2. Dads, what’s so great about being a father? What brings you joy, what do you love about it? What has surprised you about being a dad?

3. Moms, what do you think are some of the most important qualities of a good father to your children? What one piece of advice would you give a brand new dad? What is an important lesson you have learned about being a dad?

4. We should not be surprised that the God who designed the family is Himself “the Father.” But the word father raises different emotions and images to different people. In today’s lesson we will learn how God is like, and unlike, our earthy fathers.

5. The Perfect Father John 17:1-26 family theme: God is the Father family theme: God is the Father

6. Know: God is the perfect Father, revealed through His relationships with His Son Jesus and with us, His believing children. Think: Grasp that through faith in Jesus Christ, we are children of the perfect Father, the God of the universe. Objectives:

7. Do: Live in close relationship with God the Father, loving and obeying Him, and inviting others to become His children through faith in Christ. Objectives:

8. God Is the Ideal Father Romans 8:15-17

9. Our heavenly Father is a personal, spiritual being and desires to have a relationship with us as His children.

10. God Is the Ideal Father The very fact that God existed as the Father before the world was ever created suggests that His Fatherhood is part of His very nature as God.

11. Our heavenly Father created the universe and everything in it and made us in His image.

12. God offers salvation and forgiveness through faith in His Son Jesus. He makes us part of His family.

13. Worship, obey, and enjoy a relationship with God as the ideal Father. What are some of the characteristics you would expect in an ideal father? What are some of the implications for us that God is our perfect Father?

14. The Father and Jesus Illustrate the Ideal Relationship of Father and Son John 17:1-26

15. The Father and Jesus Illustrate the Ideal Relationship of Father and Son Fatherhood is bound up in God’s relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. This relationship involves the love between these two persons, Christ’s submitting to His Father’s will, and Jesus the Son affirming His Father by finishing what God gave Him to do.

16. The relationship between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ provides us with a model of how we should live within our families. In what ways can people reflect the characteristics of our heavenly Father in their parenting? How can we, even as adults, show respect and honor to our parents?

17. We Can Be Part of the Father’s Family Through Faith in His Son Jesus Christ 1 John 3:1-3

18. We Can Be Part of the Father’s Family Through Faith in His Son Jesus Christ Jesus glorifies the Father by bringing those who trust Him into a personal relationship with God. As we continue to love and trust Jesus, we live in both the Father and the Son.

19. We can walk in a close personal relationship with our Father in Heaven. How might we develop and grow in this personal relationship with God? What difference might it make in the way we live if we walk in this close relationship with God, always sensing His presence?

20. What could you do this week to help you walk in a close relationship with God? How will you put this into practice this week?

21. Available for FREE download at D6home.com Home Connection is a simple, downloadable page that gives parents: A weekly Bible passage to READ together as a family Suggestions to help them PRAY together as a family Suggested activities to DO to put their faith in action

22. Home Connection also provides the “take away” from each age level in D6 Curriculum. This way parents know what each family member is experiencing in his or her class. Download your free copy of Home Connection at D6home.com