Father Figures

Today is Father's Day in the U.S.  It's a day to celebrate Dads who are living, and perhaps reflect on memories of those who are deceased.

Laurence A. Burkard: 1921-2001

How do you remember your parents?  Do you have anything special around your home -- or maybe in your wallet or purse?  It's a question that ties in well with one we asked in a recent post: do you carry any reminders with you of God?  After all....

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? - Deuteronomy 32:6b

Are you surprised by the location of that Bible verse?  All the way back in the Old Testament, God was referred to as a "father" -- long before Jesus the Son appeared on Earth and recommended:

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...." - Matthew 6:9

We can't really carry a picture of God or Jesus in our wallets, because all we have are artist's depictions -- and there's plenty of debate among religious groups over how accurate those depictions are.  But the Bible shows there are plenty of things in this world which can symbolize God, and remind us of Him.  For instance:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2

We've never taken a rock or a horn to a poker night, to use as a card protector.  (After looking up this verse, that might change!)  But regular blog readers know we take other things -- admittedly more as conversation starters than physical reminders of God.

There's one big thing Jesus provided for stirring up memories of Him, and of heaven....

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me." - Luke 22:19

Christians know this as the "Lord's Supper," communion or the New Testament Passover -- introduced by Jesus on the night before His death.  The church group we attend only does this "remembrance" once a year.  It's considered that big a deal -- so big that our Pastor tends to lead up to it with three months of Passover-related sermons.  Of course, the world only tends to make Father's Day a once-a-year event as well.

So how do we remember our fathers at other times of year -- especially our heavenly Father?  We wrestled with this topic here a couple of years ago.  Despite what some ministers say, we still see nothing wrong with carrying reminders of God -- as long as you don't worship those things.  Doing that crosses a Biblical line:

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.... - Exodus 20:4-5

We realize bowing before a little bottle of Liquid Paper would look very silly.  May you honor your physical father in a way which doesn't dishonor your heavenly Father -- the One who gave both of you life.