Happy Father’s Day!

In American society, Mother’s and Father’s Day is tailored for those who have great relationships with their fathers/children. But that’s not everyone’s experience. The Church has the opportunity to offer a more robust, Biblical approach to civic holidays like Mother’s and Father’s Day.

I shared this Father’s Day prayer this morning at church, hoping that it would help the people I pastor be led to their Heavenly Father in prayer, no matter their experience with earthly fatherhood.

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Our Father, who art in Heaven—

Before time began, you were a Father. And because of your adoption of us as your sons and your daughters, we now get to address you as “Our Father.”

On this Father’s Day, we want to honor and celebrate You—Our Heavenly Father—as we remember our earthly fathers.

We thank you for the fathers in our life—biological or otherwise—that were a reflection of You. They were not perfect reflections but we thank You that they mirrored Your love and nurturing of us.

For those who never knew their fathers or their children—and for those who are parenting a child who doesn’t know their father—we thank You that You never leave us or forsake us. We acknowledge the hurt from absent fathers but we thank You for the ways You remain faithful to us.

For those who have strained relationships with their fathers or their children, we thank You that the longing we have for a better relationship is evidence that there is a perfect Parent/child relationship that we can have with You.

For those whose fathers have died, for the fathers who have had to bury children, and for the fathers who never got to hold their children in their arms, we grieve the brokenness of this world and we proclaim and celebrate the resurrection You have promised to us and Your atoning sacrifice which is offered to all.

For those who wished to be fathers but are still waiting or have had to give up hope, we grieve and pray that Christ’s Church would be a place where those without biological children may have spiritual children. We celebrate those among us who have spiritual and adopted children and thank You, God, for the way they reflect Your adoption of us.

And for every father in this room, Lord, we ask that You would pour out Your Holy Spirit on them, that they may reflect Your goodness, Your love, and Your care for the children You have entrusted to us.

This we ask in Christ’s name,
Amen.