Second Sunday after Trinity
Father’s Day

Karl K. Warner wrote an article entitled, “Dad” in USA Today on June 15 a year or so ago. Several people submitted their father’s best wise sayings. The following are a few of what I call “Father’s Wisdom”:
“The second time you get kicked in the head by a mule it's not a learning experience,” by Ebb Dozier Jr's dad.
“Never buy anything that eats,” submitted by Neal Bashor's dad.
“You need to do what you have to do before you can do what you want to do,” suggested by Reed Caster's dad
“Well, you know what happens when you wrestle with pigs, you get all dirty and they love it,” by Dennie Morgan's dad.
“Never try to catch two frogs with one hand,” crafted by Rea Hunt's dad.
“Always throw away the box when you take the last piece of candy,” created by Paul Whalen's dad
“Honesty is like a trail, once you get off it you realize you are lost,” by Mark Young's dad.
“Wherever you are in life, first make friends with the cook,” so said Bill Lewis's dad.
“Don't shake the tree too hard, you never know what might fall out,” offered by Timothy Davis's dad.
“A closed mouth gathers no feet,” from John Beard Jr's dad.
“If you're afraid to go too far, you will never go far enough,” by Kasey Warner's dad.
“If this is the worst thing that happens to you in life, don't worry about it,” says John Taylor's dad.
“Never be so broke that you cannot afford to pay attention,” from Michael Brose's dad.
“You live to work, you work to live, but if you work to work I hope you don't live by me,” from the sayings of Cole Thurman's dad.
“Successful people make a habit of doing things that failures don't like to do,” stated by Charles H. Deal, Jr's dad.

“Don't be foolish just because you know how to,” said Maynard Alfstad's dad.
“Peer pressure is a crack in the armor of your own conviction,” from Peter W. Troy's dad.
The final one to catch my eye is in the form of a question, “Do you know what happened when I found out all the answers? They changed all the questions,” so said Carmella Leone's dad.
Fathers down through history, whether Aesop or Benjamin Franklin, have often had the ability of aphorism. In Holy Scripture, it is no small observation that God the Father speaks in proverbs. The Book of Proverbs begins, “Hear my son, your father’s wisdom” (Proverbs 1:8). Indeed the entire book is a series of wisdom sayings from the fathers of Israel summarizing The Father of Israel, God. In fact, it could be said that all of Scripture is written in a sort of aphoristic, short, insightful to the point style. This explains why the Bible says so much with relatively few words.

And so it was when Jesus Christ came to earth, He taught with an aphoristic style. For example, today the Gospel reading for Trinity 2 is the parable about a Great Supper to which a man, presumably a father, invited many guests. They all gave excuses. So the father simply ordered his servant to go out and compel others to come until the banquet hall is filled. The parable concludes, “None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper” (Luke 16:24). At one level, the parable teaches us about the peril of excuses. One has observed, “An excuse is a poor patch for the garment of failure.” At another more important, intended level, the parable is about the plight of Israel in Jesus’ day. They were invited but the Lord was telling them that He would bring others, Gentiles, if they did not come.

Wisdom comes from God the Father. The end of all insight is Jesus Christ. He embodied the mind of God for He was of the same substance as the Father. He was and is indeed God Almighty. He left us with the most profound wisdom ever uttered from human lips. The aphorism of God transcends all time. It is truth because truth never changes. It is always relevant. The ultimate truth and wisdom, however, is redemptive. It is not simply cute. It saves our souls. And thus on this Father’s Day, let us be reminded of the ultimate wisdom of the world: “So God loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Amen.”