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' life. According to the Apostles' Creed, Jesus' 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

• Exodus 20:12, command to honor our father and our mother
• Psalm 103:13, the Lord has compassion for us like a father has compassion on his children
• Proverbs 3:11-12, do not dispise disciple
• Proverbs 22:6, how to train a child
• Hosea 11:1-9, Israel as a child, God as the Father
• Luke 11:11-13, the good father gives good gifts
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient; love is kind. . ."
• Ephesians 6:1-4, it is right to obey parents
• Colossians 3:21, fathers should not provoke their children

Sermon ideas for Father's Day

"Why does Susie's father do what she wants to do when it's supposed to be his speacial day? . . . 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 on 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 on GrandIn Media 

"How differently Americans might view God if we constructed an image of God based on the father of the Prodigal Son?" Scripture Meditation or Sermon by Angela Denker on Church Anew

"The Forgiving Father" Artwork by Frank Wesley on Global Worship

"Ultimately, parenting isn't about perfection since no one will be the 'perfect parent.' With love and obedience, parenting is about one's dedication to emulating our heavenly Parent, God." Scripture Meditation or Sermon by James Ellis III on Day1