June 2018 - Pastor Craig

 I had come across this quote a few months ago and wanted to make sure that I could use it for Father's Day this June. We do not know much about Jesus' early life with Joseph. Frankly we do not have much about what Jesus was like growing up. Much of what we know is based on guessing what it would have been like to be the oldest boy in the family of a Jewish carpenter. For us today, we can perhaps make some assumptions. One is that Jesus was raised with a knowledge of the Jewish faith and traditions. In going to school, he was educated with the necessary knowledge of the history of God's relationship to his chosen people. As family was important, he knew that he was a descendant of King David. The other thing that we can reasonable assume is that he worked with Joseph.

 In my office, there hangs a picture of Joseph teaching his son, Jesus to smooth a piece of wood. As the oldest son, it was expected that Jesus would work with his father and would himself become a worker with wood. It would not be too much of a stretch to picture as Jesus got older that he would go with his father to places where the jobs took him. In that experience, Jesus perhaps began to see the value of different cultures, traditions, and people. As we ourselves know that early exposure in our own lives shape our thoughts and our ideas. As I said at the beginning, this is just suppositions, because for us and the writers of the Gospels, frankly, it did not matter. They were more concerned with the "adult" Jesus, the one who was influenced by his second father. The one who helped him realize his true calling.

 Statics have shown that the average child needs 5-7 non-related adults to help them to grow. Think of those who have influenced you. It could have been a teacher, a boss, a neighbor, camp director, or yes, even a pastor. Over the years, I hope that in some ways I have been one of those caring adults that have helped in developing some amazing adults.

 In a world filled with divorces and other family situations, more and more we find kids that have more than one Dad. My own daughter at one time, said that she was going to have "both" of her Dad's walk her down the aisle. I have no problem with that. He cares for her and loves her as I do. Both of us want only the best for her.

 Father's Day can be a confusing time. What if you have that strained or non-existent relationship? What do you do with that feeling? I think that one has to look to Jesus for some thoughts on the subject. To all accounts, the assumption is that Joseph died and was not able to see or experience what his "special" child was to become. Jesus lived a portion of his life without a "physical" father who watched over him. Yet, Jesus knew that he had a heavenly Father who cared deeply for his child. Through Jesus Christ, we have this same Father who has always watched over us and has cheered our successes and has had an arm around us when we have needed one. There is much more to be said, but I pray that you can fill in your own words and emotions, as we all live in the comfort of our heavenly Father's loving arms.

In Christ,

Pastor Craig