Loving God, You have given every man and woman a father that gave them life. No matter our situation, You have made it clear that we must honor our parents. We can honor them by loving them as You, our Heavenly Father, love us. We can lift them up instead of bringing them down. We can be thankful for their contribution to our lives instead of forgetting them. We can also forgive them as we have been forgiven. As the Body of Christ, here on earth, each of us have the opportunity to reflect God’s love to all people. So let’s love those that gave us life and give thanks to those who have nurtured, cared for, and taught us even if we were not their children.  And let’s watch over all of those who have just recently became fathers. Let us, as a community of believers, help strengthen their faith and the faith of those around them in the truth of Jesus Christ. And for the fatherless child, the child that yearns for a father that is not there, we pray that the church will rise up for those that cannot help themselves. And for those who grieve for a father that has left this world, we ask that You keep the memories of love, family and honor ever etched into the minds of their children so that the love of God, that dwells in all of us, will also connect us and bind us together from generation to generation until the end of time. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of life and for the gift of those who raised us. As we honor them, we honor You. To God be the glory.