SERMON GRANDPA June 20, 2021
Today is Father’s Day; a day when we honor dear old dad and give him a funny card or some gift that he will never use. Now believe it or not, Father’s Day is not a conspiracy of the shirt and tie manufacturers of America. Nor is it the invention of men jealous over the attention given to women on Mother’s Day. Mrs. John B. Dodd of Washington State first proposed the idea of establishing a Father’s Day. It was first observed in Spokane, Washington, on June 19, 1910. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made it permanent by signing a congressional resolution which called for the official recognition of Father’s Day.
Charles Duningston developed this profile of a father: he is the one who endures childbirth without the benefit of medication; he is angry at his son’s poor grades though he knows that it is really the teacher’s fault; and he gives his daughter away (at a cost of several thousand dollars) to a man who is not good enough for her so that he can have grandchildren smarter than anybody else’s.
Now some of us have pleasant memories and relationships with our fathers, while some of us may not. So this morning, I’m not going to talk about our earthly father, but instead let’s focus on our Heavenly Father. Because no matter who our earthly father was, we can be assured of one thing and that is that we are children of God. Now one of the best passages in the Bible that illustrates God as our Father is found the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke verses 11- 32. This is commonly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but could also be called the Parable of the Loving Father.
Read Luke 15:11-32
Throughout the Bible, God is referred to as Father. “Father” is the Christian name for God. We begin the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Father who art in heaven.” The first words of the Apostles’ Creed are “I believe in God the Father Almighty.” But you know sometimes I think of God more like a Grandfather than a Father. Now growing up, I did not know my grandparents; my parents married late and then there was something called World War II. I am a baby boomer and my grandparents died right after I was born. But fortunately, I have had the privilege and experience of being a grandparent. To me, one of the best sounds in the world is hearing my grandchildren say “Grandpa.” During baseball practice one night, one of the players asked Logan if he called me coach; to which he replied: “No, he’s Grandpa!”
Many of you are grandparents and understand that our role today is a lot different than it was when we were raising our own kids. Someone once said that they wished that they had their grandkids before their kids. Someone else said that grandchildren are gifts from God. It’s God’s way of compensating us for growing old. Another person said that it’s not the grandchildren that makes a man feel old – it’s knowing that he’s married to a grandmother that does. So on this Father’s Day, let’s look at God from the perspective of a Grandfather.
A little boy came running into the room and said: “Grandpa! Grandpa! Can you make a sound like a frog?” To which grandpa replied: “Don’t know, why?” The little boy said: “Because grandma says that as soon as you croak, we can go to Disneyland!”
A grandpa who had serious hearing problems for a number of years went to the doctor to be fitted for a hearing aid that would return his hearing to 100 percent. A month later, the grandpa went back for further tests, and the doctor said: “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.” To which the elderly man replied: “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times already.”
Now think about those qualities and characteristics that we love and expect from a grandfather. The first one that comes to mind is love, unconditional love; love that is extended to you no matter what you have done or where you are coming from. Grandpa’s home is where you are always welcome; the door is always open. Of course, the greatest example of God‘s unconditional love for us is stated in John 3:16-17 - “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Let’s face it, we definitely don’t deserve this love, but out of His love God still sent His Son to die on an old wooden cross to break the bondage of sin and death over our lives, and to restore the broken relationship between us and Him. By His sacrifice, death and resurrection, Jesus freed us from the grip of sin and opened the doors of eternity to all who will believe in Him. Nails didn’t hold Jesus to the cross, God’s unconditional love did. Because of this sacrifice of love, all of us have the opportunity to enjoy a personal relationship with God and to feast at His heavenly banquet someday. It is beyond imagination what this experience will be like.
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus illustrated the extent of God’s love and forgiveness to us in the attitude and actions of the father to his two sons in the story. In a way, each of us can identify with one or both of the two sons: the rebellious younger son who couldn’t wait to get away from his father’s authority; the one who is selfish, always wanting his way, always wanting what he thinks is owed to him, proud, arrogant, and who thinks that he has all the answers. Or the older son who represents all of us who think we can make it on our own without God; who think that we can earn God’s love and grace; and who are proud of the kind of life we live and lack sympathy for those less fortunate. I think some of us can identify more with the older brother than the younger brother – the one who tried to do everything right and sat on the sidelines complaining when he didn’t get any credit or recognition. He served his father not out of love, but more out of a sense of obligation.
Now the father extends his love to each son in different ways depending upon their needs and situation. How long do you think the father had been sitting on that porch watching for the image of his wayward son to appear on the horizon? I suspect that he kept his eyes on that road every day since his son had left home, waiting for him to return. And when he saw him at last, he ran and embraced his son in love. The father was so anxious to forgive his son that he didn’t even let him finish his prepared speech.
This was definitely not the reception that the younger son had expected. There were no “I told you so’s,” no questions as where have you been, and what happened to all the money, no judgment or punishment. There was only joy and love in the heart of the father, and that is exactly the way that it will be when we who are lost and have sinned return to God the Father, and ask for His forgiveness. The heart of this story is about those moments of unexpected grace when the Father’s love is shown with wide open arms. While the younger son may have been out of the home, he was never out of the father’s heart and thoughts; that’s Grandpa; that’s God’s love for each one of us.
Now the conversation with the older son was totally different than the one that the father had with the returning younger son. In his anger the older son jumps his father, not even properly addressing him as “Father,” but beginning to vent his anger with the word “listen.” Although the son did not address him as “Father,” the father’s first word “son” reaffirms their relationship. He understood his son and reached out to him with the same love that he had shown his younger brother. Saint Augustine said: “God loves every one as though there is but one of us to love.”
In addition to illustrating God’s love and forgiveness for us, the Parable of the Prodigal Son also shows us additional grandfather-like qualities of God such as being more understanding; less strict than our parents; allowing us the freedom to grow and experience life. One child said that a grandpa is a lot like a dad except he always spoils you and never spanks you; also, he has whiter hair than dad, but not much of it. The younger son in our Bible story showed total disrespect for his father by asking for his share of the inheritance before his father’s death. But despite this the father still gave his son the freedom to choose how to handle his share of the inheritance. Real love allows freedom while false love fosters dependence. For some unknown reason, God gave us this amazing gift of free will which at times we use to serve and glorify Him, and at other times to disobey Him and break Hs heart. But throughout all of this, Grandpa still loves us. I know that I let Trevor, Logan and Eleanor do some things that their parents may object to. Logan has discovered that Grandpa has a sweet tooth and has found where I hide my cookies and candy. Now I am certain that his mother does not want him eating all these sweets, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. God realizes that at times, we all will make mistakes and sample the forbidden fruits of life, but He’s always there to forgive us and welcome us back into His loving arms.
No other image has come closer to describing the loving nature of God than the waiting father, peering down the long dusty road longing for the return of his wayward son, then springing to his feet and running to embrace him. Like grandpa, God is always there ready to listen to us and help us with whatever problem we may be facing at the time. God is never more than a prayer away. One child said “A grandpa likes to say yes and hates to say no. When I’m with grandpa, I’m the most important person in the world.” The same is true with God!
Now please forgive me for using a story that I used last year, but it fits well with our topic this morning. Dr. Kenneth Chafin was professor of evangelism at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. One night after dinner, his five-year-old daughter Nancy asked him: “Daddy, are you going to be home tonight?” Dr. Chafin replied: “No, I’m going to a PTA meeting to speak on ‘An Ideal Father.’” Suddenly, he had an idea. He asked Nancy what makes a good daddy.
Little Nancy began to list the qualities that she thought would make a good father. She said: “A good daddy knows how to fly a kite.” Chafin recalled when they had flown a kite together earlier in the week. She said: “A good daddy knows how to build a fire.” They had done that the night before. “A good daddy knows how to catch fish,” she said. They had gone fishing and caught a small fish. On she went until she had listed ten things. Chafin put the list in his pocket and headed for the meeting. As he waited for his opportunity to speak, he glanced at the list and realized that all the qualities that Nancy listed did not require him to buy her anything, but every one of them required that he give himself to her. That’s what God has done for us; He sent His Son to show us how much He loves us and that He always there for us, no matter what.
Although the younger son had been gone for a long time; long enough for a famine to ravage the land, the father was still patiently watching for him. Grandparents are usually more patient than parents. Now I said usually; because there are days when I am up against deadlines to prepare the sermon, finish the bulletin and get ready for the Wednesday night class, but I also know that I need to spend more time with my grandchildren. I have come to realize that those other things aren’t that important compared to quality time with your grandchildren. I know that when I am breathing my last breath that I am not going to think about unfinished sermons or reports, but about time with Trevor, Logan and Eleanor. God is patient with us and more than anything else He wants to spend quality time with us in prayer and reflection. One of the joys of being a grandfather is getting to hold your grandchildren when they are sleepy, hurt or scared. I grew up where thunderstorms were a normal part of life, but they are rare in Albuquerque. I remember during one storm when Trevor was a toddler, he came running into my office and jumped up into my lap. He found comfort and security there; he felt safe in the arms of Grandpa. There’s not a better feeling in life than holding a sleeping baby in your arms knowing that they completely trust that you will take care of them. And when we are facing problems in life, when we are frightened, or hurt by the world, there is no more wonderful place to be than in the arms of the Lord; knowing that Grandpa will take care of us and see us through any trouble that we may have.
Another joy of being a grandfather is watching your grandchildren grow up. Judy and I are blessed that our grandchildren live only a few miles from us; we get to see them almost every day. And I have been blessed to coach my grandsons Trevor and Logan in baseball and basketball. This past spring my son Ben and I coached Logan’s Little League Team. After the first two practices, Ben and I looked at each other and said that we would be lucky to win one game. But because of their hard work and dedication, those twelve boys developed into quite a team and won the league championship. By the way in the championship game, Logan had four hits, drove in several runs, caught a fly ball and pulled off the only triple play of the season. To say that I’m a proud grandpa is an understatement. Now think how proud God is when we obey Him and follow the teachings of His Son.
In the eighth chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us that the Spirit testifies that we are children of God and because of this we can call Him: Abba, Father, Lord, or even Grandpa. No matter how you see God, realize this: He loves you and wants a personal relationship with you; He is always there waiting for us to come home. On this Father’s Day, give Grandpa a call! Amen