The Perfect Father

Jesus had a lot to say about "the Father." He made numerous references to our heavenly Father in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:7). I have selected three paragraphs in each of the chapters that teach us something very important about God. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-48 NIV).

Jesus often used the expression, "You have heard that it was said...but I tell you..." The point Jesus was making here is that God's children are supposed to imitate their Father in Heaven. People usually excuse themselves for their less-than-perfect behavior. What Jesus was telling them to do in this passage would cause many to say, "I cannot do that because I am not perfect." This may be true but Christians should do their best to be perfect. It is like starting a course in school and deciding to attempt for "100" on every assignment or test. God is perfect and he wants us to try and be like him.

Another thing we learned from Jesus about God our Father is that he knows our needs even before we ask; but he wants us to ask nonetheless. Jesus taught his disciples to pray by giving this model prayer: "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 'This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one '" (Matthew 6:7-13 NIV)

Prayer includes petitioning God for what we need. Jesus taught us to first pray about the things that pertain to God and then our own needs. If we "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" and if we ask, then "all these things will be given to you" (see Matthew 6:32-33).

The last point that we will consider is this article is that God our heavenly Father wants to give us "good gifts." Jesus said, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11). Human parents generally want to give their children good things. That is why they make such an effort to get just the right gift(s) at Christmas and birthdays. If we care about this, how much more does "our Father in heaven."

All of these things plus who he is (his divine attributes) make God "the Perfect Father."

The Greatest Sacrifice

What is Memorial Day? It is a legal holiday the last Monday in May in memory of the dead service personnel of all the wars. Unfortunately, to many people, Memorial Day is just the third day of a holiday weekend that sort of begins the summer season. It is a time for people to get together with family and friends, open the pool or put in the boat, and cook a meal on the grill. All those things are fine in and of themselves but like other special days such as Christmas and Easter we should pause and reflect upon the true meaning of the holiday.

In just this century alone there have been two World Wars in addition to the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf Wars and many other conflicts. In these wars many people have died in service for our country. The soldiers, sailors and marines who died sacrificed themselves for others. Along with suffering and dying a violent death they gave up two thirds to three quarters of their lives along with their dreams, hopes and plans. All of these people were someone's loved ones and friends. Let us remember them and their families. Their loved ones also experienced loss. They lost the time they would have shared with these people and everything that goes along with a lifetime of experiences. People may quickly forget the death of someone who was just a statistic but their families miss them at holidays and other special events including their birthdays.

Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). It has been said that soldiers ultimately die not so much for their country but for their comrades. Jesus did what he said is the greatest act of love; he laid down his life for us. Who are the friends of Jesus? He answered this in the next verse which reads, "You are my friends if you do what I command" (v. 14). This may sound like we are only his friends if we do what he expects of us but we should remember what his disciple John wrote about obedience: "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands" (1 John 5:2-3). True love is more than mere words--it involves actions. If we love God and others we will show it by deeds.

The amazing thing about Christ's sacrifice is that he did this before we knew him: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8).

Jesus was "the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). There is a parallel between Jesus' death which is remembered whenever we participate in communion and Memorial Day. In both cases we should take the time to pause and remember the sacrifice that was made for us. We should also sacrifice ourselves either by giving of our lives through service to others in our country or in the Church.