MAY 21, 2022

‍I think back on my father, Ferd B. Park, who was a high quality  preacherman/pastor  to the core, with all that entails, for more than four decades.  I do that of course on this day that is sentimentally and traditionally dedicated to recognizing our fathers, but I also do it every time I see his face in photos around the house, and now to some degree even when looking in the mirror, or just bumping into a memory that’s sparked by something happening in my daily activities. He was an honorable, good-hearted, good natured, hard-working, positive role model who lived among us both in spirit and the flesh, led, and ‘put up’ with us, setting us on what would be a straight, challenging, fulfilling, and noble course in life.

I am deeply appreciative for all my father gave to my siblings and me. I see and feel him in myself now when I go about my day and night. I remember how integral he was to a marriage and our family, and for that matter, to the community… wherever he was hanging his hat at the time.  I miss him a lot and am so grateful for the time we had together; I only wish it had been more. We always tried to make each other proud and happy, succeeding more often than not I’d say, which gives me some satisfaction now that he is gone and when I’m in some final chapters in my own life.

A prayer offered on Father’s Day by my brother, Rev. Eric Park —

A prayer on the eve of Father’s Day:

Always-parenting God, we cry out to you with a fervently prayerful heart on behalf of our fathers.

Where fathers have blessed us with their faithfulness, integrity, and love, deepen our gratitude.

Where fathers have wounded, mistreated, abused, or abandoned us, further our healing and deliverance.

Where children and fathers are alienated from one another, strengthen either their reconciliation or their acceptance of necessary distance.

Where good men have never been called to be fathers or have never been given the opportunity to raise children, expand the fatherly role they play in the lives of many.

Where fathers are grieving over the death of their children and children over the death of their fathers, intensify their awareness of your weeping heart and redeeming presence.

Where fathers and children are struggling in relationships that feel broken, depleted, or dysfunctional, increase their comfort and encouragement.

Where fathers are committed to loving their children wildly and raising them in a spirit of vulnerability, devotion, strength, and gentleness, amplify the joy and purpose they find in fatherhood.

This Father’s Day, engage us in a more dynamic communion with your holy presence, where fatherhood always finds its origin, its meaning, and its redemption. We pray this in the name of Jesus, whose perfect relationship with the Father is the source of our deepest hope.

Amen.