Our friends at New Hope Christian Church tell us that there are two traditions to explain the origin of Father’s Day. According to one tradition, Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father, who had raised her as a single parent. So, on July 19, 1909, in Spokane, Washington, she organized a tribute to her father at church. Another tradition points a church service in West Virginia in 1908 following a mining disaster in which 360 men were killed. The precise origin of Father’s Day is unclear. In either case, it was left to President Calvin Coolidge to proclaim that the third Sunday in June would be recognized nationally as Father’s Day.
Whatever the history of Father’s Day most people would agree that families are the basic unit of society. But the narrow definition of family as a father and mother bound together in the bonds of marriage who are parents of children, simply does not match the reality of experience for many people. Many people play the role of father and mother. We appreciate the importance of extended family systems, and for many people networks of care are the true definition of family.
My guess is that for most people and for most of human history family systems have been defined informally as intentional networks of care. The fact that Father’s Day and Gay Pride Weekend overlap is no doubt a coincidence, but one that is not without significance as we reflect on our own experiences and the meaning of family. However defined families are where we learn lessons about love and humility, experience heart-breaking sorrow and unbound joy, and everything in between. I will examine some of the dynamics of family life in Sunday’s sermon using as my text Genesis 33: 1-11.