Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

John 14:8-9

What will you be doing for Father's Day this year? Are you going to take your dad out to dinner? Maybe buy him a present? Call him on the phone and wish him well? You know, not everybody celebrates Father's Day. Not everyone will call or send the card. To a lot of people, dad is not the most popular person in their life. For some, dad wasn't even in their lives at all.

There is no denying the fact that dads have a lasting impact on the lives of their children. Generally speaking, if dad is present and involved in his children's lives and expresses his love for them clearly and consistently, his children will grow into secure and confident adults. But, if dad is absent physically, mentally or emotionally, his children have a much more difficult time with feeling secure and a more difficult time trusting almost anyone.

A lot of us are fathers. And, as in so many other areas of our lives, we know that the things that we want to do and should do as fathers are sometimes things that we don't do. It’s also true that the things that we know as dads that we shouldn't do - these are the things that we sometimes wind up doing. No matter how great our dads were or how great they were not, they share with us this: they are sinful human beings and they can't help but fail.

The truth of the matter is that each one of us needs a perfect Dad - one who is always present, always loving, one who cares deeply about us and communicates that clearly and consistently. Did you know that each one of us has a Father just like that, whether we know it or not? We know that we have a “Father in Heaven” who fits the bill of a perfect dad because his Son, Jesus, shows us what he's like. Present? He's there at all times and in all places. Involved? Our heavenly Father tells us “Cast all your anxieties on me, for I care for you” (I Pe 5:7). Cares deeply about us and communicates that clearly and consistently? Have you read his Word lately? Sure, our heavenly Father wrote it a while ago but the message, the love that is there in that book hasn't changed. It's called the Bible and if you have maybe thought that it’s only some sort of rule book for good people, I can't encourage you enough to look at it once again. Page after page, book after book reveals God's Son, Jesus, and through him the Father each one of us has been looking for.

Happy Father’s Day