A Mother’s Day Blessing

A Mother’s Day Blessing

 

This is a special day for Mothers. We honor mothers and we thank God for them. It was Charles Spurgeon who said of his mother, “I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn word of my good mother.” Today, I would like for us to honor all women; especially women of faith. God bless all the women, young and old alike, who desire to be godly women. Elisabeth Elliot said, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.”

 

Let us take a moment and go to the Lord in prayer…

 

Lord, as we come to your Word this morning, enlighten our hearts to your deep, deep love for us. No matter what has gone on before this moment, and what follows, help us hold on to this truth: you love us, you care for us, and you want us to read your Word to us as if it were a love letter… a word of praise and encouragement from a proud mother, a glowing parent. No matter the example set before us in our earthly parents, or the struggle we ourselves may feel or have felt as parents… none of that changes the fact that you are a loving father, a kind and gentle comfort to us. This day and always. Amen.

 

In many ways I feel totally unable to speak about the special role that we honor today, Motherhood. This is in part because I know that being a mother is more complex, more complicated, and more difficult than most of the sermons I ever heard about this day growing up. So what I want to do briefly is look at a couple of examples of motherhood that are demonstrated in Scripture and then take up the practice of Christian preaching which allows for offering a blessing on this special occasion.

 

Here’s what Psalm 22 says about the value of a Godly mother:  “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.  From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”  Notice, the psalmist doesn’t talk about the faith he gained at his father’s knee.  Instead, he is telling us – about the depth of his faith he found when he was with his mother.

 

In 2 Timothy 1:3-5, Paul writes to Timothy of the influence of his mother and grandmother in the formation of his faith…“I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

 

Jesus speaks about those who lose family to follow Jesus and participate in the Kingdom of God…“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)

 

In Romans 16:13 Paul describes what has been true for many people down through time when he writes, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.”

 

We know who Rufus is. He was the son of Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross of Christ on the last leg of the painful Good Friday journey. Simon probably went home from that experience a changed man. And he shared the power of that moment with his wife who then, likely, shared it with her sons, Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21).But imagine this also, she was like a mother to the Great Apostle Paul. Paul of Tarsus may have learned about the final moments of the life of his new Lord from the wife of the man who carried the Lord’s cross, Simon of Cyrene. She was like a mother to him.

And her care and love of Saul of Tarsus, the terrorist-turned-missionary, should inspire us all. Think about it. Without knowing who he would become, she treated Paul like one of her own children. Glory to God for her!

 

Let us turn now to examine briefly a few examples of Godly women and mothers.

 

First there’s Sarah, the Mother who waited.

In Genesis 11:30 we learn, “Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.“ This would have grieved both Sarah and Abraham, and in Genesis 15 when the word of the LORD came to Abram he answered, what will you give me LORD since you have not given me an heir? God tells him to look at the stars in the Sky, for that would be the number of his offspring. Abraham and Sarah waited 15 years before God renewed His promise, and 10 more years before the promise was fulfilled and Sarah bore a son, Isaac.

 

Sarah probably wouldn’t win an award for waiting and she even laughed at the idea that God could do what He promised, but thankfully God’s promise did not rely on the level of Sarah’s faith. God fulfilled His promise according to His plan and Sarah responded in Genesis 21,

“God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’”And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”  

 

Can you imagine waiting that long for a blessing? Sarah tried to believe the promise, but she had doubts until it finally came to fruition. Then she laughed with joy at what the LORD had done. Isaac would go on to continue the legacy of his father Abraham.

 

Then there is Hagar, the mother who endured.

Hagar was an Egyptian slave and a maidservant to Sarah, the wife of Abraham; she didn’t have much say about anything and especially not in becoming Abraham’s wife. Though her status changed, she was still secondary to Sarah.

Once Hagar became pregnant with Abraham’s child, a rift developed between her and Sarah. After receiving mistreatment from Sarah, Hagar fled toward her homeland. But she met the angel of the LORD who told her to return, He also promised her numerous descendants through her son whom she was to name Ishmael.

Later, Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent away into the desert, where she believed they would both die. But God is faithful and showed her a well. Genesis 21 tells us, “God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.”

Hagar thought she would get to escape her misery, but God called her to return to it. She obeyed, and He blessed her and her son just as He promised He would.

 

Rebekah was a mother who believed.

Rebekah was a woman of great faith, obeying God when Isaac’s servant told her of the man who wanted to marry her. Genesis 25 tells us that when Rebekah became pregnant she could feel the babies jostling within her. When she asked the LORD why this was happening, He answered her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” In that time, the older would have never served the younger, and the firstborn son would have inherited the best of everything.

 

When Isaac was old in age, he told Esau to hunt and prepare food so that he could receive his blessing. But Rebekah overheard this and told Jacob to bring her food so she could prepare it for Isaac first. Jacob was unsure about deceiving his father, but Rebekah responded in Genesis 27, “My son let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” I think it is safe to say that she remembered and took very seriously what God had spoken to her during her pregnancy.

 

Rebekah risked deception to follow God’s promise because she believed what He said was true. It should be noted that God did not call Rebekah to deception, but God is sovereign despite the good or bad choices we may make. And His plan unfolded exactly as He had told her. Later her son Jacob would wrestle with God and be given a new name, Israel.

 

A women of Exodus, Jochebed was a mother with a plan.

A new King in Egypt came to power who was under no obligation to honor Joseph’s deeds in Egypt and keep the special arrangement with the Israelites. He was worried about the Hebrews outnumbering and overtaking the Egyptians, so he made them slaves. He also commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill Hebrew baby boys when they were born, but they did not listen. Then Pharaoh gave another decree in Exodus 1, “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

 

A Levite woman, Jochebed, gave birth to a son and hid him for 3 months. Exodus 2 tells us that when she could hide him no longer, she coated a papyrus basket with tar and pitch, placed the baby in it, then she set it in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Jochebed’s daughter, Miriam, watched to see what would happen as Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bath. When Pharaoh’s daughter saw the basket, her servant’s retrieved it for her and inside she found the baby crying and knowing he was a Hebrew child she felt sorry for him.

 

Miriam then spoke up and asked her if she would like her to fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby; she agreed and Jochebed returned with her daughter to nurse her own baby. Pharaoh’s daughter paid Jochebed to nurse and raise the baby until he was old enough to come live with her. She then adopted him as her son and named him Moses.

 

Naomi was a mother-in-law who shared her faith.

Naomi and her family fled to the country of Moab because of a famine in their land. Her husband died, and her two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After 10 years both of Naomi’s sons passed away, and Naomi heard that the LORD had blessed the land of her people with food again. She told her daughters-in-law that they could return home to find new husbands. Although they both wept at her leaving, one refused to leave Naomi’s side. Orpah returned to her people and her gods, but Ruth said,

 

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

 

Ruth was already learning from Naomi’s faith even during a time of bitterness. Naomi continued to watch out for Ruth and instruct her wisely in her dealings with Boaz, who became her kinsman redeemer. The LORD blessed Naomi, and she gained a son when Boaz married Ruth. Ruth and Boaz had a child, and the women of the land said to Naomi,

 

“Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

The child was named Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David who would be king. -Ruth 4:17.

 

Finally there’s Hannah, the mother who kept her promise.

Hannah was married to a man who loved her very much, but he also had another wife. This wife was able to bear children, but in 1 Samuel 1:5-6 we learn that the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb. The rival wife provoked Hannah continually, but Hannah would go to the house of the LORD to pray. Her husband tried to console her saying, “Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?” in 1 Sam. 1:8. Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly; she made a vow saying,

“LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

 

In fact, she was praying so hard that her lips were moving but no sound came out so that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. The LORD blessed Hannah, and she gave birth to a son and named him Samuel, “saying, ‘Because I asked the LORD for him.’” -1 Sam. 1:20

 

She did just as she had promised, and when the boy was old enough she took him to the house of the LORD and presented him to Eli. Hannah then prayed, “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” And her beautiful prayer continues in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

 

Samuel lived a life dedicated to the LORD, and he would go on to lead the people of Israel, anointing Israel’s first and second kings—Saul and David.

 

These are but a few examples of godly women which scripture memorializes for our encouragement and edification.

 

I do not wish to pretend that motherhood is easy, or painless, or simple and straightforward. I do not want to pretend that everyone within the sound of my voice has had great experiences with their own mother or that there aren’t regrets and hurts from being a mother as well. Life is more complicated than that, the world is more broken than that, and the church needs to be more honest than that.

But what I do wish to say is that the God of the Universe is a good God, that he is love and mercy and redemption and grace and power and wisdom and compassionate.

That no matter your experiences, no matter your choices, no matter your shortcomings, regrets, failures, or victories… God loves you and we thank God for you.

Down throughout church history it has been customary to offer blessings on special days. These blessings typically hold three things in common.

(1) They are specific to the occasion that they address.
(2) They seek to acknowledge the complexity and realities of life in relation to God.
(3) They seek to point us back to the one who makes all things possible, Jesus Christ.

 

To that end, I’ll close with a blessing on Mother’s Day.

 

To mothers, both biological and adopted, connected by blood and by experience, torn apart by circumstance and sometimes by choices…

To those who have given life both in birth and in formation, to those who have lost life before birth and before old age…

To those who have done what only mothers can do,

To those who have been “the perfect mother” and to those who live with regrets,

To those who are close to their children, and to those who feel like they are a million miles away,

We bless you today, on this day, Mother’s Day.

To those women who have given birth to a child this year, we celebrate with you the gift that God has given.

To those who feel the pain of children long desired but never received, we grieve with you the too often secret pain you have borne.

To those who have experienced miscarriage, failed adoptions, and kids who have run away, and to those who have longed for children, but for whatever reason have been unable to have them, we mourn your loss and pray that God’s love will give you comfort and peace.

To those who have been “mother’s” to others who are not their children, we need more people like you both in the church, and in the broken world in which we live.

To those who have close and meaningful relationships with their children, we celebrate this day with you and thank God for his grace.

To those who have complicated, painful, or non-existent relationships with their children, we sorrow with you and thank God for his grace, while we pray for redemption and reconciliation.

To those who have close relationships with their own mother, we thank God for that intimacy.

To those who have suffered at the hands of their mother, we acknowledge you and pray that God gives you the grace to forgive.

To those who lost their mothers whether recently or so many years ago, we mourn with you today.

To those who have gone through school tests, medical tests, emotional tests, and tests of patience with your children, we are encouraged by your patience, your faith, and we stand with you as these will continue to arise.

To those who will have an emptier nest this year, we both celebrate and cry with you.

To those of you who long to be better mother’s, God’s grace will provide and we will commit to pray that God fills you with divine wisdom.

To those who long to make things right with your children, remember that God’s redemptive power can cross any boundary, any brokenness, and any pain.

To those who struggle with their children today, remember that even the young Jesus almost gave his mother a heart attack on more than one occasion.

To those who feel like all they do is struggle and experience stress and frustration, remember your investment is never in vain, and that God is using your faithfulness to change the world.

To those who are bursting with pride today both with their mothers and their children, we celebrate with you today.

To the men in the room, love your wife and love your mother’s as Christ loved the church. Give yourself not as “the husband” or as “the son” but more deeply than that as a servant of Jesus Christ. Don’t let today be the only day you do the dishes, help with the kids, or say kind things to grandma. Recognize that your wife and mother and grandmother are made in the image of God, They are precious to him, they are like his mother or grandmother or bride. Honor them as such.

To the women who are integral in our lives, we thank you for who you are and what you mean to us as individuals and to this church. We would not be who we are and where we are if it was not for you. We haven’t always done a good job of honoring you, thanking you, appreciating you. We haven’t always loved you as you have loved us. For that we ask for your forgiveness and grace. May we be people who honor and encourage and bless you from this day forward for whom God has made you, precious children of God.

Now, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

And in the words of the Hebrew writer…

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20, 21, NIV)