God of Fun – 3 – Father’s Day: Who Stole the Fun From Our Families?

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Happy Father’s Day

Honor dads – grandfathers – father figures – spiritual fathers – men who invested

Father’s Day can bring different emotions:
gratitude – complicated – grief – encouragement – heaviness

Not a message to shame dads

This is an invitation

Jesus didn’t come to shame us

Jesus came to bring life – restore joy – bring us back to the Father

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Week 1: God is not the enemy of joy – He is the inventor of it

God created joy

Week 2: God gave us a real life full of real joy – Don’t settle for a digital substitute

Screens – distraction – attention – presence

Today – bring it close to home

My House Can Be Full… and Still Miss Joy

Start honest from my own house

There are days my house is full – but it doesn’t feel full of joy

Full of people – noise – schedules – laundry – dishes

“Where are your shoes?”

“Did you do your homework?”

“We are late.”

“What are we eating?”

“Why is this room still a disaster?”

Sometimes I realize – I’m doing more correcting than connecting

Nobody in my house wakes up: “Let’s drain the joy out of this place today.”

It leaks out

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I don’t think my house is the only house that feels this

We know what it’s like – together but not connected

Same room – still far apart

Somebody stressed – annoyed – tired

Somebody keeping everything running

Somebody correcting everybody

Somebody avoiding everybody

House functioning – not always flourishing

Schedule works – soul of family feels thin

Bills paid – chores assigned – calendar full – meals happening

But where did joy go?

Where did laughter go?

Where did fun go?

Not just family issue
Not just too busy…
Not just struggling with the schedule…
Joy is a spiritual issue
(Galatians 5:22, Nehemiah 8:10, Romans 14:17)

God did not create family to be joyless

God did not create home to be only chores – stress – correction – survival

God created joy and gives it.

So where is it?!

Our message today…

WHO STOLE THE FUN FROM OUR FAMILY?

That is the question today.

But I do not want us to ask that question so we can blame somebody.

Not dad.

Not mom.

Not the kids.

Not the schedule.

Not the phones.

Not the stress.

The goal is not to find someone to blame.

The goal is to find the One who can bring joy back.

Because if joy is spiritual, then we don’t just need better schedules.
We need Jesus.

So let’s take this question to Jesus.

How Jesus Brings Joy Back to the House

1. Families Can Run Out of Joy

John 2 – Jesus is at a party – wedding at Cana

John 2:1-2 NIV
“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.”

Jesus invited to wedding

Not allergic to celebration – Not hiding from joy

Jesus present at celebration

Wedding = family – friends – food – music – laughter – joy

John 2:3 NIV
“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’”

Wine ran out

Celebration running dry

Joy leaking out

Party ending early

Family embarrassed

Mary brings need to Jesus: They have no more wine

Simple prayer – no over-explaining

Maybe our prayer today:

Jesus, we are running dry

Our family is running dry

My soul is running dry

I’ve been trying keep everything going – but I’m running out

Families can run out of joy

A home can still have love and run low on joy.

We run dry when we stop enjoying the people we love.

We run dry, not because we stopped loving each other, but because we stopped enjoying each other.

We got so busy managing people – stopped enjoying people

Focused correcting behavior – forgot connecting hearts

Tired from providing – forgot presence

Used to surviving – forgot Jesus came to give a complete joy

2. Jesus Brings Joy Back to the House

Mary: They have no more wine

Jesus responds

John 2:6-9 NIV
“Nearby stood six stone water jars… Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim… and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.”

Jesus turns water into wine

Steps into celebration running dry – brings joy back

Not just little joy

Not barely enough

Abundance – six stone jars – twenty/thirty gallons each

Overflowing joy – more-than-enough joy

John 2:10 NIV
“Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine… but you have saved the best till now.”

Jesus didn’t just restore party

Jesus made it better

Jesus can step into the home we already have and make it better.

Maybe we don’t need: new house – new family – new spouse – new kids – perfect schedule

We need Jesus to step into home we already have AND MAKE IT BETTER!!

Same truth in Luke 15.

A son comes home expecting shame.
But the father brings compassion, restoration, and celebration.

Luke 15:20 NIV
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

Father was looking – watching – hoping – loving

Not shame first

Not lecture first

Not “I told you so” first

Compassion first – embrace first – love first

Luke 15:22-24 NIV
“Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet… Let’s have a feast and celebrate… So they began to celebrate.”

Robe restores honor

Ring restores identity

Sandals say: Not servant – son

Father brings joy back into the house

Bring Joy Back to the House

Dads hear this on Father’s Day!

Provision – matters  

Protect – yes  

Lead – yes  

Correct – yes

But don’t forget joy

Food on table  

Still hungry for joy

Rules in house  

Still missing grace

Structure in home  

Still missing laughter

Luke 15 father:

Not just order  – Joy

Not: “Get back to work”

But: “Let’s celebrate”

What if we were all joy-bringers?

3. Joy Helps Us Endure What Love Requires

Joy does not mean life is easy and carefree.
Life requires endurance.
Love requires endurance.

Hebrews 12:2 NIV
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross…”

For joy set before Him – Jesus endured cross

Not because it was easy

Cross painful – shameful – costly – real suffering

Jesus endured because He could see joy on other side

Forgiveness on other side

Resurrection on other side

Sons and daughters coming home to Father

Prodigals restored

Shame washed away

Death defeated

He saw us

The joy set before Jesus was a family brought back to the Father.

Joy does not mean no pain

Joy does not mean no responsibility

Joy does not mean no sacrifice

Joy does not mean no cross

Joy means hard thing is not end of story

Joy does not remove the cross. Joy carries us through it.

Dads know this

Things you endure because you love family

Work – pressure – bills – hard conversations – worry

Mom – grandparents – single parents – married people – caregivers – followers of Jesus know this

Love requires endurance

We don’t endure as hopeless people

We endure for joy set before us

We endure because joy is on the other side of faithfulness.

Better question: What joy has God set before me?

Restored marriage – healed family – child seeing faith lived out

Home with more grace than criticism

Can you see the joy set before you?

Communion Together

Communion is serious

Remember cross – body – blood

Cross real – suffering real – sacrifice real

But Hebrews says Jesus endured it for joy set before Him

Cross was not end of joy

Cross opened door to joy

Body broken – body raised

Blood poured out – sins washed away

Savior died – walked out of grave

Communion is resurrection joy

Sin doesn’t get last word

Death doesn’t get last word

Shame doesn’t get last word

Jesus gets last word – His word is life

Today respond differently

Instead of inviting everyone forward for prayer…

Today we invite family and friends to join us in communion

Bread reminds us – His body given

Cup reminds us – His blood poured out

Dads – meaningful Father’s Day moment

You can help your family remember Jesus

But not only dads

Families – friends – whole church family

Gather with people near you

Church – make room for each other

If someone near you is by themselves – invite them in

No one should feel uninvited at the Lord’s table

Someone in group can guide moment

No sermon needed

Use questions on screen

-What does the bread remind us of?
(Jesus gave His body for us.)

-What does the cup remind us of? 
(Jesus poured out His blood to forgive our sins.)

-What joy did Jesus make possible for us?
(We are brought back to the Father.)

Take a moment to pray Blessing over one another.

2 Next Steps

#1 Start a Conversation

What is your next step? – connection card

#2 Bring Joy Home

Do not leave joy as sermon idea

Bring it home

Bring Jesus back to center of table

Bring joy back to conversations