Pastor's Corner
THE FATHER’S BLESSING
Keith E. Murray, Pastor, Blanch Baptist Church
[This article was originally published in the Caswell Messenger on June 12th, 2019.]
As this article will be published just a few days before Fathers’ Day, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you a few of my thoughts on fatherhood in general and the Biblical concept of a father’s “blessing” in particular.
My father was a member of what has been called “the Greatest Generation”: those who struggled through the Great Depression and served in World War II. I look back on his legacy with admiration, and I am especially glad that I will see him again in heaven, as he received Christ late in life (while enduring the final stages of Parkinson’s disease.) He had his faults, (who does not?) but he sought to be “a good father” to me and my two brothers.
However, there is one thing I have become increasingly aware of as I have matured and have become both a father and a grandfather: I cannot recall my father ever “blessing” me in my youth—verbally expressing a blessing over me in the Biblical fashion. Indeed, it was not until the closing years of his life that he did bless me in this way, when I was in my early thirties. I wish it had come earlier. Of course, he did not know, back then, what the Biblical “Father’s Blessing” was all about—and I didn’t, either. But when he did speak a blessing over me back then, I recognized it for what it was. I treasured it as a gift then and see it as a vital obligation now.
In Jewish faith and culture today, the father’s blessing is emphasized, particularly through the custom of the bar mitzvah, the celebration of a son’s “coming of age.” I admire this custom so much that I often wish it were incorporated into our Christian customs as well. Perhaps a more definite “line of demarcation” between childhood and young adulthood might spare many teenagers the feelings of angst and insecurity they so often experience.
Certainly, there is Biblical precedent for the vital role of blessing children. Throughout the Old Testament, we see fathers such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and others blessing their sons. But the most powerful precedent and example of the Father’s Blessing is the blessing Father God speaks over His Son, Jesus, at His baptism: “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11, also in Matthew and Luke). Here in this Great Father’s words to Jesus we have it all:
“You are my SON…” My identity is with my father: my earthly father here on earth, and my Heavenly Father as well. This part of the Father’s Blessing tells me I belong.
“You are my BELOVED son…” I am loved. It is vital for every boy—and girl, too!—to know that their father truly loves him or her. Fathers, don’t just assume your children already know this—TELL THEM!
“…in whom I am well pleased.” In other, more modern words, “I am PROUD of you!” While it is important not to flatter our children or over-indulge them with undeserved praise, it also important to let them know that you—their father—are generally proud to be their father.
The Father’s Blessing. Three vital components: “You are my son (daughter).” “I love you.” “I’m proud of you.” Fathers, don’t neglect this ancient Biblical responsibility! Speak identity, love, and pride into your son(s) and daughter(s) while they are still young—and before it may be too late!