Sermon for Fathers’ Day: God Chose a Father for His Son

Let us Pray – O God, light of the minds that know you, life of the souls that love you, and strength of the thoughts that seek you – bless the words that I will read and the meditations of my heart. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Today is FATHERS’ DAY, and before I go on to speak about a particular father, and just so that the ladies don’t feel left out on this day for fathers, I would like, for one day only I hasten to add, to offer the ladies a glimpse into one of life’s most carefully guarded secret’s.

It is a secret that is older than the Dead Sea scrolls and has been passed down to us from our forefathers. It is such a secret that I run the risk of being isolated from my fellow men by sharing this piece of information with you. It is a secret that is passed down from generation to generation from father to son over the centuries.

So long as there is no retribution afterwards please allow me to therefore offer for your benefit on this day for Fathers a glimpse of the secret ……

When we men say, “It would take too long to explain”. We actually mean: “I have no idea how it works”.

When we men say, “Take a break, my darling (or other such words of endearment). You are working too hard’’. We actually mean: “I can’t hear the football / cricket / rugby / film over the noise of the vacuum cleaner”.

When we men say, “Can I help you with the dinner?” We actually mean: “Why isn’t it ready yet?”

When we men say, “I HEARD YOU.” We mean: “I haven’t the foggiest clue what you have just said and I am hoping desperately that I can wing it well enough so that you’ll not spend the next 3 days yelling at me or better still giving me the LOOK.”

You know the one guys… the LOOK that turns you into a pillar of stone or even a quivering existence of your former self, the look that Star Wars Darth Vader would have been proud of.

But now that I have offered you a glimpse of a secret I want now to speak to you about a man. A father who is very often, I believe, overlooked and is often overshadowed by the importance given to his wife.

I’m talking about JOSEPH, the husband of Mary and the adopted father of Jesus.

I believe it’s an important thing that even as God chose Mary to be the one who would give birth to the Son of God, He also chose Joseph to be a father to Jesus and to raise Him into manhood.

Mary and Joseph were chosen together to be parents.

I want to ask a question to the men who may be reading this sermon. Have you ever been coerced into watching one of those really sad weepy movies that your wife / partner forces you to sit down and watch with her as she cries her way through an entire box of Kleenex, and then at the end says: “Wasn’t that great – it was so sad – wasn’t it just wonderful?”

You know the one, something that goes like this; a poor hard-working family with a large number of children – the mother discovers that she has an incurable illness and will die. Her husband is a good man, but obviously incapable of looking after the large number of children alone – particularly in those days when there was no government assistance or social security.

And so the heart breaking tale is of this mother who goes out searching for loving parents who will care for all of her children; she wants to know that they will be all looked after before she dies.

But just like that woman who loved her children so much that she wanted to personally choose parents for them, and not leave it to chance, God in the same way, went looking for parents to raise His beloved, only-begotten Son. He searched the earth, and He found a young girl – a teenager engaged to be married – and also a God-fearing young girl.

But God also went looking for a father. He called Mary AND Joseph as a couple. And God clearly demonstrated that the role of the father is an important one. So, Joseph was chosen. And just as God had looked for a godly young woman to bring forth the child, so He looked for a godly man to be the father. And what an inspiring model of fatherhood Joseph was. God made a good choice! Let’s look at some of the things the Bible tells us about Joseph. Joseph was a loving, devout, faithful, wise man and father.

Scriptures draw the picture for us of a wonderfully caring, loving and affectionate man. And we can see this, firstly, in his relationship toward Mary. Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant. He hasn’t yet had any great revelation yet. What is he to think? He’d fallen in love with this pretty young girl. He’d done all the right things. He’d pursued her in the proper customary way. And then out of the blue he’d learnt that this sweet girl (who he thought he knew so well) was pregnant.

And he didn’t know who the father was. He knew it was not him! We can imagine how he was feeling? Angry, hurt, upset because in the times of the New Testament Mary’s situation was treated as a grave offence.

Upon discovery that Mary was pregnant, Joseph would have been obliged to divorce her (divorce was required to break off a betrothal engagement), and this would expose Mary to public shame and humiliation.

BUT, even before God spoke to Joseph – Joseph didn’t have any vengeance or bitterness in his heart. The Bible says: he “was minded to put her away secretly”. (There were ways in which a divorce could be enacted very quietly, and Joseph was already considering the best way to do this).

Joseph was kind. He loved Mary. Forget the MILLS AND BOON” romance novels – this is the real McCoy…. it’s based on a real commitment. Joseph was a loving man toward Mary.

We also see Joseph as a loving man in his relationship toward Jesus.

When the child came along – the child he had not conceived – there was no attitude in Joseph that screamed, “this boy is not my flesh and blood’.

There was no resentment or indifference toward the baby; no lack of love at all.

Joseph adopted Jesus as his own. He protected Him from the hatred of Herod. He nurtured Him and cared for Him. Evidently he taught Jesus his own trade of carpentry. In fact he adopted the one that the world would later reject.

So Joseph was a loving man, a devout man, he was also a man who obeyed God. He followed the Lord’s leading and direction. He didn’t follow his own marked-out plan for life – he wanted God’s plan for his life. So when God later spoke to him in a dream and told him to marry Mary (even though she was pregnant) He obeyed.

Then when God spoke and said: “Take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt for safety” – he immediately obeyed. He closed up his business and left.

Then when God said: “It’s ok now, head back to Israel”. Again he did as he was directed. He was a man of obedience.

He was a man of FAITH. It takes FAITH to pack your bags and head off to a foreign country with no prospects simply on the basis that God said so. But Joseph had faith and obeyed the dream. He could have made excuses to stay where the prospects looked good, but NO – he was a man of faith and he was also a wise man.

Joseph was wise because he lived as one who used the time that he had been given wisely.

By all accounts it seems that Joseph had a short life. We don’t read of him after Jesus’ childhood, so it seems that Joseph was taken prematurely. But Joseph had used what time he had been given wisely. He had provided for his family. He had set an example for them that they would remember.

Jesus was not the only child he had; he raised other children and he raised his children in the ways of the Lord, and He left behind him a legacy after his lifetime.

So Fathers and Grandfathers, none of us know just how much time we have left with our children because they soon grow up and they seem to grow so quickly these days. But can we in the time that we have with our children be like Joseph in our love, our devotion, our faith, our wise ways? Can we be redeeming as Joseph was and encourage our families at every opportunity; setting an example; providing for their needs?

Finally I would like to leave you with a little poem entitled “Just Like You” I know that the poem uses the word boy but it could very easily be changed to girl.

There are little eyes upon you, and they are watching night and day;
There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say;
There are little hands all eager to do everything you do,
And a little boy who’s dreaming of the day he’ll be like you.
You’re the little fellow’s idol, you’re the wisest of the wise,
In his little mind about you, no suspicions ever rise;
He believes in you devoutly, holds that all you say and do,
He will say and do in your way when he’s grown up to be like you.
There’s a wide-eyed little fellow who believes you’re always right,
And his ears are always open and he watches day and night;
You are setting an example every day in all you do,
For the little boy who’s waiting to grow up to be like you.

HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY. Amen

Let us pray;

Gracious God, you know the joy of fatherhood and also the pain, for you witnessed the life and death of your Son, and you see each day the triumphs and tragedies of us your children.