" M.O.T.H.E.R."
Reading : Acts 9:36-43, Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 23, John 10:22-30
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church on May 14, 2023
PART ONE
(Need: a bag, a map, an orange, a thermometer, and a house)
There once was a young minister in a Presbyterian Church who heard that the retired moderator of the General Assembly was coming to visit his congregation on a Sunday that just happened to be Mother’s Day. Anxious as he was to make a good impression, he began his sermon with the words.
“Friends in the congregation, I have to tell you something. I need you to know that I have spent the best years of my life in the arms of another man’s wife.” There was a brief startled pause until he clarified the situation by telling them “My mother”.
The next week, the elderly moderator was preaching at a nearby congregation. “Dearly beloved”, he began “I want you to know that I have spent the best years of my life in the arms of another man’s wife” There was again a pause… after which he said, “And to tell you the truth, right now, I can’t remember who it was!”
All of which is a timely reminder - never forget your mother!
I have bought some things along today to remind me about Mother’s Day and the sorts of things mothers often do. When we put them all together, they’ll make the word “Mother”.
M = My first thing begins with the letter M and it’s a map. This map reminds me that moms take you places. To school, to a friends house, out to the shops, even to church. Now you may not always want to go where moms going, but she’ll still take you with her. A map reminds us that moms spend a lot of time taking us places.
But a map does more than that. It guides us in the right direction. That’s another thing that mothers try to do for their children. .Guide them in the right way to go and teach them the right way to live their lives.
O = Orange = 2nd letter of Mother. How many will expect mother to have dinner ready when they get home from school? And what about breakfast when you get up? An Orange reminds us that it often falls on a moms shoulders to see the family are fed. A mother nourishes a family. So don’t forget to say thank you and I’m sure help with washing up or cooking is appreciated whenever you offer it!
T = Thermometer = 3rd letter in Mother.
If you’re sick it’s often mom who looks after you. She takes care of us and helps us to get well. A thermometer reminds us of the moms who look after us when we are down and help us get better again.
H = House = 4th letter in Mother.
When I lived at home, it usually fell on moms’ shoulders to keep the place tidy. I must confess, I didn’t always help the process much .Mother spent all day getting the place clean and I’d come home with my shoes all dirty. “Don’t you walk on that carpet with your muddy shoes!” Do things like that ever happen in your house?
Reminds me of the joke about the dad who looked out of the window and saw his son climbing on the roof. In panic he shouted out “If you fall off that roof and break both your legs don’t run crying to me!”
It’s not the roof, it’s the house that we’re thinking of, and I’ve bought my little house to remind us that it’s usually left up to moms to keep the house tidy.
My bags empty. But I’m not suggesting E for ‘empty’. The last two things are things which you have brought with you. I’ll give you a clue about the first one. They (and there are 2 of them) begin with the fifth letter of Mother and are hanging on your head. Without them you wouldn’t hear a word.
E = Ears. Moms are usually people we expect to listen to us. We tell them our problems and share our good times too. If they’re not too busy doing all the other thing they have to do they are ready with a listening ear. Ready to hear us and help us.
R = For our final letter, which is R, I want to go back to our bible reading from Genesis 2, about the Garden of Eden. And I want us to think about verses 21 & 22.
“Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, He took out one of the mans ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him”
Do you know where your rib is? It’s a bone right near your heart. (Feel it). Near to your heart and close to your side. The Bible tells us that Eve was not only the first wife, but she was also the first mother. We celebrate Mother’s Day to remind us that mum is someone to be close by our side and close to our hearts.
M = Map = Someone who shows us the way.
O = Orange = Someone who feeds us
T = Thermometer = Someone who looks after us
H = House = Someone who makes our home special
E = Ear = Someone ready to listen to us.
R = Rib = Someone close to our side and near to our hearts.
Of course in some households it may be Dad, or somebody else, who does a lot of the things that I've mentioned. But as today is Mother's Day, I'm using Mom as a way of speaking about the importance of things that all parent's and guardians try to do for us.
One of the beautiful things about a good parent is that the way they treat us can remind us of the care that God has over our lives. God is like a Good shepherd. And a Good shepherd is like a good parent!
God has given us the words of the Bible to guide us, God nourishes our spiritual lives through the Holy Spirit, lifts us up when we fall, makes us feel at home, is always ready to listen to us and is close by our side to bless our lives.
Somebody has said that God gave us mothers to teach us how to love. So let us thank God for our moms.
One thing is for sure.
We couldn’t be here without them!
Because like all of you, I was born at an early age…
And although I don’t remember it… I know for certain that my mother was there.
PART TWO
Jesus seeks to have His disciples obey His teaching, not by coercion or bribery, but through love. In a similar way, often we honor those we love by living in a way that we know would be pleasing to them. We don’t want to hurt their feelings or have them be disappointed in us. Love is a powerful motivator.
Which ever side of the equation you are, the relationship between parent and child can be a tricky one. The child is seeking to discover who they are, what the boundaries may be, what makes them unique. The parents are dealing with their own issues. None of us ever quite quit their journey of self discovery.
And even though as we get older there comes a time when we lose our parents to God’s nearer presence, it’s one of the great blessings God has given us that somehow they are always with us. We still hear their words. We are still carried on their prayers. We still heed their advice. And we even try to pass it on to others.
Prayer for Mothers and Fathers
Everyone needs a champion, someone who will be in your corner, always,
someone watching your back, someone watching you, treasuring you,
keeping you in their heart.
Parents are nature’s champions, biologically led to love and nurture,
feed and foster, support and sustain. They can’t keep their eyes off you.
From Adam and Eve on, parents creating babies,
caring for their offspring, all part of God’s plan for fruitfulness,
the multiplication of love from generation to generation.
And this is a true story, a story for many happy people,
dearly beloved by happy parents.
Other true stories need telling;
parents who champion themselves at the expense of their offspring,
parents who hate themselves and have no room in their hearts for love,
parents who abandon children, or who are forced to abandon children,
parents who die, leaving orphans.
Who will care for the motherless, who will cherish the fatherless, who will champion the neglected?
God our Father, Life-giver, You cannot forget the child you created,
God our Mother, Life-sustainer, You cannot forget the child you nurse.
God our Parent, our Protector, You are an ever present help in times of trouble.
You are the champion of the orphan, you seek out the lost and the lonely,
the smallest lamb will not escape your notice.
You carry us in Your arms,
You speak tenderly,
You seek justice for us,
You pronounce judgment on those who hurt us.
You provide a place for us, people who shepherd us and take us into their own flock.
You raise up communities of nurturers, groups of people who will not let a single little one be lost.
Guardian of us all, we give you thanks for mothers, fathers
and all who foster us;
gifts from your tender hands,
our Divine Champion.
We bring to You in prayer all that lies upon our hearts.
Concerns for our world, our nation, our families, our friends ourselves.
Knowing that You hear us and You will supply all we need, we join in the prayer You taught Your disciples, praying;
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory for ever. AMEN.
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