Father's Day at Journey
Steve Phillps, Lead Pastor
Sunday, June 19, 2022
We apologize for the gap in the audio at the beginning of the message. Here is a transcript of the audio from that section:
"As you viewed that video, I know some of us had fond memories of our dad and all the good he built and may still be building into our lives. And what a blessing it is to have a dad like that! We celebrate those dads today and give them due honor.
But I know some of us did not have dads like those described. Our dads were absent, or were addicted, or even abusive. Some of us are grieving today for the dad we didn’t have. Some of us grieve for the dad who is now gone. And so this day brings such a mix of emotions—its kind of a minefield for a pastor!
But here’s what I know, from the truth of God’s word and from my own experience as a son and father—that in any failure of our earthly parents, God the Father can fill those voids as we come to Him as His children.
In fact, THE entire BIBLE is THE STORY OF GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS CHILDREN.
It begins in Genesis. God creates the heavens and the earth, and ultimately, His big vision for the creation is about you and me. He wants to extend his community—F, S, HS--to people. His big vision is To be with us. That’s what he wanted as he was looking for Adam and Eve in the garden, “Adam, Where are you?”
But Adam and Eve had chosen a different vision. As a result, every single one of us have a sin nature, and as we follow it we are separated from God the Father. The rest of the Bible is story after story of how far God will go to get us back."