Sermon Tone Analysis

Good-morning and welcome to each of you this morning.

Father's Love

The Fatherhood of God

An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old, highly-educated son.

An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old, highly-educated son.

Suddenly a crow perched on their window.

The Father asked his Son, “What is this?”

The Son replied “It is a crow”.

Good-morning and welcome to each of you this morning.

After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, “What is this?”

The Son said “Father, I have just now told you “It’s a crow”.

After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, “What is this?”

Its fathers day… and I’m speaking this morning - highly qualified… (unmarried and no children)

What is this?”

At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Son’s tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff.

“It’s a crow, a crow, a crow”.

There was an organization once that took Mother’s Day cards to jails for the inmates to send home and they very quickly ran out of cards.

When Father’s Day came around they ended up taking most of their cards back with them to store for another year.

A little after, the Father again asked his Son the 4th time, “What is this?”

This time the Son shouted at his Father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW’.

Are you not able to understand this?”

I think that sentiment is maybe even reflected in the history of Father’s Day.

We first had Mother’s Day in 1914 and then for 60 years the mothers felt guilty and kept trying to organize an official Father’s Day but couldn’t get enough people exited.

(Richard Nixon signed the law in 1972)

Yes, we love our mothers but we really can’t do without our fathers, they are vitally important to the family.

Here’s how one author reflects on the idea of God filling the role of father in his family…

People say strange things to a kid who's lost his dad.

Well, they seemed strange to me.

"You're the man of the house now," one aunt told me at my father's funeral, dabbing her eyes with bunched-up tissues.

"You must take care of your mom and sister."

As a kid just finishing third grade, I wasn't sure what to make of this.

I certainly didn't feel like a man.

And I imagined that this honor wouldn't get much mileage in everyday life.

One does not say to one's mother, "I won't be eating my vegetables this evening.

I'm the man of the house now."

Another thing people said — once we started attending church — was that God would be my father.

He was the "father of the fatherless," and the "protector of widows" ().

Could any other truth be more appropriate for our family?

Are you not able to understand this?”

They meant well, I know, but I quickly recognized that the term father, as it applied to God, didn't have precisely the same meaning as the word used to describe a guy who lives with a mother and some children.

Yes, God was the powerful Creator, the source of wisdom, truth and love — but He wasn't going to be there to help a kid with his history homework or to throw a football around.

The Architect of snowflakes and solar systems wasn't known for taking 10-year-old boys out for breakfast.

A father was in a home — not on a throne.

I dislike spending this time addressing only 25% of the people in front of me.

So, I’m not going to be making a nice list of ten things fathers should do so you can check it off and feel good.

“Noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine.”—President

James E. Faust

Beautiful, and true, but… not everyone can glimpse God in their father.

No father is perfect and that is why it is a only a glimpse.

Fathers can fog an cloud a child's vision of God as father.

Do we look to our fathers to see God or do we look to God the father to be a father?

My goal this morning is to help all of you get a glimpse of God as your spiritual Father.

With that glimpse, I hope you fathers can be encourage and find direction for you in your fatherhood.

A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born.

On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page.

When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:

I have three passages I’d like to read first.

“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window.

My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow.

I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times.

I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child”.

I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child”.

While the little child asked him 23 times “What is this”, the Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed.

Prayer

that we can know him as Father

that we can trust him

guide my thoughts

bless the study of the Word

Men on Earth have the opportunity to become fathers and experience some of the same joys that our Heavenly Father feels for us.

Waking up and creeping over to watch them sleep

Providing food

Providing a home

I'm awake.

I remember Him.

I gaze upon them before I part.

They lie in their bed, unaware of me watching.

I leave, they sleep.

The small home I help provide is their world.

They play, they explore, learning to move, to feel, to see, to know, not once thinking how it all came to be.

Crayons, toys, books; it's all for them.

The fridge opens, the pantry exposed, they expect food to be there.

Not a thought, not a doubt, just hunger.

Cereal, milk, yogurt, messy fingers, messy faces, all fed.

Tummies are full.

Now it's nap time.

My wife likes nap time.

Once again, they lay in the comfort we provide.

All while I work, I'm far, but close; always thinking of them.

My phone rings, I only hear breathing.

I smile; my wife's phone is now missing.

I do it all for them.

I work, that they may grow.

They trust so deeply; how I yearn to do the same.

They see so little of how it all came to be, never questioning, only trusting.

I come home; two-second hugs.

Now I'm a horse.

We eat dinner, brush teeth.

Jammy time.

Finally, it's bed time.

Once again, they lay their heads on the pillows we provide.