I WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL THE LADIES …
I WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL THE LADIES WHO ARE MOMS IN HERE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.HERE IS A LITTLE REFLECTION I WOULD LIKE …
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This is the sermon I delivered on Mother's Day at my church:
Today we celebrate Mothers Day (The first way we can show love to a special mom today is...SHOW HER HONOR. The Fifth Commandment is different from the rest of the Ten Commandments. The call to honor one’s parents is positive. The other nine are negative. “Thou shall not . . .” This is the first one to speak to a non-religious issue. Nor does it speak to the normal kind of ethical and moral matters that the following five address. It is a bridge commandment. The ones before deal with divine obligations, the ones after with social obligations. It is also the first commandment with a promise.
The Fifth Commandment is important for all of those reasons and more. It is at the heart of God’s plan for man. It is about family relationships. Those relationships are the keystone of our social and spiritual wellbeing. We can all benefit from a greater appreciation of this commandment.
The fifth commandment calls for all children of all ages to honor their parents. Why? What are the reasons for bestowing honor on our mothers and fathers? Several come to mind. I will summarize them with three. Since this is Mother’s Day, we will concentrate on mom’s part of the equation. In many ways the same principles apply to dads. We honor our moms because:
She deserves to receive honor. The words are very simple: "Honor your father and your mother." The key word is "honor”. The basic sense is "to treat someone with respect because they carry a heavy weight of authority. Sometimes we speak of certain dignitaries as being "heavyweights." The commandment calls for treating our parents as VIPs because they deserve it. To "honor" means to treat with dignity, respect and deference.
Sometimes moms don’t get the honor and respect they deserve. Their role and responsibilities go under appreciated. In a world that tends to measure everything in terms of finances and position we can miss the vital contributions a mother makes. For the many that work outside the home and care for a family, too often we act like the real job is the one that brings home a paycheck. A world that thinks that way has messed up priorities.
Some unknown mom sought to correct some of this distorted thinking with the following observations: Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve had a baby. Somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, normal is history. Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct. Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping. Somebody said being a mother is boring. Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.
Somebody said if you’re a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good." Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee. Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices .Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor’s kitchen window. Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother. Somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.
Somebody said you can’t love the fifth child as much as you love the first. Somebody doesn’t have more than one child. Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books. Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose. Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery. Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. Somebody never organized seven giggling Girl Scouts to sell cookies. Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married. Somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings. Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home. Somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell her. Somebody isn’t a mother.
Moms, we honor you today. We honor your hard work, your unconditional love, your sacrifice, and your undying devotion to your young. Moms of all ages we salute you. Moms with little ones, we know how hard you work. Moms with school age kids we know your devotion and unending concern for your young. You want so much for them to get off to a good start. Moms of teenagers, we know your worries and hopes. Moms and grandmas with grown kids, we know your love, concern, and devotion never ends. We salute you. We honor you because you deserve it.
We honor moms because they deserve it. The 2nd thing we need to do is Spend TIME with them.
Mothers, biological & spiritual, have poured themselves into us.
They have changed our diapers, washed thousands of bottles & loads of cloths, taught as about a God who sent His Son to die for us. A half dozen trips to the E.R., a million trips to the ballfield, parades, scouts and dance lessons. They spent time with us!
The temptation in young and middle adulthood is to get busy in life and we take our parents for granted.
*Scripture instructs to give our mothers HONOR through TIME.
I’m suggesting you move back home.(just kidding) (Eph. 5:31 actually tells us to leave home.)
*I’m suggesting you call home, visit home, email, check on their needs. There are lots of gifts you can give this mother day’s, the greatest gift however is your time.
Mother Teresa said, "There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more who are dying for a little love."
Some of those are mothers. You can spend money and resources on mom, but don’t forget to give her your time. On the lighter side, did you hear about the three sons who left home, went out on their own and prospered? Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.
The first said, "I built a big house for our mother." The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver." The third smiled and said, "I’ve got you both beat. You remember how mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can’t see very well. I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took elders in the church 12 years to teach him. He’s one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and parrot recites it."
Soon thereafter, mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton", she wrote, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house." "Gerald", she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!" "Dearest Donald", she wrote to her third son, "You have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious!"
We honor them because we need to give it. If your mom or the mother of your children says she doesn’t want you to make a fuss over her on Mother’s Day, she’s lying. If you believe her, you’re a fool. Even if she does mean it, you still need to do it. Giving honor to whom honor is due says something about you. How you feel and express gratitude exposes your character and heart. If you’re an adult, your kids need to see it even your mother says she doesn’t.
Of course, honor should be about more than a once a year flower and a Hallmark card. The woman who was responsible for launching our Mother’s Day tradition knew that even if others didn’t. American Mother’s Day is the result of one woman’s efforts. Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. Hopefully, our honoring of mothers won’t fall victim to the shallow commercialization. May our words, gifts, and actions flow from a genuine attitude of gratitude, respect, and appreciation. It isn’t about gifts or cards. Those are simply tokens of love and honor. The real honor comes from personal and public words that give our moms and all the ladies who contribute so much to our lives the kind of honor they deserve. We honor our mothers because they deserve it. The third way we can show love to a special mom today is...HEAR HER OUT.
My mother taught me RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet."
My mother taught me LOGIC: From her decisive words, "Because I said so, that’s why."
My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident."
My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about."
My mother taught me about STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished."
My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"
My mother taught me about ENVY: "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have a wonderful Mom like you do!"
Listen to Solomon (The Wisest Man Who Ever Lived) said in Proverbs.
PR 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
PR 6:20 My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
PR 15:20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
Solomon says "Listen to your mother!!!"
Pay attention to what she is saying.
Are moms always right? (No.)
*Mom has your best interest at heart. At least, listen to what she has to say.
The Fifth Commandment is not limited to small children and teenagers. We often read it as if it were. It applies to all ages. Grown
children, no less than growing children, need to honor their mothers and fathers. After all, where do you think our children learn how to honor us? They learn to give honor when they see honor given.
A word of grace—Mother’s Day is not always a pleasant experience for everyone. For those who have only recently lost a mother, this can be one of those tough days. The grief can feel fresh all over again. To you I say, “Our God is a God of comfort. Draw near to him and he will draw near to you.”
Women who have never had children can often feel left out on days like this. There are lots of reasons that couples don’t have children. Sometimes by choice; sometimes not. If you have never had a child of your own, I want to honor and thank you on behalf of all the other people’s children you have loved and helped through the years. This church has been blessed with countless men and women who have poured their lives into the lives of other’s young. If you are one of those, we honor you today.
For some, days like this bring a flood of unhappy memories. Not all children grow up with good recollections of their childhood. Not all moms (and dads) always did the right thing. Some of you probably experience some pretty dark emotions on days like this. If this is your lot, I encourage you too to reach out to the Lord who heals memories and makes forgiveness possible. You don’t have to live alone with those bad memories. The Lord who loves you wants to help carry the burden.
Finally, there is probably no more guilt inducing profession than parenthood. Mothers especially can sometimes carry a pretty heavy load of regret. It may not be that you did (or are doing) a bad job. You just have such high expectations of yourself. That’s not all bad. But guilt is a burden no one needs bear alone. The Lord who made you and loves you and made you a parent knows and understands. He stands ready and willing to bring release from guilt and cleansing from all sin. He is just a prayer away!
Mothers, we honor you! May that honor bring you great joy today and every day!
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What a wonderful, heartfelt, discription of a mother. You must have a wonderful one. Would love to hear you preach sometime. I am praying for your brother in law for a good donor and successful surgery. Have a great week ahead. Grace to you
Grace90
That was a beautiful sermon. I was really touched by the part about women, who have no children, feeling left out. They should be celebrated as well. We all (well, most of us) have the motherly instinct. But, I've thanked many folk who aren't my mother or a mother to anyone else for that very reason. They were a just a good mother figure in my life. Thank God for people like that. I've gained a lot of wisdom from them. God bless you and your ministry. I was really touched by your sermon.
Alady
Thank you for a beautiful read. It was incredibly moving. Hope you had a nice day too!!
happy1day
Wow I feel uplifted lost my Mom and am not a Mom myself. Thx, revbry Luv, Ree
reenee
FANTASTIC!!!!
stevenfarrisohio
oh my goodness that was terrific!!! all of your parish are extremly lucky to have you!
littled2509