Happy Fathers Day!

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Jerrold,
Is it wrong to honor our fathers and give them the respect God commands without it being seen as reducing God to less than Lord on the sabbath? I doubt Adam nor Bill Brown are taking Christ off the throne and placing their earthly parent up there instead.
 
Brothers,

Fathers can be honored any other day. We have been given 6 days to use as we see fit (lawfully), and only one day, a Christian Sabbath, holy to the Lord. I would suggest that another day be used to honour our parents. For instance my kids (all 7 of them) honored me yesterday, and I in turn honored my father as well. The Sabbath is to be sanctified to the Lord, not reduced to the praise of any man, no matter how great he might be.
in my opinion, the Lord is not praised by taking a secular imposed day (Mothers Day or Fathers Day) and let it impinge upon the Sabbath.

As the WSC says,
Q60: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
A60: The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:


JL
 
Originally posted by JOwen
Brothers,

Fathers can be honored any other day. We have been given 6 days to use as we see fit (lawfully), and only one day, a Christian Sabbath, holy to the Lord. I would suggest that another day be used to honour our parents. For instance my kids (all 7 of them) honored me yesterday, and I in turn honored my father as well. The Sabbath is to be sanctified to the Lord, not reduced to the praise of any man, no matter how great he might be.
in my opinion, the Lord is not praised by taking a secular imposed day (Mothers Day or Fathers Day) and let it impinge upon the Sabbath.
Jerrold,
This is probably a dumb, but its an honest, question. If father's/mother's day were celebrated on some other day besides Sunday, wouldn't the celebration of the day be one way to obey the commandment to honor your father and mother? If it is, then why wouldn't it be ok to obey the commandment to honor your father and mother in this way on the sabbath day?
 
Would it not be a break in Gods command if we ceased honoring our fathers on the sabbath? Honoring our parents does not dishonor God. In fact, it is Gods glory believers are intent upon when honoring our parents! Again, no one is elevating the parent above God. The honor flows from our allegiance to God and His commandments.

Now, if you are talking about parties, presents etc., personally, I am against them. However, I don't believe the scenario is intended to elevate the parent above God either; I just don't like them on the day.


[Edited on 6-18-2006 by Scott Bushey]
 
Others have answered in my stead and I concur with them. I won't even be drawn into debating this topic.
 
Bob and Scott,

Honoring parents does not cease on the Sabbath any more than not committing adultery ceases on the Sabbath. All commandments are uniquely tied together (James 2:10). This does not mean however that we should then take a secular institution or convention and pair it up with God's Sabbath (thus dishonoring it by sharing our affections as well as our time). I'm quite sure the owner of this list would readily agree that the Sabbath is not to be shared, but is uniquely set aside for the singular worship of Jehovah, plus nothing (Birthday's, Anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Flag Day, etc). Observing Fathers Day is neither a work of necessity or mercy.
 
Originally posted by JOwen
Bob and Scott,

Honoring parents does not cease on the Sabbath any more than not committing adultery ceases on the Sabbath. All commandments are uniquely tied together (James 2:10). This does not mean however that we should then take a secular institution or convention and pair it up with God's Sabbath (thus dishonoring it by sharing our affections as well as our time). I'm quite sure the owner of this list would readily agree that the Sabbath is not to be shared, but is uniquely set aside for the singular worship of Jehovah, plus nothing (Birthday's, Anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Flag Day, etc). Observing Fathers Day is neither a work of necessity or mercy.
:up:
:ditto:
 
Originally posted by JOwen
Bob and Scott,

Honoring parents does not cease on the Sabbath any more than not committing adultery ceases on the Sabbath. All commandments are uniquely tied together (James 2:10).

Good; ok we agree that we are to honor our parents even on the sabbath.

This does not mean however that we should then take a secular institution or convention

Who said we are taking a 'secular institution or convention'?

and pair it up with God's Sabbath (thus dishonoring it by sharing our affections as well as our time).

What we've 'paired up' is one of the commandments, which go fluidly with the day. This is what you are not seeing; you are teaming the people of God up with the worlds perspective. In this you err.

I'm quite sure the owner of this list would readily agree that the Sabbath is not to be shared, but is uniquely set aside for the singular worship of Jehovah, plus nothing (Birthday's, Anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Flag Day, etc). Observing Fathers Day is neither a work of necessity or mercy.

I am the owner of this list; along with Matt. :book2: I don't disagree with that thinking; I am sure Matt called his dad today and honored him according to Gods command, again, not in the secular mindset or fashion. The believer is made in Gods image; by honoring our fathers this day is a reflection of God Himself.

Exodus 20:12 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

3513 db;K' kabad {kaw-bad'} or dbeK' kabed {kaw-bade'}
Meaning: 1) to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be heavy 1a2) to be heavy, be insensible, be dull 1a3) to be honoured 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be made heavy, be honoured, enjoy honour, be made abundant 1b2) to get oneself glory or honour, gain glory 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to make heavy, make dull, make insensible 1c2) to make honourable, honour, glorify 1d) (Pual) to be made honourable, be honoured 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to make heavy 1e2) to make heavy, make dull, make unresponsive 1e3) to cause to be honoured 1f) (Hithpael) 1f1) to make oneself heavy, make oneself dense, make oneself numerous 1f2) to honour oneself
Origin: a primitive root; TWOT - 943; v
Usage: AV - honour 34, glorify 14, honourable 14, heavy 13, harden 7, glorious 5, sore 3, made heavy 3, chargeable 2, great 2, many 2, heavier 2, promote 2, misc 10; 116


Ephesians 6:2-3 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise; ) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

(which is the first commandment with promise; ) If honoring fathers on the sabbath is wrong, why does the apostle tell us it is the first commandment with promise

5091 tima,w timao {tim-ah'-o}
Meaning: 1) to estimate, fix the value 1a) for the value of something belonging to one's self 2) to honour, to have in honour, to revere, venerate
Origin: from 5093; TDNT - 8:169,1181; v
Usage: AV - honour 19, value 2; 21

5720 Tense - Present (See 5774) Voice - Active (See 5784) Mood - Imperative (See 5794) Count - 592

What is the 1st commandment?

Exodus 20:3 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

If by calling our fathers on this day and wishing them well is a break of the first commandment, why does the apostle imply it is not?



[Edited on 6-19-2006 by Scott Bushey]
 
Originally posted by JOwen
Brothers,

Fathers can be honored any other day. We have been given 6 days to use as we see fit (lawfully), and only one day, a Christian Sabbath, holy to the Lord. I would suggest that another day be used to honour our parents. For instance my kids (all 7 of them) honored me yesterday, and I in turn honored my father as well. The Sabbath is to be sanctified to the Lord, not reduced to the praise of any man, no matter how great he might be.
in my opinion, the Lord is not praised by taking a secular imposed day (Mothers Day or Fathers Day) and let it impinge upon the Sabbath.

As the WSC says,
Q60: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
A60: The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:


JL

:amen: :up: The Sabbath is a holy day for the honor of the Lord alone, not a man-made holiday for fathers or mothers. We also celebrated Father's Day on Saturday. In this way fathers and their families honor the Lord best.
 
Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot
The Sabbath is a holy day for the honor of the Lord alone, not a man-made holiday for fathers or mothers. We also celebrated Father's Day on Saturday. In this way fathers and their families honor the Lord best.
Can't argue with that. Good thinking.

I never thought about it before, but did you ever wonder why, out of all the days in the week, mother's/father's day is always on a Sunday?
 
Originally posted by blhowes
Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot
The Sabbath is a holy day for the honor of the Lord alone, not a man-made holiday for fathers or mothers. We also celebrated Father's Day on Saturday. In this way fathers and their families honor the Lord best.
Can't argue with that. Good thinking.

I never thought about it before, but did you ever wonder why, out of all the days in the week, mother's/father's day is always on a Sunday?

............and for the record, we celebrated the day Friday night.
 
By owner of this list I meant Rev. McMahon. I did not know that you were also an owner. News to me.
I think you need to distinguish between keeping the 5th commandment as a rule and principle (parents and all authorities, above and below us) from setting a "day" for their hounour on the Lord's Day. You seem to be joining the 5th commandment to Fathers Day itself (which would be a new one for me!). "œThe believer is made in Gods image; by honoring our fathers this day is a reflection of God Himself." If I was to follow your logic here, my flock would be sinning by NOT observing Fathers Day as per the 5th commandment.

Brother, the fact that it is called a "Day" should be the first indication that we ought to avoid it on the Sabbath. Its not Fathers Day, it is the commemoration of the risen Lord. There is only one to be honoured on the first Day of the week, and that is Christ.
I'd be very surprised (and slightly disappointed) if your pastor would not see it this way.

Blessings!
JL
 
Those of you against fathers day on Sunday, what do you think I should have down when my girls surprised me with a song and card just after Midnight? Scolded them? Maybe I could have taught them something, maybe I should have, but I have a hard time thinking I made a big mistake thanking them...
 
Interesting discussion. To be honest, we had Erin's father over for lunch after church today (for the purpose of celebrating "father's day). It crossed my mind that it might be a violation of the Sabbath, but I neglegted to think it through completely. I think that Jerrold brings up an interesting point with regards to Father's day. When put in the context of a specific day of "honoring" a person, I think that there is a good case for it being sin if in fact the day is also the Sabbath. I think the principle is related closely with that of celebrating extra "holy" days. In essence, I see the argument as making the Sabbath (a HOLY day) into something (at least in part) civil , which should always remain seperate from a day which is to be taken up in worship the whole time.

Now that I think through it more, I have a hard time seeing my actions as consistent with the Bible's teachings as summerized in the WLC:

Q117: How is the sabbath or the Lord's day to be sanctified?
A117: The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day,[1] not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful;[2] and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to betaken up in works of necessity and mercy)[3] in the public and private exercises of God's worship:[4] and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.[5]

1. Exod. 20:8, 10
2. Exod. 16:25-28; Neh. 13:15-22; Jer. 17:21-22

3. Matt. 12:1-13
4. Isa. 58:18; 66:23; Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:1-2; Psa. ch. 92; Lev. 23:3
5. Exod. 16:22, 25-26, 29; 20:8; Luke 23:54, 56; Neh. 13:19


If I had to do it again, I would probably refrain.
 
Originally posted by JOwen
By owner of this list I meant Rev. McMahon. I did not know that you were also an owner. News to me.

It is clearly stated below my name. :um:

[quoteI think you need to distinguish between keeping the 5th commandment as a rule and principle (parents and all authorities, above and below us) from setting a "day" for their hounour on the Lord's Day. [/quote]

Again, I believe you are not hearing me. The people of God, by default reject the secular (hopefully) and their honoring of theor parent on the sabbath is a response to Gods command.

You seem to be joining the 5th commandment to Fathers Day itself (which would be a new one for me!).

See above


"œThe believer is made in Gods image; by honoring our fathers this day is a reflection of God Himself." If I was to follow your logic here, my flock would be sinning by NOT observing Fathers Day as per the 5th commandment.

If your flock dishonors their parent on this day, they are sinning as we are called to honor our parents everyday.

Brother, the fact that it is called a "Day" should be the first indication that we ought to avoid it on the Sabbath.

Again, you are confusing my obedience with the secular.

Its not Fathers Day, it is the commemoration of the risen Lord. There is only one to be honoured on the first Day of the week, and that is Christ.

Really? The commandment reads:

Exodus 20:12 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Do I not honor my parent on the day we honor the Lord?

Would you mind addressing my post above where I cite Eph 6?

[Edited on 6-19-2006 by Scott Bushey]
 
Originally posted by houseparent
Those of you against fathers day on Sunday, what do you think I should have down when my girls surprised me with a song and card just after Midnight? Scolded them? Maybe I could have taught them something, maybe I should have, but I have a hard time thinking I made a big mistake thanking them...

Adam,
It all depends upon how you are perceiving the day and implementing your honor to your parent.
 
I mean with the children here honoring me. Should I have halted them and told them they must never do such a thing on a Sunday?
 
Here's some history on Father's day in the United States.
From Wikipedia.

In the United States, the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent raised his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

And for Mother's Day.
Mother's Day in the United States was first proclaimed in 1870 in Boston by Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation, and Howe called for it to be observed each year nationally in 1872. As originally envisioned, Howe's "Mother's Day" was a call for pacifism and disarmament by women. The original Mother's Day Proclamation was as follows:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Early "Mother's Day" was mostly marked by women's peace groups. A common early activity was the meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the American Civil War.

The first known observance of Mother's Day in the U.S. occurred in Albion, Michigan, on 13 May 1877, the second Sunday of the month. According to local legend, Albion pioneer, Juliet Calhoun Blakeley, stepped up to complete the sermon of the Rev. Myron Daughterty, who was distraught because an anti-temperance group had forced his son and two other temperance advocates to spend the night in a saloon and become publicly drunk. In the pulpit, Blakeley called on other mothers to join her. Blakeley's two sons, both travelling salesmen, were so moved that they vowed to return each year to pay tribute to her and embarked on a campaign to urge their business contacts to do likewise. At their urging, in the early 1880s, the Methodist Episcopal Church in Albion set aside the second Sunday in May to recognize the special contributions of mothers.

In 1907, Mother's Day was first celebrated in a small, private way by Anna Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia, to commemorate the anniversary of her mother's death two years earlier on 9 May 1905. Jarvis's mother, also named Anna Jarvis, had been active in Mother's Day campaigns for peace and worker's safety and health. The younger Jarvis launched a quest to get wider recognition of Mother's Day. The celebration organized by Jarvis on 10 May 1908 involved 407 children with their mothers at the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton (this church is now the International Mother's Day Shrine). Grafton is, thus, the place recognized as the birthplace of Mother's Day.

The subsequent campaign to recognize Mother's Day was financed by clothing merchant John Wanamaker. As the custom of Mother's Day spread, the emphasis shifted from the pacifism and reform movements to a general appreciation of mothers. The first official recognition of the holiday was by West Virginia in 1910. A proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day was signed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson on 14 May 1914.
 
Originally posted by houseparent
I mean with the children here honoring me. Should I have halted them and told them they must never do such a thing on a Sunday?

I would have sat down with them and explained what the day means. If they were unbelievers, it could have given you the opportunity to speak to them about salvation and the rest God has given us in His sabbath. If they were saved, I would have picked their minds a bit. I know no one whom would admit to elevating a man on this day to the llevel of the throne where Christ sits.
 
Originally posted by blhowes
Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot
The Sabbath is a holy day for the honor of the Lord alone, not a man-made holiday for fathers or mothers. We also celebrated Father's Day on Saturday. In this way fathers and their families honor the Lord best.
Can't argue with that. Good thinking.

I never thought about it before, but did you ever wonder why, out of all the days in the week, mother's/father's day is always on a Sunday?

:up: Yes, I have observed that society tends to single out the Lord's Day for all sorts of intrusive reasons (such as Daylight Savings Time, Parents' Day in July, Grandparents' Day in September, the Superbowl, the ACC basketball championship :( etc.). I think in general we have way too many "holidays" (a situation not as bad as in the Catholic Dark Ages when saints' days took up most of the calendar but particularly troublesome to Sabbatarians). Six days are given to us but the Sabbath is the Lord's alone.

Father's Day is not inherently a bad idea. It is a civil holiday and lawful in itself. But there is only room for one holiday on the first day of the week. It is a day holy unto the Lord, set apart from all man-made holidays. It is no conflict of the ten commandments to set apart that day for God's honor, rather than men.

* The 1st commandment concerns the *object* of worship.
* The 2nd commandment concerns the *means* of worship.
* The 3rd commandment concerns the *manner* of worship.
* The 4th commandment concerns the *time* of worship.

The 5th commandment applies all the time not just one day a year and it's observance is not dependent upon keeping a man-made holiday but rather in honoring our fathers in the Lord. To do so in the Lord means to put God first, including his holy day. :2cents:

[Edited on 6-19-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]
 
For what it's worth, if any of us had a moment of pride this day, then we desecrated the Lords day in no more than someone whom celebrated a secular holiday; the sin of pride is probably worse. The feeling that accompanies pride is very distinguishable; Did you have any moments of pride today? If you did, you are just as guilty.
 
Well, after reading all this maybe in your eyes I did something right in rearing my two boys, but I doubt it was intentional on my part. No card from either one of them and no 'happy Father's Day' from either one. We did go out to eat last night but we were celebrating my eldest son's birthday from Wednesday. One still lives at home while going to school (age 25) and the other lives about 30 miles away (age 24 and married - without children).

I did get a card from my mom, but my dad is gone so nothing for him from me.

Happy Father's Day to you, too, Adam. :handshake: The more I follow this board the more amazed I am.
 
Wouldn't this be something where it depends on your heart / attitude?

I know that, personally, making a point of spending this afternoon with my family and signing the card for my dad was a conscious decision - and an attempt to honor my dad, and to show him grace and love, in obedience to God. So in that way, I think that it was an appropriate use of the Sabbath. (Not that I did it perfectly - I still struggled with my attitude, and there are other ways that I broke the Sabbath today . . . but I think that making a purposeful effort to honor and love my dad was an appropriate use of today).
 
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