Outer Banks Community Church

Mother’s Day

Intro: After today according to the calendar Mother’s Day is over, it is only recognized once a year. Well for all of us who are smarter than the calendar, Mother’s should be appreciated every day all year round. The thing is, you may take time off from appreciating mom, but she never gets to take time off from being “mom.” And let’s not forget, God commands us to honor our parents—not just one day a year, but throughout our lives: “Honor your father and mother, as the LORD your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

So what’s the value of a mom? A 2013 Salary.com study found that a stay-at-home mom was worth about $114,000 a year. (I am sure that figure is a little low now) The catch? She’s working a 94-hour work week and doesn’t actually make a penny. Here’s how her weekly work numbers breaks down:

• 14 hours as a cook
• 14.4 hours as a maid
• 8 hours as a taxi driver
• 7.8 hours as a janitor
• 3.3 hours as a CEO
• 7.3 hours as a psychologist
• 8.9 hours as a computer operator
• 6.2 hours as a laundry operator
• 10.8 hours as a facilities manager
• 13.3 hours as a day-care teacher

Amidst all these vocational duties, the one predominant motivation is love. Your mom spent (or spends) at least 100 hours every single week caring for you in a variety of ways, and you think that two-hour brunch and $4 greeting card are adequate for showing your appreciation? This is where it is my role as pastor to commence a guilt trip now! Let’s give our Mom’s a hand, and a moment of gratitude. Really let’s give them a hand, a hand around the house, a hand with stuff that would make moms happy; are you giving mom a hand? Deut. 5:16 “Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Text: John 19:25-27 (NKJV)

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”

Application: “A woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

1. A Mother’s Burden:

“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18 (NLT)

I would guess when Mary went into her bathroom and used a first response pregnancy test she was a little burdened with the results of this test. I’m not ready to be a mother, I want to be a wife first, I can’t afford a baby yet. I don’t even know where I am going to put the child. Where am I going to live? Wait a minute what is my family going to say? What are they going to do? What are they going to call me? I am still a teenager. This is got to be a joke, I can’t be pregnant! O God what has happened? Mothers have you ever been burdened? Have you ever said: “O God what has happened?” Mary experienced a unique journey but God’s presence followed her the whole way.

Jesus' birth was of the Spirit, never before had a man been born "of the Holy Spirit," but Jesus was. A person either accepts the evidence of Scripture at this point or rejects it. The Scripture is clear in what it says: "Before they came together, she [Mary] was found with child of the Holy Spirit." It is a matter of faith and trust in the God of love. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." Knowing this could be a burdened for Mary.”

“And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:28-35 A lot to be said with these few verse’s and I believe every woman can find peace, when you can allow the Spirit of God to give you the strength and the gift of life and the grace that can be yours. A woman devoted to God thou the burden may seem too big to handle “God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son…” Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

2. A Mother at the Cross:

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother.”

The Cross symbolizes suffering, Christ suffered for us. The devoted mother grows through the sacrifices that are made for their children. I can’t even imagine being at the base of a cross and looking up and seeing my son take his last breath while being crucified.

And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:17

3. A Mother Blessed:

“Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”

Although being a mom is an incredibly busy role, it’s not just a chore—it’s a gift from God: “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3 God has called mothers to be loving and nurturing. He’s created them in his image so they can serve as reflections of the strength, goodness, wisdom, and love that God has for us. It may just seem like she’s doing your laundry like normal, or calling you repeatedly to see how the new job is going, or asking to babysit the grandkids again—and all of these things may seem so predictably “mom.” But don’t forget—these are acts of love. Moms are a physical and emotional presence that give us a glimpse of God’s eternal, other-worldly love for us. I’d say that calls for more than just one day of celebrating.

I love my Epigrams and there are a few of the Mother: Epitaph in a churchyard, inscribed by a husband after sixty years of wedded life: “She always made home happy.”

• The future destiny of a child is the work of a mother. —Napoleon Bonaparte
• Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children. —Thackeray
• God could not be everywhere, and so he made mothers. —Jewish Proverb

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” Proverbs 3:6

This well-loved verse describes a two-step partnership with God: our part is to stop and acknowledge God along the way, and His part is to direct our paths. We are to consult with God regarding every decision, word, thought, or response. Before we move ahead or merely react, we need to stop and pray first, “God, what would You have me do—or think or say—here?”

Moms, Ladies let’s keep it simple: There is a partnership with whatever comes your way stop and check in with God. Pray, “God, what do You want me to do here?” When you do your part, God takes over and does His part: He directs your path! He instructs and teaches you in the way you should go: “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

Hey mom good news listen to what God can do? “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)

“A woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

Conclusion: To be God’s woman, to love Him fervently with a whole heart, is her sole desire. And whether you’re pushing a stroller or a grocery cart or an aluminum walker, whether you’re single, married, or a widow, whether your challenge is eight children or no children, whether life has you nursing children with measles, a husband with cancer, or your own osteoporosis, your life counts—counts mightily—as you face its challenges with a heart full of devotion to God.

God’s Helpers

God could not be in every place
With loving hands to help erase
The teardrops from each baby’s face,
And so He thought of mother.

He could not send us here alone
And leave us to a fate unknown;
Without providing for His own,
The outstretched arms of mother.

God could not watch us night and day
And kneel beside our crib to pray,
Or kiss our little aches away;
And so He sent us mother.

And when our childhood days began,
He simply could not take command.
That’s why He placed our tiny hand
Securely into mother’s.

The days of youth slipped quickly by,
Life’s sun rose higher in the sky.
Full grown were we, yet ever nigh
To love us still, was mother.

And when life’s span of years shall end,
I know that God will gladly send,
To welcome home her child again,
That ever-faithful mother.

—George W. Wiseman