As Father's Day was marked across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia on June 21, a senior World Evangelical Alliance leader has published a reflection arguing that every person's deep longing for a father's blessing — often unmet in human relationships — finds its ultimate answer in the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ, a blessing in which all believers share.
Brad Smith, WEA Alliance Engagement Director and Chancellor of Bakke Graduate University, wrote that "children of all ages crave the blessing of their father" and seek to hear three things: "I love you, I am proud of you, and this is what you are good at." Yet because of sin and death, he noted, many never receive what they long for most — a reality that crosses cultures and continents. The WEA represents evangelical churches in more than 140 countries, and Smith's reflection draws on both personal experience and biblical theology to address a theme with resonance far beyond any single cultural context.
Drawing on the Gospel accounts, Smith pointed to Jesus' baptism as the moment where the pattern is set: a voice from heaven declares, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11). Through Christ, Smith argued, believers share in that same blessing. "Jesus has the blessing of His Father, and through Jesus, we share in that blessing too," he wrote. "Through Jesus, we gain the favour of the Father, the Creator of the universe, the Holy One who loves us far beyond what we can imagine." He concluded by reflecting on Father's Day not as a day of rest but as an opportunity for "intentional presence," which he called "the greatest blessing" fathers both give and receive.
For free church formation resources including this topic, visit Worldwide Evangelical Seminary.
Source: World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) — worldea.org
