14 day plan

Reflections for Father's Day

Day 1 of 14

NIV

Song of Songs 2:11-13

11See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

12Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

13The fig tree forms its early fruit;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

my beautiful one, come with me.”

Series Introduction

Over the next 14 days, we will be looking at what the Bible says about fathers and families, and the qualities which make a good father; or indeed, what makes a good parent and follower of Jesus.  The apostle Paul tells others to follow his example. So, as we approach Father’s Day, let’s reflect on the role of fathers in the lives their kids, their families, and their friends.

Reflection:  Seasons of the Soul

Emerging from winter, we look forward to plants revealing that life is stirring once again.

Long winter nights with damp and dark mornings, misty and grey evenings can lower our mood. This is equally true of our spiritual life. We cannot see the hand of God through the fog of our own confusion and uncertainty. The landscape looks drab and offers little by way of hope or encouragement. Our mood sinks and we struggle to sing God’s song in a cold and barren season. Yet, there is always the stirring of God’s Spirit. It may not be evident or obvious. It will demand we seek it and perhaps wait longer than we desire to perceive its initial shoots. Full bloom may well be even further in the future.

In my walk with God, I have learned to live with acute frustration at times, unable to perceive God and his purpose. Yet I continue in the expectation that winter will give way to spring.

Question:  What season of the soul are you in right now?

Prayer:  Lord, deliver me from a spirit of despair. Thank you for spring and the hope of warmer, longer, brighter days. Thank you for the coming of growth and life and birth. We hope in your gift of spring. Amen.

Song of Songs 2:1-17

She

1I am a rose of Sharon,

a lily of the valleys.

He

2Like a lily among thorns

is my darling among the young women.

She

3Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest

is my beloved among the young men.

I delight to sit in his shade,

and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4Let him lead me to the banquet hall,

and let his banner over me be love.

5Strengthen me with raisins,

refresh me with apples,

for I am faint with love.

6His left arm is under my head,

and his right arm embraces me.

7Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you

by the gazelles and by the does of the field:

Do not arouse or awaken love

until it so desires.

8Listen! My beloved!

Look! Here he comes,

leaping across the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Look! There he stands behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattice.

10My beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling,

my beautiful one, come with me.

11See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

12Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

13The fig tree forms its early fruit;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

my beautiful one, come with me.”

He

14My dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the hiding places on the mountainside,

show me your face,

let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely.

15Catch for us the foxes,

the little foxes

that ruin the vineyards,

our vineyards that are in bloom.

She

16My beloved is mine and I am his;

he browses among the lilies.

17Until the day breaks

and the shadows flee,

turn, my beloved,

and be like a gazelle

or like a young stag

on the rugged hills.