The Price of a Good Father

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

John 3:16

I shared the thoughts that follow with a family just yesterday.  I see it in every post on Facebook of someone who wishes they could give their dad just one more hug… who wishes that their dad could see his granddaughter graduate or his grandson get married.  I have experienced it myself every day since my father died 20 years ago.  The grief, the pain that comes with their death is the price of having a father, or for that matter a mother whom you loved and who loved you. 

I have to tell you that as painful as losing dad was, I thank God every day that I had a father that when he was gone, I missed him.  There are so many things that God gives us through our fathers.  A good father gives security to his family.  He teaches his son by word and example what it means to be a godly man, how to respect women, how to love your wife.  He teaches his daughter good boundaries, how she should expect a man to treat her, how to face this world with confidence.  In all my years as a Pastor the women and men best prepared for marriage and life have always been those with a good healthy relationship with their fathers (as well as with their mothers).  I love the story of the little girl with a policeman father who worked the night shift.  She was always scared when he was about to work.  So each night before he left he would read her a children’s story about how God takes care of us.  He always had time to give her that gift of safety and security.  I remember my dad, who wasn’t a Pastor, teaching me how important it was to be there with the people of the parish – men or women – when they were busy serving God.  One night while replacing a boiler at church he pointed out to me, “Did you notice that Pastor Miles came down often to chat with us?  He even shared a beer with us.  That’s important.  It showed us how much he valued our work.”   Good dad’s like that come with a price.  You miss them terribly when they are gone.  They are worth every penny.

Now I know that there are many who had no such earthly father.  That’s why I thank God that even greater than our earthly fathers – we all have a wonderful heavenly Father.  We all have a heavenly Father who counts the very hairs on our heads… one who clothes the grass of the field and feeds the birds of the air – who also knows that we need such things.  As Luther said, our heavenly Father “richly and daily provides us with all that we need… He defends us against all danger, guards and protects us from all evil.”

There are two things that make our heavenly Father unique among all fathers.  First is this – Yes there is a price for having such a good Father but it’s a price He pays.  Now it’s true that all good fathers make sacrifices in order to love and care for their family.  But only our heavenly Father paid this price.  “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believers in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  So that we might be God’s own sons and daughters He purchased us for Himself with the holy precious blood and the innocent suffering and death of His Son Jesus.

The second thing that makes our heavenly father unique is this promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  I love the words Jesus spoke to us about our heavenly Father - “My Father, who has given them (that’s us) to me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hands.”  People often tell me they know that their earthly father, who has died, is in heaven watching over them.  I believe we have even greater comfort than that.   The truth is that since my dad died the same Father has been watching over me who was taking care of me before my dad died – God my heavenly Father. 

In fact, my earthly dad is now in His hands awaiting the day of the resurrection when all who believe in Jesus will have a grand reunion in heaven.  We have that confidence because our Father paid for our eternity at the cost of His Son.  Because He paid that price you and I will one day see and hug our earthly fathers again.  That’s the price of a good father – the price God paid.  Happy Father’s day.  Amen.