If you have ever participated in one of my bible studies, then you know I often make the statement, “There is only one perfect person in the bible.”  We might think that figures like Moses and David and Peter and Paul are examples of faultless faith and righteous living.  But only Jesus – fully human and fully divine – is without sin.  Everyone else in the Holy Scriptures is like us – fully human, period – with all the flaws, failings, and imperfections of fully human people.

 

This is indeed true in the case of Abraham, a man who loved, obeyed, and served God and is without question one of the outstanding figures of the Old Testament.  Abraham’s name means “Father of Many Nations,” and he is certainly an appropriate figure to lift up on this Father’s Day.  Abraham is second only to God as the archetypical father in the Bible, and today, Jews, Christians, and Muslims – more than 3 billion people – regard Abraham as a father of their faith.  Yet, he is hardly a perfect model for fatherhood.  He has – like any of us – human frailties and weaknesses.

 

The story of Abraham begins shortly after the Great Flood.  God calls Abraham, the son of a moon-worshipper, to be the foundation of a new humanity.  God directs Abraham to leave his country for a land God will show him, promising to make him into a great nation with many descendants [Genesis 12:1-3]. 

 

And Abraham responds. He turns from his old way of life to the way of God, a way he does not yet understand.  He goes out in faith, not knowing what he is getting into, but trusting the God who has called him.

 

Abraham’s faith, however, is not without its doubts and uncertainties.  God makes promises to Abraham regarding his descendants.  The problem is, no descendants come along.  In this morning’s Old Testament lesson from Genesis, which takes place a number of years after he is first called, Abraham points out to God that he is an old man, still without an heir and still wandering in a land not his own.  God takes Abraham outside and shows him the starry heavens, affirming his promise.  Pointing to the multitude of stars in the sky, God assures him, "That’s how many descendants you will have."

 

But Abraham is not convinced.  Instead of waiting in faith, he and his wife Sarah take matters into their own hands [Genesis 16:1-4].  Their impatience produces much unhappiness for themselves and Sarah’s maid, Hagar, by whom Abraham has a son named Ishmael. 

 

Abraham and Sarah have to wait many more years for their son and heir.  Finally, when Abraham is 100 and Sarah 90 [Genesis 17:17], God’s promise is fulfilled, and Isaac is born.  Our New Testament lesson from the book of Hebrews [11:11] tells us: "By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised."

 

Abraham does, in the end, wait in faith.  But his faith does not come all at once, in a sudden flash of clarity.  Instead, it is a dynamic journey, deepening and developing over time.  Sometimes Abraham’s faith is derailed by worry, doubt and indecision.  His relationship with God is tested through the trials of famine and war.  But over time, as Abraham grows in relationship with God, he also grows in faith, and he learns to trust in God to direct his steps.

 

And that’s what faith is all about – it’s a relationship with God.  It is a trusting response towards God who has entered into a relationship with us. 

 

So too fatherhood, like faith, is a relationship. 

 

“To father” a child simply means participating in the procreative process. 

 

But being a father has a completely different understanding.  I see this in my own family.  My son Ian’s father died when he was only eight months old, before any real kind of mutual relationship could develop.  The man who is truly Ian’s dad is his stepfather Peter, who is there to encourage him when he’s down, to push him when he needs a little motivation, to guide him when he needs some direction, and to love him all the time.  That’s what being a father means; it’s all about relationship. 

 

Granted, sometimes the relationship between a father and his children does not live up to God’s intentions.  There are fathers who physically, financially, emotionally, and/or spiritually abuse or abandon their children.  Abraham himself was an absent father to his son Ishmael. 

 

But in the best of scenarios, the relationship between a father and a child has love at its heart.  The perfect example of this is between Jesus and God, whom he called “Father,” underscoring the depth of love and intimacy which was at the heart of their relationship.  And God wants our relationship with God to be as close and as direct as that between any parent and child.

 

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Father’s Day worship than celebrating a baptism.  We rejoice with you, Carol and Kevin, on the blessing of your beautiful little girl Riley.  And we rejoice with you that today, she is officially received into the family of God. 

 

Carol and Kevin, your journey of raising Riley, along with Caitlyn and Ashlyn, may not be as eventful as Abraham’s – in fact, I hope it is isn’t.  But you – and all parents – can be sure there will be tests and trials, ups and downs, successes and failures along the way.  Sometimes parenthood will bring us to our knees.

 

And so listen to these words of wisdom from Mother Teresa: “We are not called to be successful.  We are called to be faithful.”  All of you and I are neither called nor expected to be victorious, triumphant, successful, or perfect fathers or sons, or mothers or daughters, or anything else.  We are simply called to be faithful.  Abraham and his family were far from perfect; they don’t come close to matching our ideal of a father or a family, let alone God’s.  And yet, God still chose to work in and through Abraham to bring blessings to the world, and he endures as a shining example not only of fatherhood, but also of faith.

 

Father's Day is a good day for us to remember that we are spiritual descendants not only of Abraham, but even more so of God, who is the loving Parent of us all.  The story of Abraham – and Sarah, too – shows us how, through all the ages and stages of life, to let go of our human expectations and respond to new uncertainties, adventures and futures with faith in a God who will not let us down.

 

May we all learn from Abraham’s story that God can take ordinary people like you and me, and do extraordinary things with our lives.  Just as God blessed and worked through Abraham, God blesses and works through us – despite all our imperfections, doubts, and uncertainties.  And God calls us to follow, by faith, so that we will find the life and purpose and blessings that God intends for us.  Amen.

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