Getting StartedMatthew 6: 7-97 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven,Luke 15:2020 So he got up and went to his Father.“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.Romans 8:14-16 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.Galatians 4:5-7 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.Proverbs 3:12 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, As a father the son he delights in.ResourcesBibleArticle: Statistics on Fatherless Children in America: https://www.liveabout.com/fatherless-children-in-a...Video: The Problem of Fatherlessness: Background InformationWhen Jesus taught his disciple to pray starting with the words, “Our Father in heaven…” he was introducing a radical idea. Jewish people did not call God Father. God was the great I am, the holy and mighty God, the God of power, law, and righteousness. The Apostle Paul, later helped to further expound on Jesus' approach to God as Father when he stated that it is by God’s Spirit that we understand God as our “Abba” or Daddy because we have been adopted as sons and daughters into His family. By teaching that God is our Father and specifically a Father who wants us to know He is our Daddy, Jesus and Paul are communicating a new and profound idea about the kind of relationship, God wants with us. Because of what Christ has done for us, we can enter into a personal, intimate, and loving relationship with the God who is both mighty and tender. The Bible says that even God’s discipline is an act of Fatherly love toward us as His children that He delights in. It is truly amazing to think of and relate to God in this way and is unique to the Christian faith. However, too many Christians don’t understand the Father heart of God and His true compassion and love for His children. This can be true in part, because so many people, Christians included, have not grown up with their Father in the home, or perhaps had a difficult or hurtful relationship with him. In addition to the important spiritual influence of good fathers, research shows the tragic impact of father absence, either emotionally or physically, on children, especially boys and young men. Indeed, the absence of fathers and their support and relationship with their children underlies many significant problems in society that you will encounter as a social worker. As you work with others, you will see and hear the echoes of these hurts and losses in a variety of symptoms and conditions in individuals and communities. As you reflect on the Father heart of God this week, consider how He ordained men to reflect his character of both strength and tender love as fathers in the lives of children. How might you as a social worker help to address the father brokenness in families and the lives of children?Prayer:Father, God, thank you for the privilege of calling you, my Father. Even more, for the blessing of calling you Daddy. Thank you for caring for me with tenderness, for delighting in me, and for your love that faithfully disciplines me so that I might receive greater blessing and know you more. Where I am confused, misguided or lack understanding of your true character as my Father, reveal yourself to me. In Jesus name, Amen.InstructionsRead the information and statistics about fatherless children in America in the article: Statistics on Fatherless Children in America.Watch the short video, The Problem of Fatherlessness.Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following questions:After reading the material and watching the video, describe your thoughts and reactions to the impact of Fathers and Fatherlessness on children, culture, and social problems?How have you personally experienced or witnessed the impact of father loss either personally or professionally? What have you learned from this?What barriers do you see in culture to improving the role and importance of fathers?What do you think you can do as a social worker in your future career through work with individuals, families, communities, or policies to increase awareness and address this root issue?In reflecting on the scripture in the introduction for this devotional, what thoughts or experience of God as a good father can you share? How can understanding God as a good Father help those without an earthly one?

Discussion Questions Initial Reactions and Feelings • “Dead Man Walking” is a very powerful film. What feelings and/or reactions did you have while viewing it? • What scenes and images in the film stand out for you? What meanings do these have for you? • How did the film affect you? About the Film • What do you think of Sister Helen’s attempt to minister to both sides - to the murderer and to the families of the murder victims? • What changes did you see taking place in Matthew Poncelot during the film? What brought about these changes? • What new information about the death penalty did you learn from viewing this film? • What new understandings about the experiences and needs of murder victims’ families did you gain from viewing the film? • What new understandings about the experiences and needs of the families of those on death row did you gain from viewing the film? • Sister Helen’s family presents the argument that her community of faith would benefit more if she were to help “honest” people. Do you agree? Howcan serving those on death row or their families benefit your community of faith? About the Issues Raised • How were your own beliefs regarding capital punishment affected by watching this film? • Did you find yourself supporting Matthew Poncelot’s execution, or hoping that his life would be spared? • Early in Matthew’s relationship with Sister Helen, he tells her that he didn’t kill anybody, but ultimately he confesses his real involvement in the crime. If Matthew’s original story to Helen had been true - that he had been present and had participated in the crime by threatening the two young people but had not killed anyone - how would that affect your view of whether he should live or die? • We are not told of alternatives to the death penalty in Louisiana, but if you knew that the alternative punishment was life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, would you support the death penalty for Matthew Poncelot or the alternative? Why? • Do you believe victims’ families should have a role or a voice in determining the sentence in a capital case? Should they have a role in the clemency process? Why or why not? • How does healing come to families grieving the loss of a murdered child? How can faith communities help promote healing? • How does healing occur for the family members of someone convicted of a capital crime, or executed by the state? What is our role in assisting with their healing? • Many death penalty abolitionists believe that capital punishment denies the humanity of the individual and the possibility of rehabilitation. How do you feel about a convicted murderer’s capacity for rehabilitation?