Today is Father’s Day.
This will be the first one where my own father will not be with me. I cannot send him a card or a gift or share a conversation. Yet, he lives forever in my heart, my mind and my DNA. His spirit still accompanies me and, in that sense, he will never leave me.
Scripture from the time of Moses tells us to honour our parents as one of the commandments. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminded them and us today that this commandment to honour your father (and mother) came with “a promise: so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Honouring our ancestors was seen as crucial to our own survival in times past. They had wisdom which we ignored at our peril. Traditional societies have always honoured their elders, taking guidance from their stories and experiences, and giving them a place of respect in decision making. Today, however, we can be quick to question the people from the past, being critical of their behaviour, attitudes, or ways of seeing the world. Our elders’ knowledge of life can be sidelined by a trust in technology alone to solve all our problems.
I had the privilege of recently sharing very personal words of remembrance at my father’s funeral. He had operated a cattle farm in eastern P.E.I., and the words from the Letter of James 5:1-11 inspired me as I reflected on his life and legacy. James writes that we should be patient, since: “The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” James goes on to write about the importance of avoiding judging others when he says “do not grumble against one another.” He speaks about the gifts that come with patience, gifts like endurance and the ability to cope in our suffering.
Farming can be a stressful business, but life itself can be stressful. Israel, we should remind ourselves, means “struggling with God.” Jacob was given that name in the Genesis story. Before his retirement could begin, my father struggled with health issues which limited his mobility and choices. He became reliant on others for everything. In the biblical story of Jacob or Israel, he demanded a blessing even amid his suffering. And as I recall those years with my father, his physical limitations did not diminish his ability to share stories from his life. Stories that live on in me and in all who heard and valued them. They will always be part of my story. They will always be a blessing.
The Letter of James says that even the prophets knew suffering and yet displayed endurance and patience and continued to tell their sacred story which forms the bedrock of our faith. This Father’s Day, if possible, put down your cellphone, turn off your technology and share an old-fashioned conversation with your children or listen to your father’s stories. Someday, you will cherish them and realize how much you were blessed by them.
Rev. Darin MacKinnon serves Spring Park United Church in Charlottetown. A guest sermon runs regularly in Saturday’s Guardian and is provided through Christian Communications.
