[The following is a full manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 8th of May, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Some try to downplay the role of women in the church. Some even feel that the only appropriate role for any woman is as a wife and mother. But our Bible is full of female role models, and it especially stresses the importance of mothers. The most significant is the complete story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who gave birth while still a virgin. And there’s Naomi, probably better remembered as a mother-in-law, but look at the influence she had on Ruth, who went on to play a critical role in the history of Israel.
A mother’s influence cannot be overstated. But it can be understated and if we’re not careful, we might miss the impact. Listen and follow along as I read to you from the Apostle Paul’s 2nd letter to his young protégé Timothy, the opening chapter, verses 1 through 7, from the New Living Translation…
A mother’s influence cannot be overstated. But it can be understated and if we’re not careful, we might miss the impact. Listen and follow along as I read to you from the Apostle Paul’s 2nd letter to his young protégé Timothy, the opening chapter, verses 1 through 7, from the New Living Translation…
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life He has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 I am writing to Timothy, my dear son.
May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
3 Timothy, I thank God for you — the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.
5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
--2 Timothy 1:1-7 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, we celebrate our mothers this day, Mother’s Day, because of all they mean to us, all they do for us. You, Lord God, command us to do more than that, though. You mean for us to honor them each and every day, and for the huge impact they have not only over our lives but over the lives of all others we touch. Help us hear the message You have for us this Mother’s Day, that we might better honor those who always loved us no matter what, just like You always love us. In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
John Killinger wrote the following affirmation to mothers in his book, "Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise":
I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the loving God, who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary.
I believe in the love Mary gave her son, that caused her to follow him in his ministry and stand by his cross as he died.
I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.
I believe that this love, even at its best, is only a shadow of the love of God, a dark reflection of all that we can expect of him, both in this life and the next.
And I believe that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a mother who lets this greater love flow through her to her child, blessing the world with the tenderness of her touch and the tears of her joy.
Killinger provides not only a beautiful sentiment, but he echoes and reinforces the point of Paul’s message, too. There are a couple things I want you to remember about this affirmation of mothers. First is the love of Mary for her son Jesus that led her to follow Him in His ministry. And second is the love of all mothers that flows from them to their children, “blessing the world”. That is what I want to look at: the impact of mothers - not only on their children, but on the world.
A few minutes ago I spoke to the children about how God means for us to honor our mothers and fathers. This is so important to Him that He included it in His Ten Commandments to us. This is how Moses recorded the Fifth Commandment, in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 5, verse 16…
John Killinger wrote the following affirmation to mothers in his book, "Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise":
I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the loving God, who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary.
I believe in the love Mary gave her son, that caused her to follow him in his ministry and stand by his cross as he died.
I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.
I believe that this love, even at its best, is only a shadow of the love of God, a dark reflection of all that we can expect of him, both in this life and the next.
And I believe that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a mother who lets this greater love flow through her to her child, blessing the world with the tenderness of her touch and the tears of her joy.
Killinger provides not only a beautiful sentiment, but he echoes and reinforces the point of Paul’s message, too. There are a couple things I want you to remember about this affirmation of mothers. First is the love of Mary for her son Jesus that led her to follow Him in His ministry. And second is the love of all mothers that flows from them to their children, “blessing the world”. That is what I want to look at: the impact of mothers - not only on their children, but on the world.
A few minutes ago I spoke to the children about how God means for us to honor our mothers and fathers. This is so important to Him that He included it in His Ten Commandments to us. This is how Moses recorded the Fifth Commandment, in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 5, verse 16…
16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you."
--Deuteronomy 5:16 (NKJV)
This is a commandment with a promise. He always gives us a choice to follow His word or not, to obey Him or to ignore Him. Here, if we do as God commands, He will reward us with long life and His great favor.
But getting back to today’s scripture reading from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy, only one verse carries the full weight of the message I felt compelled to share. The first 4 verses show how much Paul cared for and loved his young friend and protégé Timothy. The last two bear evidence of what can result from a mother’s influence on her child.
But the 5th verse, much like the 5th Commandment, gives us insight into God’s magnificent plan for mankind. He gave us mothers for a very good reason.
Paul starts out this 2nd letter to Timothy as he begins all his epistles: by first identifying himself. He is Paul, chosen by God as an apostle of Jesus. We know an apostle is one who is sent and indeed Paul acknowledges that mission, noting that he has been sent out to tell others about the Good News that is Jesus.
Then he prays that God give grace, mercy, and peace to his young friend. Paul assures Timothy that he thanks God for him, remembering him constantly in his prayers.
He tells Timothy how much he wishes they could get together again, recalling the tears the young man shed at their parting, envisioning the joy that will fill him when they are reunited. Sadly, we are not sure if that reunion ever occurred. This was Paul’s last letter, written from prison shortly before his execution. Paul knew his time on earth was near an end, yet he wanted so much to offer encouragement to his young friend, the one he considered as a son.
And then Paul says something to Timothy that I find remarkable, and feel it may easily be missed. “I remember your genuine faith”, he begins. Timothy’s faith in our Lord is genuine, real, not contrived or made up or pumped up to look good to the masses. It’s real. Then he adds what has influenced that faith: “for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice”.
Now faith is a gift we receive from God. We have all been given a measure of faith. Jesus assures us that even a small amount can move mountains. But it’s up to us to form and shape and use that faith the way God meant us to. It’s up to us to make our faith genuine, as Timothy’s.
Fortunately, we can get some help in that task. Paul is pointing out just how great an influence Timothy’s mother, Eunice, had on Timothy. The genuine faith within him first filled his own mother. It may have come from God, but it was nourished and molded by his mother and her tender love.
Timothy’s faith, and how he applied it, was powerfully influenced by his mother’s example. And she herself was influenced in the same way by her own mother, Lois. From mother to daughter, then from daughter to son, a gift from our heavenly Father was shaped and molded and applied. Followers of Christ Jesus all - first Lois, then Eunice, then Timothy. And Timothy, as a leader in the early church and the example Paul used so often, influenced the world.
Remember the part in Killinger’s affirmation I read at the start about Mary following Jesus in His ministry? Killinger also said she stood by His cross as He died. Let me read to you from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, from chapter 19, verses 25 through 27…
In these three verses, John speaks of those who are at the cross of Jesus because of their love for Him. But we need to understand that Mary was more than the mother of Jesus. Being the mother of God is pretty important, but she was also one of His disciples, one of His followers.
She didn’t have to be. She could have still loved her son without becoming all wrapped up in His personal ministry. She chose to follow Him just as the other disciples chose to follow Him.
And indeed she has the same essential characteristics as seen in the other disciples. Consider the fact that Mary, “the mother of Jesus”, like John himself, is not mentioned by name in John’s Gospel. This may be in keeping with her humility, which is a key aspect of discipleship in John’s viewpoint.
Since John, the Beloved Disciple, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, are both examples of true discipleship, we can see a change in their roles with Jesus’ assignment of “here is your son” and “here is your mother”. Jesus is reforming the group that has grown around Him, completing the structure of those who have chosen to follow Him. This new community is now a family, just as we at Pilgrim are a family.
Here at the very end of His mortal life, we see Jesus showing great love and compassion, even as He suffers on the cross. He wants to make sure His mother will be taken care of after He returns to heaven. But I believe the greater, perhaps more urgent, need for Him was to form the body of disciples, His followers, into a loving family, so that they could see to the needs of each other just as a family does.
When Jesus commissioned us to go into the world making disciples, this is what He meant us to do. He wants us to help others come to believe in Him, bringing them into the great and beautiful family of God, all united by our head Jesus Christ!
I know many of you here today have lineages similar to Timothy’s. You enjoyed the blessing of a mother and grandmother and other relatives that had a strong and secure faith in God through Jesus Christ. And that faith is strong in you.
I know you mothers here have passed or are still passing that faith along to your children, just as Lois did to Eunice and Eunice to Timothy. But I can assure you women, those with children and those childless, that there are millions of sons and daughters out there, just waiting to be brought up in the family, just waiting for your faith to be shared with them. And that goes for all you men, too.
All of us have brothers and sisters and sons and daughters that we’ve never met. They’ve yet to come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Or they are struggling with their faith. Whether they know it or not, they need a family to belong to. They need mothering.
Let’s go make some disciples, and bring them into our family. Let’s show them the faith of our mothers. And of our fathers, too. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You gave us Your Son Jesus to offer us salvation and hope. You gave us Your Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us, to be our constant Companion. And You gave us mothers to get us through our formative years, to be the physical arms of Your loving care. You gave us mothers so we could feel and touch and smell and hear and see You. Thank You, Lord.
Hear us now, Father, as we pause a moment in the silence to give You thanks and seek Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, You showed us how to build Your church as You drew Your last breaths on Your cross. We are to make new followers for You, and then we are to bring them into the greater family of God. And as Timothy benefited from the faith shared from his mother and grandmother, we too are to share our faith with others. Please, Lord, help us always do just that, while loving unconditionally. It is in Your glorious name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
But getting back to today’s scripture reading from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy, only one verse carries the full weight of the message I felt compelled to share. The first 4 verses show how much Paul cared for and loved his young friend and protégé Timothy. The last two bear evidence of what can result from a mother’s influence on her child.
But the 5th verse, much like the 5th Commandment, gives us insight into God’s magnificent plan for mankind. He gave us mothers for a very good reason.
Paul starts out this 2nd letter to Timothy as he begins all his epistles: by first identifying himself. He is Paul, chosen by God as an apostle of Jesus. We know an apostle is one who is sent and indeed Paul acknowledges that mission, noting that he has been sent out to tell others about the Good News that is Jesus.
Then he prays that God give grace, mercy, and peace to his young friend. Paul assures Timothy that he thanks God for him, remembering him constantly in his prayers.
He tells Timothy how much he wishes they could get together again, recalling the tears the young man shed at their parting, envisioning the joy that will fill him when they are reunited. Sadly, we are not sure if that reunion ever occurred. This was Paul’s last letter, written from prison shortly before his execution. Paul knew his time on earth was near an end, yet he wanted so much to offer encouragement to his young friend, the one he considered as a son.
And then Paul says something to Timothy that I find remarkable, and feel it may easily be missed. “I remember your genuine faith”, he begins. Timothy’s faith in our Lord is genuine, real, not contrived or made up or pumped up to look good to the masses. It’s real. Then he adds what has influenced that faith: “for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice”.
Now faith is a gift we receive from God. We have all been given a measure of faith. Jesus assures us that even a small amount can move mountains. But it’s up to us to form and shape and use that faith the way God meant us to. It’s up to us to make our faith genuine, as Timothy’s.
Fortunately, we can get some help in that task. Paul is pointing out just how great an influence Timothy’s mother, Eunice, had on Timothy. The genuine faith within him first filled his own mother. It may have come from God, but it was nourished and molded by his mother and her tender love.
Timothy’s faith, and how he applied it, was powerfully influenced by his mother’s example. And she herself was influenced in the same way by her own mother, Lois. From mother to daughter, then from daughter to son, a gift from our heavenly Father was shaped and molded and applied. Followers of Christ Jesus all - first Lois, then Eunice, then Timothy. And Timothy, as a leader in the early church and the example Paul used so often, influenced the world.
Remember the part in Killinger’s affirmation I read at the start about Mary following Jesus in His ministry? Killinger also said she stood by His cross as He died. Let me read to you from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, from chapter 19, verses 25 through 27…
25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother standing there beside the disciple He loved, He said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And He said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.
--John 19:25-27 (NLT)
She didn’t have to be. She could have still loved her son without becoming all wrapped up in His personal ministry. She chose to follow Him just as the other disciples chose to follow Him.
And indeed she has the same essential characteristics as seen in the other disciples. Consider the fact that Mary, “the mother of Jesus”, like John himself, is not mentioned by name in John’s Gospel. This may be in keeping with her humility, which is a key aspect of discipleship in John’s viewpoint.
Since John, the Beloved Disciple, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, are both examples of true discipleship, we can see a change in their roles with Jesus’ assignment of “here is your son” and “here is your mother”. Jesus is reforming the group that has grown around Him, completing the structure of those who have chosen to follow Him. This new community is now a family, just as we at Pilgrim are a family.
Here at the very end of His mortal life, we see Jesus showing great love and compassion, even as He suffers on the cross. He wants to make sure His mother will be taken care of after He returns to heaven. But I believe the greater, perhaps more urgent, need for Him was to form the body of disciples, His followers, into a loving family, so that they could see to the needs of each other just as a family does.
When Jesus commissioned us to go into the world making disciples, this is what He meant us to do. He wants us to help others come to believe in Him, bringing them into the great and beautiful family of God, all united by our head Jesus Christ!
I know many of you here today have lineages similar to Timothy’s. You enjoyed the blessing of a mother and grandmother and other relatives that had a strong and secure faith in God through Jesus Christ. And that faith is strong in you.
I know you mothers here have passed or are still passing that faith along to your children, just as Lois did to Eunice and Eunice to Timothy. But I can assure you women, those with children and those childless, that there are millions of sons and daughters out there, just waiting to be brought up in the family, just waiting for your faith to be shared with them. And that goes for all you men, too.
All of us have brothers and sisters and sons and daughters that we’ve never met. They’ve yet to come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Or they are struggling with their faith. Whether they know it or not, they need a family to belong to. They need mothering.
Let’s go make some disciples, and bring them into our family. Let’s show them the faith of our mothers. And of our fathers, too. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You gave us Your Son Jesus to offer us salvation and hope. You gave us Your Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us, to be our constant Companion. And You gave us mothers to get us through our formative years, to be the physical arms of Your loving care. You gave us mothers so we could feel and touch and smell and hear and see You. Thank You, Lord.
Hear us now, Father, as we pause a moment in the silence to give You thanks and seek Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, You showed us how to build Your church as You drew Your last breaths on Your cross. We are to make new followers for You, and then we are to bring them into the greater family of God. And as Timothy benefited from the faith shared from his mother and grandmother, we too are to share our faith with others. Please, Lord, help us always do just that, while loving unconditionally. It is in Your glorious name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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