 40 percent of our nation's children are living in homes without their own father.
Think of the number of people on earth who do not know their heavenly father...
All Age Talk 1
Ask congregation to think of words linked with God that start with the letters of "father". Here are some which could be revealed on an acetate/Power Point presentation
F forgiving; faithful; family; fellowship; founder; flawless; fair.
Just as a loving father will forgive his children when they do wrong so God is forgiving. He showed us this through Jesus.
God is faithful, we can rely on him all of the time.
God lets us join his family when we decide to follow Jesus. We have fellowship with him and with his whole, world-wide family.
God is the founder or creator of everything. He made us in his image. He made everything and saw that it was good.
God is flawless or holy. He is morally perfect and very different from us. Jesus came and bridged the gap between us and God.
Children often say, "its not fair". God is fair, that is to say just.
A all-knowing ( omniscient ); affection;
God knows everything, which is scary. But it's also comforting because, although he does know everything about us he still loves us!
Like any good parent God has an affection for his children.
T truth; trustworthy;
God is truth. Therefore, we can trust him and his word to us.
H hearing; healing; honourable; holy.
God hears everything and this includes our prayers and our worship of him. He loves to hear his children talking to him and praising him.
He heals people from physical diseases but also from the sin that lives in us. Freeing us to follow His ways.
He is honourable and we should give him homage by devoting our lives to him. He is holy which means he is set apart from us. However, this didn't stop him sending Jesus to earth.
E enormous ( omnipresent ); endless; eternal;
God is enormous ( omnipresent ); endless; eternal. Yet he became a man so we could know what God is like and be reconciled to him. He can also be so small that he comes and lives in our hearts by His Spirit who gives us what we need to follow, love and serve God and other people.
R ruler; revealer; relationship; righteous; God is the ruler of everything. He is in control so we need not fear anything. He reveals himself through Jesus, through the Bible, by His Spirit so that we can have a right relationship with him and be considered righteous in his sight.
