BTN News: In the run-up to Father’s Day, here is a good time to think about the deeper significance of fatherhood, both earthly and divine. In a recent discussion, Rev. Hans Fiene, a pastor in Missouri, explained how fatherly love is a reflection of the biblical love God has for humankind. Looking at St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he delves into the deep bonds shared between earthly fathers and our Father in heaven which in turn can influence how we understand divine love and care.
Fatherhood: Its Place in the Divine Order
Ephesians 3:14-17 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, In the letter to the Ephesians, Epistle to the Ephesians, which was written to the people of what we now call Turkey according to the geographical boundary provided by Bible Study Tools. Rev. St. Paul’s words remind us that human dads are called to be a portrait of the love of the Father. — Fiene This idea is that the care, protection, and even the sacrifices of a father on earth can underscore for children God’s unconditional love.
Fatherly love, and the absence of it
Rev. A popular theistic argument that some atheists use to discredit us is addressed by Fiene (that it is arrogant to think the universe, which is so much bigger than our tiny race, was made for us, ug). Fiene would later call this argument nonsensical and rhetorically ask “kidney stones shouldn’t hurt because they’re tiny. He goes on to say that for those making those charges that when they do so, they are likely unable to deal with the situation of their own unloving fathers and as such are making God in their hearts to be just like the only person who should be god to them, whose not loving nature violates their hearts and is therefore evil.
To Fathers Everywhere, A Reflection
In a nutshell, Fiene’s point is that earthly fathers direct children’s percepetion of the love of God. Through a loving, protecting, and sacrificial father, children can come to understand the sacrificial love of God, the greatest sacrifice to have ever been made when He gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the salvation of humanity. On the other hand, harsh, selfish or absentee dads can skew their children’s view of a loving God.
Healing Through Divine Love
Fiene points out the eternal love that God has to offer, no matter how neglected and despised you may have been treated by your father on this side of Paradise. He says that people who reject the idea of a God who is love because of their own experiences are not showing humility but rather desperation. Fiene prays that people will recognize the fatherly deeds of love as a projection of God’s love while also praying for comfort for those who were hurt with their earthly fathers.
A Prayer for Father’s Day
As Father’s Day looms, Fiene offers a little more of his personal prayer that his own children would never doubt the love of God in his thoughts or speech and sacrament or through his works. He adds his prayer sounding out to all fathers everywhere that they would live out the love and faithfulness of their Father in heaven. He also prays peace and healing over those that struggle with hurt caused by their fathers, knowing that God’s love is infinite and that He is able to heal even the most broken heart.
Conclusion
Rev. In the meantime, Fiene’s post serves as a bittersweet recollection of the transcendent brotherhood of fatherhood. In this time of celebrating Father’s Day, these thoughts serve to create a greater sense of fatherly love being a symbol of the divine for all our families, encouraging the recognition and honor of the greater sacrifice and care provided to us all by God.
