Happy Father's Day

 

Did you ever think about how Father’s Day came to be?  While reading about Father's Day I discovered that it was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd, a woman from Spokane, Washington. Dodd was inspired to create the holiday after attending a Mother's Day church service in 1909. She was the daughter of a Civil War veteran named William Jackson Smart, who had raised her and her five siblings as a single father. Dodd felt that fathers deserved their own special day of recognition, so she began a campaign to make it happen.  Dodd's campaign was successful, and the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910. The holiday spread quickly throughout the United States, and it was officially recognized by the U.S. Congress in 1972.

The significance of Father's Day is to honor fathers and father figures for their love, support, and guidance. It is a day to celebrate the important role that fathers, and father figures play in our lives. Fathers play a vital role in the development of their children. They provide love, support, and guidance, and they help their children to grow into healthy and well-adjusted adults. Fathers also teach their children important values, such as hard work, responsibility, and respect. Additionally, Father's Day provides an opportunity for society to recognize and celebrate the diversity of father figures, including stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other individuals who play a fatherly role in shaping the lives of their children.

As we celebrate Father’s Day 2023 let us pray for all fathers and father figures. We pray:

We give our thanks, Creator God, for the fathers in our lives.

Fatherhood does not come with a manual, and reality teaches us that some fathers excel while others fail.

We ask for Your blessings for them all and forgiveness where it is needed.

This Father's Day we remember the many sacrifices fathers make for their children and families, and the ways--both big and small--they lift children to achieve dreams thought beyond reach.

So too, we remember all those who have helped fill the void when fathers pass early or are absent; grandfathers and uncles, brothers and cousins, teachers, pastors and coaches and the women of our families.

For those who are fathers, we ask for wisdom and humility in the face of the task of parenting. Give them the strength to do well by their children and by You.

In Your Holy name, O God, we pray.  Amen.