06/23/2026
Thank you Church of Uncertain for inviting me to give my very first sermon on Father’s Day at the church my father called home!
My father was a mountain of a man.
Everyone called him Superman.
Not because he could leap buildings or stop bullets, but because he refused to let life’s circumstances define him.
He worked hard, provided for his family, served others, and did it all while carrying challenges most people never saw.
As a kid, that created pressure.
Not because he demanded perfection, but because his example was so powerful.
Somewhere along the way, I learned a lesson that followed me into adulthood:
If I performed well, I felt accepted.
If I failed, I felt distant.
My father didn’t intentionally teach me that, but it’s what I believed.
The problem was that I eventually viewed God the same way.
I thought acceptance had to be earned.
That God’s love increased when I got things right and decreased when I got things wrong.
Then I encountered Luke 15.
The story of the prodigal son isn’t really about a rebellious son.
It’s about a loving Father.
A Father who watched the road.
A Father who ran toward his broken child.
A Father who embraced him before he could earn his way back.
The son came home with a performance plan.
The father responded with unconditional love.
That’s the Gospel.
God’s love isn’t based on our performance.
It’s based on His character.
Maybe your earthly father was incredible.
Maybe he wasn’t.
Maybe he was present.
Maybe he was absent.
Maybe he left you with strength.
Maybe he left you with wounds.
But your earthly father was never meant to be the source of your identity.
He was meant to point you to the One who is.
This Father’s Day, remember:
You don’t have to earn sonship.
You don’t have to perform for acceptance.
You don’t have to prove your worth.
You have a Heavenly Father who loves you perfectly, pursues you relentlessly, and never stops watching the road.
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are.” — 1 John 3:1
