Father's Day sermon ideas

Celebrated worldwide, Father's Day is a secular holiday centered on gratitude to fathers.

When did Father's Day begin?

A special day to honor fathers has been a staple of many Catholic countries in Europe since the Middle Ages. Ironically, the day chosen, St. Joseph's Day, honored a saint that Christians say had only a supervisory role in Jesus's life. According to the Apostles' Creed, Jesus's actual father was the Holy Spirit.

Seventy-five countries, including the United States, celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday of June. On that day, fathers often receive favorable mention in congregational prayers and Sunday sermons. Their children may present gifts such as neckties, sweaters, or golf gloves. Until roughly the mid-1960s, Father's Day gifts often included pipes, tobacco, and smoking jackets. The country has since moved on.

What does the Bible say about fathers?

The Scriptures assume that "honoring your father and mother" will contribute to flourishing. When family life is well ordered, everybody tends to do well. Children defer to their parents, who are in turn kind to their children. Mutual respect and courtesy reign over all.

Clear boundaries and unconditional love The recipe for good fathering will have cultural variants. But some common items have become well known. Good fathers and mothers have some combination of clear boundaries for their children (you may go this far and no farther) and unconditional love. Children understand that nothing they do will make their Dad love them less and nothing they do will make him love them more. He is unflinching about his expectations for them and enthusiastic in his love for them. Children tend to thrive in such a regime. They know where the boundaries are and they feel nourished by the love. Even children who are only months old need a loving face or two over their crib.

Pastorally sensitive preachers will be mindful on Father's Day that some congregants have had difficult fathers. In fact, they will know that twice Paul warns fathers not to "provoke" their children — as if such provocation is a clear and present danger. A bad dad can do lifetime damage. He may be absent, or emotionally absent, signaling that his children don't mean much to him. He may abuse his children or resent them. Some fathers show a kind of disrespect their children struggle for years to overcome. Bad dads say things like this: "Why can't you be more like your brother?" or "You're an idiot," or "You've never amounted to anything and never will."

Good fathers, by contrast, spend time with and lavish attention on their children. They play with them, read to them, hug them, take walks with them, strive to understand them, go to their games, rejoice with them, weep with them. They wear a look of unbreakable kindness. Everything about them says to their children, "I love you and always will." Such treatment becomes a legacy to children, who when they come of age and have children of their own, instinctively know how to treat them. Their Dad taught them how to be a good parent simply by being one himself.

Bible passage ideas for Father's Day

Sermon ideas for Father's Day

"A godly father learns by accepting that he is always in a learning process. He does not have all the answers or all the skills, but he can learn from the One who knows all things: The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father! Amen." Responsive Reading by William C. Powell from The African American Lectionary

"This lesson helps connect the celebration of Father's Day and the love we may receive from our birth fathers to the unconditional and sacrificial love we all receive from God our father." Children's Sermon or Lesson by Nicole VanderMeulen from Ministry to Children

"On Sunday we shall hear Jesus point to the Father of us all, the truly good Father who embraces everyone in a love that does not distinguish among persons." Scripture Meditation or Sermon by Richard W. Smith from GrandIn Media 

More sermon ideas for Father's Day on Zeteosearch.org 

Search Results for Father's Day Sermon Ideas

=
list
grid
Search not loading? You may need to whitelist Zeteosearch.org in your adblocker.
This Vue component has not been initialized