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“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

So says Psalm 103:13-18.

In the yard at The Firs is a large Azalea bush. This time of year, its blossoms are bright and beautiful. Their pinkish red colour magnificently stands out against the smooth green leaves. They are stunning.

And yet, these blossoms last but a week or so. They soon shrivel and fall to the ground. There, they decay.

In Psalm 103, our lives are compared with the flowers of the field. For a time, we flourish. But then, we are gone. It’s a sobering thought. Our earthly lives are finite.

How wonderful it is, then, that the Lord’s father-like compassion and faithful love are from everlasting to everlasting. They never fade. They never shrivel. They never fall. They never decay. “The Lord’s love is with those who fear him…” verse 17 says.

This Sunday is Father’s Day. For many of us, our fathers are (or were) examples of kindness, determination, strength, grace, fun, and love. For some, fatherhood stirs up feelings of pain, hurt, severity, and neglect. My own father was the kind of father I can be thankful for, but I have dear friends and family whose fathers were the opposite. So I understand a little of the pain of broken fatherhood.

As we come to Father’s Day, as we see fading spring flowers and fallen blossoms, let us lift our eyes to the One Good Father, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. His compassion never fails. His faithfulness never ceases. His love is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the Father we need. He is the Father who helps those of us who are fathers to be good fathers. He is the Father who is ready to welcome us, his believing children, into his eternal Kingdom through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Flowers wither. Blossoms decay. God’s Father-heart of love for you will remain – forever.

視頻大意翻譯(video Chinese translation):

大家早。

詩篇103:13-18 說:

“父親怎樣憐恤他的兒女、耶和華也怎樣憐恤敬畏他的人。因為他知道我們的本體、思念我們不過是塵土。至於世人、他的年日如草一樣．他發旺如野地的花。經風一吹、便歸無有．他的原處、也不再認識他。但耶和華的慈愛、歸於敬畏他的人、從亙古到永遠．他的公義、也歸於子子孫孫．就是那些遵守他的約、記念他的訓詞而遵行的人。”

在我的院子裡有個杜鵑花樹叢。每年這時候花朵盛開，鮮豔和美麗。它們粉紅的花色，在光滑的綠葉襯托下格外醒目。無論是白天任何時間或任何天氣，它們都令人驚歎。然而，這些花朵只能維持一周左右。很快地就枯萎並凋謝掉在地上。在那裡，它們腐爛，它們的顏色變成了暗淡的深棕色。

在詩篇103篇中，我們的生命被比作田野裡的花朵。在一段時間內，我們蓬勃盛開。然後，我們就消失了。這是個發人深省的想法，不是嗎？我們塵世的生命是有限的。然而，主，父般的憐悯和信實的愛從亙古到永遠，這是多麼奇妙啊。它們永不褪色，永不枯萎，永遠不會凋謝，永遠不會腐爛。“但耶和華的慈愛、歸於敬畏他的人......” 第17節說。

這星期天是父親節。父親節喚起了一連串情感。對於我們當中許多人來說，我們的父親是（或曾經是）善良、決心、力量、優雅、樂趣和愛的榜樣。對一些人來說，父親會激起痛苦、傷害、嚴厲和忽視的感覺。我很感恩我的父親是我可以感謝的那種父親。但我有親愛的朋友和家人，他們的父親正好相反，因此我能理解一些破碎父親的痛苦。

當我們來到父親節時，當我們看到枯萎、凋謝和腐爛的春天花朵時，我請你和我一起，抬起我們的眼睛，仰望獨一的好父親，我們主和救主耶穌基督。他的憐憫永不失敗。他的信實從未停止。他的愛是永恆，直到永遠的。他是你現在需要的父親，是你從未有過的父親，是你一直渴望的父親，是能幫助我們這些父親成為好爸爸的父親，他已經準備好歡迎我們，他就是所有相信他的孩子，透過他的兒子耶穌基督進入他永恆的王國的父親。

花兒會凋謝，花朵會腐爛。父神愛你的心將永遠存在。

讓我們禱告.

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum