Wow!  There are lots of readings today.  And all on one of my favorite subjects.  Fathers!  In particular, fathers of faith who trusted God.

In 2 Samuel, the Lord promises David that when David dies, God will be a father to his son.  What a wonderful promise.  In the Psalm, David praises and thanks God for his promise, exclaiming, “You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.”  I was never really afraid of dying until I became a father.  Then I began to fret over what would happen to my children if I died.  God tells me not to worry.  He  assures me that He loves my children and will care for them.

In Romans, Paul retells the story of Abraham.  He tells of Abraham’s faith and his trust in God’s promise.  Abraham, an old man with a barren wife, is told by God that his descendants will inherit the earth.  If it had been me, I would have been asking God what was the punch line.  Instead, Abraham believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations.  Today, when I look at the stars at night, I like to think of Abraham and his faith.  Thousands of years ago, Abraham looked at the same night sky that I see.  And, through Abraham’s faith, today I am one of the stars that Abraham gazed upon in God’s promise.

In Matthew, we are told of Joseph, the husband of Mary and father to Jesus.  The angel of the Lord comes to Joseph and tells him do not be afraid.  That would have been my first clue that it was time to be very afraid.  Then the angel tells Joseph that his fiancé is pregnant, not by him, but by the Holy Spirit.  Mary will have a boy, you will name him Jesus and he will be the savior.  And Joseph does exactly what the angel tells him to do, taking Mary into his home.  I have to marvel at such  incredible faith.  I believe I would have shaved my beard, changed my name and taken the first bus headed out of town.  Joseph’s faithfulness to God’s call means that today we are a chosen people, redeemed by the savior.
 
Luke tells the story of Mary and Joseph leaving the pre-teen Jesus in Jerusalem after the Passover celebration.  I’ve read in the newspaper about parents forgetting a child somewhere.  And I have to admit that I was one of those judgmental types that would go on and on about what the heck kind of parent would leave a child behind.  I think God enjoys giving people like me a dose of humility now and then.  When the O’Reilly clan goes to church, we travel in a 15 passenger van.  Sometimes it’s hard to see who’s way back in the back of the van.  And, as you may have guessed, one Sunday when we arrived home from church, the question arose, where is Brian?  Brian had been left at church with his Sunday School teacher.  It didn’t seem to bother Brian or the Sunday School teacher half as much as it bothered me.  I offered both of them profuse apologies and I am now much more careful in my headcount.  My prayer today is for all parents.  A difficult, challenging and rewarding job that is a gift from God.