Mother’s Day
Let us pray: Dear Savior, thank You for the gift of Christian mothers! You know what a blessing they are since You had one. Mother’s impart a huge slice of their very essence to us and exhibit love in action every day. Without them we would be emotionally diminished if not destitute. So, today we thank You for such blessed women and ask Your continued grace to shine upon each of them. Amen
GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, THE GIVER OF GRACE!
TEXT: Genesis 2: 18: “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Dearly Beloved Children of God:
I don’t like the term: social distancing. I know it’s hip and modern, but let’s call it what it is: avoiding people. I also don’t like the whole concept of such avoidance because it seems to run contrary to Scripture and our text. God created Eve for Adam to interact with. Part of interaction is being close, touching, speaking with and sharing life together. But, here we are.
There is something about actually touching another human being which is comforting. Our life energy is transferred to another through touch. Some of you know that in times of stress, holding hands in prayer is a huge blessing. You can feel each other’s vibrancy pass between you. And, the vibrancy of a mother’s touch at such times is beyond all others. It transfers love and compassion like no other. Think of Jesus on the cross when He transferred care for His mother, Mary, to the Apostle John. Christ could not touch her physically at that time. His hands were nailed to the cross. But He did transfer the love in His heart to her via His words of tenderness. What a beautiful picture of the essence of Mother’s Day!
I suppose there are 3 interrelated words that define Christian mothers. They are: Love, Forgiveness, and Self-sacrifice. So, let’s explore them.
Every human being has a mother. The bond with mothers is extremely intimate. They carry you in their womb for about 9 months. They share all their emotions with you. They impart an aspect of their soul and spirit to you, along with the obvious physical characteristics. Once you come out of the womb, it continues on—especially with Christian mothers who respect this blessed gift from God. They realize that you are not a blank slate. No, the proverbial “blank slate” has already been programmed and written on in the womb, but they know there is room for more! So they work hard at keeping you safe and imparting to you moral values, good judgment, and from all this springs kindness, compassion, and a purpose in life. And this never ends, even after they depart this world. Their Christian essence continues to affect you positively until you someday join them in heaven. This is the nature of their love for their offspring.
All this comes from God. It was etched into Eve’s consciousness and into her sub-conscience, too, and along with it comes: forgiveness. For forgiveness is love in action.
We all know the roadblocks to intimacy and healing that sin creates. That’s because we’re all human and humans are sinners from birth, sinners from the time their mother’s conceived them, as the Psalm says. We all can remember getting into trouble and doing something that hurt mom. Nothing is more painful than letting your mother down. Nothing is more memorable than causing her to cry over you and because of you. And nothing is sweeter than hearing her say: “I forgive you” when nobody else will! That kind of selfless love in action comes from one Source and one alone. It stems from Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Who is the source of such grace-filled forgiveness. It, along with a gentle word and a healing touch, calms our fears and steadies our soul. Yes, we need Christian mothers and are always blest through them. Thanks be to God!
Such moms also convey to us a spirit of self-sacrifice. As long as our mother’s live, and even after they enter glory, their lessons of self-sacrifice remain. Again, thanks be to God! For without such lessons, life would be very desolate. Think of all those times you saw your mother neglecting her own wants and needs to benefit you. Think of those times when she got up in the night to check on you, to stroke you when you were upset or fearful. All the meals prepared, all the clothes washed, all the chauffeuring you around, all the long days at work to help provide for you. Moms sacrifice for their children and are usually the primary care-givers. Christian mothers do this out of love for Christ because they know Christ gave you to them. And it has made your life and mine a whole lot more palatable, hasn’t it?
In this Christian mothers are Christ-like. They are always there when you’re hurting. They never (knowingly) give bad advice. And they are the family “rocks” who we can always rely on. This is what God created Eve for—along with all her female progeny. So, today we take time to honor Christian mothers. Without them we’re humanly lost. Our wise God certainly knew what He was doing when He made them just for us. Amen
THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH….
Pastor Thomas H. Fox