[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Mother's Day, Sunday morning, the 14th of May, 2017. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Mother’s Day – the day set aside each year to honor all our mothers, to remember what they’ve done for us, to pay tribute to their love for us, and our love for them. And those two words – mother and love – just go together hand-in-hand. We can’t think of our mother without thinking of love.
This morning I chose two passages from our Holy Bible that speak of love. They’re from two different books, recorded in two different times, covering two different events or instances. So they usually aren’t read together. But I think you’ll see why they speak so much to us on Mother’s Day.
Listen and follow along, first to an explanation the Apostle Paul gives of love in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 4 through 7 and verse 13, and then to a brief exchange the Apostle John recorded while Jesus hung on the cross, from chapter 19 of John’s Gospel account, verses 25 through 27, and I’ll be reading both from the New Living Translation.…
This morning I chose two passages from our Holy Bible that speak of love. They’re from two different books, recorded in two different times, covering two different events or instances. So they usually aren’t read together. But I think you’ll see why they speak so much to us on Mother’s Day.
Listen and follow along, first to an explanation the Apostle Paul gives of love in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 4 through 7 and verse 13, and then to a brief exchange the Apostle John recorded while Jesus hung on the cross, from chapter 19 of John’s Gospel account, verses 25 through 27, and I’ll be reading both from the New Living Translation.…
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
13 Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.
--1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13 (NLT)
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)
Let us pray… Father God, in Your holy word, You tell us how to love, who to love, and why to love. But sometimes we still fail to carry out Your command to love one another. Speak to us now, Father, through Your Holy Spirit directly into our hearts, that we might receive, understand, and obey Your message this morning. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
A mother was shopping at a mall with her three-year-old daughter, who was growing weary of the outing. To renew her interest in shopping, the mother asked if she would like to visit the toy store that was just ahead. The daughter enthusiastically responded “Yes!” and took off toward the toy store as fast as her little feet could carry her. To keep up with her child, the mother broke into a trot. As the mother approached the racing child, she said, “I’m going to beat you to the store!” The little girl looked around and screamed, “Don’t beat me, Mommy! Don’t beat me!” The startled mother looked around and realized that everyone in the mall was now watching closely with shock and fear for this poor child!
Art Linkletter used to have a show called “Kids Say the Darnedest Things”. This little girl would have been a star. Has anything like this ever happened to one of you mothers?
I remember when my daughter was about the age of the little girl in our story. We were shopping one day when she blurted out in a very loud voice, “Look, Mommy! That man is fat!” I think that’s the only time we ever left a buggy full of stuff for some poor store clerk to have to put back on the shelves as we hastily beat a retreat.
In our scripture reading, the Apostle Paul first defines true love as being patient and kind, not jealous or boastful or proud. Like I mentioned to the kids, real love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, always endures every and all circumstances.
And notice that Paul also says that love does not keep a record of being wronged. What does that remind us of? How about forgive and forget? Just like our Father God forgives us our sins and forgets they ever happened, love forgets all wrongs.
Then the Apostle John tells us that as He hung from the cross, His last breaths labored and painful, Jesus recognized that very love standing nearby. He saw His mother, Mary, and His disciple, John. He loved His mother and wanted to be sure she would be taken care of after He returned to heaven, so He instructed the disciple who He also loved to treat Mary as if she were John’s own mother. And John did just that, from that day forth, and as far as we know, for the rest of her life on earth.
A mother’s love is true love – it clearly exemplifies just what Paul meant. And it was a love King Solomon understood as well. Listen to verses 25 through 31 of Proverbs 31 and see if this describes your mother…
A mother was shopping at a mall with her three-year-old daughter, who was growing weary of the outing. To renew her interest in shopping, the mother asked if she would like to visit the toy store that was just ahead. The daughter enthusiastically responded “Yes!” and took off toward the toy store as fast as her little feet could carry her. To keep up with her child, the mother broke into a trot. As the mother approached the racing child, she said, “I’m going to beat you to the store!” The little girl looked around and screamed, “Don’t beat me, Mommy! Don’t beat me!” The startled mother looked around and realized that everyone in the mall was now watching closely with shock and fear for this poor child!
Art Linkletter used to have a show called “Kids Say the Darnedest Things”. This little girl would have been a star. Has anything like this ever happened to one of you mothers?
I remember when my daughter was about the age of the little girl in our story. We were shopping one day when she blurted out in a very loud voice, “Look, Mommy! That man is fat!” I think that’s the only time we ever left a buggy full of stuff for some poor store clerk to have to put back on the shelves as we hastily beat a retreat.
In our scripture reading, the Apostle Paul first defines true love as being patient and kind, not jealous or boastful or proud. Like I mentioned to the kids, real love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, always endures every and all circumstances.
And notice that Paul also says that love does not keep a record of being wronged. What does that remind us of? How about forgive and forget? Just like our Father God forgives us our sins and forgets they ever happened, love forgets all wrongs.
Then the Apostle John tells us that as He hung from the cross, His last breaths labored and painful, Jesus recognized that very love standing nearby. He saw His mother, Mary, and His disciple, John. He loved His mother and wanted to be sure she would be taken care of after He returned to heaven, so He instructed the disciple who He also loved to treat Mary as if she were John’s own mother. And John did just that, from that day forth, and as far as we know, for the rest of her life on earth.
A mother’s love is true love – it clearly exemplifies just what Paul meant. And it was a love King Solomon understood as well. Listen to verses 25 through 31 of Proverbs 31 and see if this describes your mother…
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
--Proverbs 31:25-31 (NKJV)
Now granted, that passage describes the perfect mother and wife, an ideal few could hope to attain to. But when we think of our mothers, isn’t this how we see them? Strong and honorable, always kind. She always has words of wisdom for us, like, “Be careful with that thing or you’ll poke your eye out!” In our minds, and especially in the warm reflections of our memories of childhood, our mothers are perfect.
Now I am obviously not a mother, but there was a stretch of time when I had to try being both father and mother, and I’ll tell all you men out there that being a mother is one very tough job! But our mothers seemed to do it all so well.
Of course, as children, we had our own responsibilities in the family. In his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 1 through 3, Paul reminds us of our role…
Paul is simply reminding us of what God commands, as recorded by Moses in both Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5. And like Paul points out, if we do always honor our mother and father, God will see that we are rewarded.
But God didn’t say anything about our in-laws, did He? Well, yes, He did. You remember the story of Ruth, who married a son of Naomi and traveled with them back to their homeland, only to be widowed at a very young age? Naomi is heartbroken at her own loss but still tries to get Ruth to go back to her home and people so they can take care of her. Naomi loves Ruth and wants what she thinks is best for the girl.
Listen to chapter 1, verses 16 and 17 of the Book of Ruth for what happens next…
Anyone who has ever thought or spoken poorly of their in-laws needs to memorize this passage. Naomi loved her daughter-in-law and Ruth loved her mother-in-law with the kind of true love Paul described and God commands.
“Wherever you go I will go, and where you die I will die. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth did just that - staying by Naomi’s side and seeing to her well-being after marrying Boaz. A mother’s love for her child and a child’s love for her mother, even though they were not of the same blood.
This also speaks to those women who may have never borne children, yet who love others as well as any mother ever could. We’ve all known someone who mothered us, even though they were not of our own flesh and blood. Motherly love: unselfish, unconditional, sacrificial love.
In closing, I’d like to go back to Paul once more, and the advice he gave the church in Philippi, in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verse 8…
Doesn’t it sound like Paul could be talking about a mother’s love in that verse? A mother’s love is true, noble, just, and pure. Our mother is lovely, of good report, virtuous, and definitely praiseworthy. If there is any doubt, we should meditate on these things, and on the beautiful words of Ruth, the explanation of love Paul provides, and the example Jesus Himself set in repaying the love His mother gave Him.
God is love. Our mother is love. Love others as our mother loves us, as Jesus loves us, as God loves us. In the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You love us so much that You gave us Your only begotten Son, that we might have eternal life if we would only believe in Him, repent of our disobedience, and follow Him. He reminds us of Your commandment that we love others as we love ourselves, as Jesus loves us. Father, we can see that kind of love in the love our mothers give to us. Just like You, Father God, our earthly mothers love us no matter what. Please forgive us when we fail to show unconditional, sacrificial love to all others.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, acknowledging our belief in Your Son Jesus and our acceptance of Him as our Master, rededicating ourselves to Your service, promising to repent of our disobedience and sin, seeking Your forgiveness, listening for Your voice…
Lord Jesus, as You hung on the cross, in the final seconds of Your earthly life, You looked and saw Your mother standing nearby. At that moment, did You remember all she had done for You as You grew and matured? Did You recall the sacrifices she made, the chances she took, the tears she shed for You? Or did You just feel the love of a son for his mother? Your love for her is obvious, for You made sure she would be taken care of by Your disciple John after You were gone from this world. A mother’s love for her child, a child’s love for their mother… This is a beautiful gift our Father God has given us all. May we always treasure it, and share the same kind of love with all others.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
Now I am obviously not a mother, but there was a stretch of time when I had to try being both father and mother, and I’ll tell all you men out there that being a mother is one very tough job! But our mothers seemed to do it all so well.
Of course, as children, we had our own responsibilities in the family. In his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 1 through 3, Paul reminds us of our role…
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
--Ephesians 6:1-3 (NKJV)
But God didn’t say anything about our in-laws, did He? Well, yes, He did. You remember the story of Ruth, who married a son of Naomi and traveled with them back to their homeland, only to be widowed at a very young age? Naomi is heartbroken at her own loss but still tries to get Ruth to go back to her home and people so they can take care of her. Naomi loves Ruth and wants what she thinks is best for the girl.
Listen to chapter 1, verses 16 and 17 of the Book of Ruth for what happens next…
16 But Ruth said:
“Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The Lord do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”
--Ruth 1:16-17 (NKJV)
“Wherever you go I will go, and where you die I will die. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth did just that - staying by Naomi’s side and seeing to her well-being after marrying Boaz. A mother’s love for her child and a child’s love for her mother, even though they were not of the same blood.
This also speaks to those women who may have never borne children, yet who love others as well as any mother ever could. We’ve all known someone who mothered us, even though they were not of our own flesh and blood. Motherly love: unselfish, unconditional, sacrificial love.
In closing, I’d like to go back to Paul once more, and the advice he gave the church in Philippi, in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verse 8…
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
--Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
God is love. Our mother is love. Love others as our mother loves us, as Jesus loves us, as God loves us. In the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You love us so much that You gave us Your only begotten Son, that we might have eternal life if we would only believe in Him, repent of our disobedience, and follow Him. He reminds us of Your commandment that we love others as we love ourselves, as Jesus loves us. Father, we can see that kind of love in the love our mothers give to us. Just like You, Father God, our earthly mothers love us no matter what. Please forgive us when we fail to show unconditional, sacrificial love to all others.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, acknowledging our belief in Your Son Jesus and our acceptance of Him as our Master, rededicating ourselves to Your service, promising to repent of our disobedience and sin, seeking Your forgiveness, listening for Your voice…
Lord Jesus, as You hung on the cross, in the final seconds of Your earthly life, You looked and saw Your mother standing nearby. At that moment, did You remember all she had done for You as You grew and matured? Did You recall the sacrifices she made, the chances she took, the tears she shed for You? Or did You just feel the love of a son for his mother? Your love for her is obvious, for You made sure she would be taken care of by Your disciple John after You were gone from this world. A mother’s love for her child, a child’s love for their mother… This is a beautiful gift our Father God has given us all. May we always treasure it, and share the same kind of love with all others.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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