The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-02-13
Worlds Sunday Sermon

ing and Kind but absolutely Just
their children rcsnsCt and love them.
III you are father what sort of
father are youi what impression
Of Gods fathcrhood do your chill
dren get from YOU The loving
father always wins the love of his
children ana by the term loving do
not mean the easy-going. indulgcnt
parent. | mean the father who
loves his children so much that IA"
VIII say no to them very often. who
VIII refuse them what il useless or
harmful, who will require obedience
from them knowing that disobcdi-
once in childhood is the beginning
OF the ruin of character and principle
in manhood. such father child
respects ana loves and turns to in
stinctively In times Of trouble From
the strength Of his love and his
power there comes an assurance to
the child's heart.
Henry Ward Bcecher tells OF his
own experience In childhood:
II well remember he said, "be-
ing walked up, one dreamy moonlit
night, by tho whippourwill Its wild.
strange song fluted through the air
and | was seized with | know not
what inspiration. My soul cNhalcd
ana | quivercd with a kind Of pleas
ant terror | would fain have called
out, but that did not dare to hear
my avn voice in the silence. The
light OF the moon, streaming
through the window and filling the
room brought tears, hilf of pleas
ure and half of terror, which ran
down my checks. Presently heard
my fathers Hem" In the adjoining
room--and then il was all peace; lust
that simple inarticulatu sound. tina.
brought quick through my fancy IA
sense OF my fathers presence dis
sipatcd all terror was myself
again in an instant. It is the same
assurance that the fatherhood OF
God brings. The believing loving
heart knows that no harm is go.
ing To come To him because cod is
his father and he know what is best
FOR him God Is our father and he
is taking care OF His children.
What man Is ther OF you whom II
his son ask bread, will give him a
stone, or If he ask "A fish, will he
give him a scrpent2 II ye then be-
ing evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children. how much more
shall your Father which is in heav-
en- give good things to them that ask
him?' Because our Lord taught us
and claim our sonship to God. There
Is to be'no cringing fear in our pray
eys, only the deepest reverence and
affection. We have an inalienable
right to come to God because God
has made us as His children: He
has brought us into this world by
his own viii. He is our Kin and in
token OF that kinship he sent his
only begottcn Son into the world to
die for our sins. We have the as.
surance OF Gods love and his for
givencss II we only love him as his
children.
There is an ancient story Of
father who had two sons. The
younger one was filled with the spir-
it of adventure, he wanted to seek
his own fortune. He had lived at
home alhhis life and he got the de-
sire now to see something OF the
world, and Az this boy--only a lad
OF Is or 16 years of age comes
one day to his father and asked him
to give him his part of the family
fortune now, SO his father gave
him his half and the boy set out
upon journey to n distant coun-
try. There he got in with bad com
panions, with the wrong gang and
he went from bad to worse. He
spent all the money he had in riot
Gus living and when he had no more
his friends deserted him. They
were the kind who like one only as
long as he has money. so the boy
had TO find job somewhere and
he hired out to a farmer to feed
swine. Finally he came TO himself
and decided to go back home and
To say to his father; Father ! did
wrong In leaving you as I did.
am not worthy to be called your
son; just give me "A job and let me
be one of your hired men. And so
he set out for home. But when he
was yet great way off his father
who had been anxiously watching
for him saw him coming and he ran
out to meet him and put his arms
about him and kissed. 80 my boy,
my boy" he cried "how / have
missed you. how | have longed for
YOU. Come in to the house and
take off these dirty rags you have
on and put on new garments and
we will have a big dinner for you
because you have come back home
| thought my son was dead but ho
is alive, ! thought he was lost but
he has been found"