Today is Father’s Day in the U.S and I thought I would repost this litany and this prayer from a few years ago that I thought some of you would enjoy revisiting too.
God our eternal father,
Who made our earth and all it contains,
Today we thank you for the gift of fathers
And for the men who have fathered us as mentors and guides.
For us, there is one God, the Father who is the ultimate source of all things and the goal of our lives. (1 Cor 8:6 The Voice)
Generous and providing God,
We thank you for the good gifts you provide through fathers,
Guide them to be good role models and loving to all their children.
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.[a] He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. (James 1:17 NLT)
Blessing and just God,
We thank you for fathers who teach justice and uphold your truth,
Strengthen them to handle difficult situations in a loving way.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. (Eph 1: 3 NLT)
Protecting and kind God,
We thank you for those who father alone,
Support and guide them, help them to be a father like you.
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. (Ps 68:5)
Comforting and merciful God,
We thank you for good memories of fathers we have lost,
Continue to nurture and surround us with their love.
God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. (2 Cor 1:3-4,)
Inclusive and embracing God,
We thank you for welcoming us as a father into your eternal family,
May we cherish all your children as if they were our own.
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! (1 Jn 3:1)
Eternal, and home keeping God,
We thank you for preparing an eternal home,
Where all peoples will find a place of belonging and abundance.
There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? (Jn 14:2)
God our Father,
We thank you for your Father’s heart,
Bless through it all fathers, mothers, children and creatures of the earth,
Strengthen us all with your fathering love,
Enable us to become the loving, caring persons we are meant to be.
Amen.
This is the last of my series on God as Father. You may like to check out the full series:
Meditation Monday: The Father heart of God
Let’s Get Creative for Father’s Day
And for those who want to balance this with maternal images of God check out my posts from the week before Mother’s day:
Meditation Monday – Connecting to the Mother heart of God
Biblical Maternal Images of God by Shiao Chong
Maternal Images of God – a video and a prayer
Let’s Get Creative – Honouring Our Mothers
Anselm’s Prayer to St Paul: Our Greatest Mother