Father's at Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

We don't know a lot about Joseph. From this passage, and from earlier in the chapter, we know that through Joseph, Jesus was given his lineage. He is from the line of King David. We can tell that he is an upstanding person who God knew he could depend on to take care of Mary and Jesus. He did not question the Lord, he listened to what the angel told him, and did exactly what he should. He was true to his Lord, his self and his marriage. Sometimes, our fathers are the ones who take the backseat in many things. When a child gets hurt, they want Mommy. Many fathers have not had the credit due them. Many fathers are happily quiet in the background, quietly doing their jobs, paying the bills and keeping us on the straight and narrow. Joseph seemed to be like that. The last time we see Joseph, he is searching for Jesus when he was 12 years old and teaching in the temple. But he must have been a good husband and father, though none of that credit is given to him.

I feel fortunate to have a father that was and is involved in my life. Sometimes I didn't like it, but that was very few times. I am happy that my husband is in my children's lives too. They don't like it, but some day they will see that his involvement is a very good thing too and that I hope Timm will mimic his father's intentions and Allie will find a husband who is willing to be a part of his family's life. So today, think about your father, your Heavenly Father, and maybe even, Father Christmas. All the good qualities they possess will make your load lighter this holiday.

Another Birthday!

Well, tomorrow is my Dad's birthday. He will be 67. It's a relief to say that. This as you know has been the hardest year I have ever seen him go through. There have been some hard years. Like when his Dad died. He went into such a funk for a long time over that. But who wouldn't?

This year has also seen some wonderful times. I know that's hard to believe but I try to see the good in almost everything. This year our church really has pulled together and made it easy for us to love them and feel loved. It has brought Dad and Mom some faithful and caring friends that proved themselves. I believe it brought my family closer too in many ways.

Dad, Allie and I got to go to Washington D.C. for a trip we will never forget. We just found out about his cancer and had not really coped with it and he had not started his treatments. We didn't even know what the rest of the year would bring, but we definitely made the most of that trip. Even though Dad and I didn't really talk about anything in particular or get too serious, it was a trip we had always wanted to take. Now he is talking about going back when Timm goes. Wouldn't that be great? Timm, Mike and Dad in D.C.. Timm is looking forward to that.

All my life, I have been Daddy's little girl. In fact, one of our exchange students said that we were "Xerox copies". We are so much alike in so many ways. My attitude is like his, my outlook on people and life are like his, and my sense of humor is like his. I am proud to be his daughter.

He has shown me what a father should be like and that has helped me all my life imagine what God, as a father, is like too. I think he has made it easy for me to accept that God is my father and that he loves me, all because Dad loves me. I love him too, and hope that he has many more birthdays to come!

God the Father - June 19, 2009

This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a husband who is a good father to his children. He supports them, loves them and wants to be with them. I have a father who is a great dad to me and Mike. Even though he’s been ill and feels like his body has been run through the ringer, he still has tried to always be someone I can count on. He loves me, cares for me and does what he can for me. I love both of these men.

I have another Father too. Though I can not physically see him, I know he’s there. I can sense he’s there. He adopted me as his own. He wrote me a love letter and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for me and for you. I don’t know many Father’s who would do that. Take some time this weekend and thank your dad for all he’s done for you. It’s was a hard job raising us to be Christian men and women, but somebody had to do it.

Galatians 3: 26 – 27 says “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

It is through our faith and obedience that we are sons (and daughters) of God. What a reason to celebrate!