JourneyOnline
By Andrew McKaysmith, Writer and Content Creator, Office of the Synod.
The tradition of Father’s Day in Australia can be traced back almost a hundred years and is celebrated this Sunday, September 4.
The Christian faith has a much longer association with the iconography of the Father, as it is present in the Trinity and throughout the Bible.
Struan Robertson, the Synod’s Strategic Risk Manager, was asked to provide some words examining the way in which the role of the church can be compared to the duties of a father or a paternal figure.
Struan, a husband to wife Leigh and father to Ashley, 24, said it was the church’s role, as it is that of a parent, to nurture and provide a safe space for growth.
“The word ‘Father’ has a significant meaning in the context of the church narrative,” he said.
“There’s a lot of responsibility being a father, and one must guide and provide; that’s how I see the link between the duties of a father and the church’s mission.”
When we perform the sign of the cross and recite the Lord’s Prayer, we acknowledge the Heavenly Father in our lives.
Struan said parenthood carried broad responsibility, as does the church, which has a duty of care to offer a pathway to Our Father.
“The church has an obligation to educate and a commitment to help develop a bond between an individual and God, which can be compared to the bond between a father and child,” he said
“This is how I see the church.”
Celebrating Father’s Day means food, family and fellowship, which is how Struan is planning on celebrating, and he said he was looking forward to his favourite meal.
“We spend it with each other, and this year I am looking forward to a roast dinner, which will be expertly prepared by my wife,” he said.
“Can’t get better than that!”
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!
