If Coasters Could Talk

IF COASTERS COULD TALK

Mother’s Day

May 13, 2007

Key Text: 1 Peter 3:3 & 4

The title of the message today is: “If Coasters Could Talk.” I mentioned the other day to a lady, what my message title was for this morning and she said, “If my coasters could talk, I’d get rid of them!” Maybe you feel like that this morning. Maybe the comings and goings of your house, and the busyness, even of just this day -which for mothers, and really, all ladies we love, is supposed to be your special day to be pampered - maybe you feel like it’s all just a hustle and bustle of activity.

Today is Mother’s Day according to what we call the Hallmark Calendar. On the Christian calendar we are in that time from Easter leading up to Pentecost Sunday - a time of great hope and anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit. So today, we want to provide some words of hope and encouragement to all of you, but especially to the women here today. To be renewed, and revived in your spirit. Get a fresh sense of who you are in Christ Jesus.

Now, when I was growing up, we had several sets of coasters in our home. I remember wooden ones with cork insets, gold colored ones with a picture of Niagara Falls in the center. I remember colorful plastic coasters, and I remember woven cloth coasters that matched the cloth napkins and table cloth. We even had crystal coasters. I think they were given to my parents as a wedding present. And it didn’t seem to matter where we went with our drink in hand, we could hear Mom’s voice calling out after us, “Put a coaster under that!” And the reason Mom was so concerned about the coaster - the reason it was so important, was that it protected whatever furniture we were going to set the drink on. So the purpose of the coaster was, and still is to this day, protection.

And the scripture verses on the coasters talking to us today, will protect us from the stains of life. We put the coaster on top of the thing we want to protect. So we put these scriptures, these principles on top of everything else - these become our priorities to protect us from the blemishes of this life. And the coaster goes under the daily routines of life - the water - so to speak - of the things we do every day. They are not only the barrier on top of life to protect us from stains and scratches and marks, but they are what slides under everything else that we do everyday - the cares and concerns of everyday living. That’s the purpose of the coaster.

In a moment we are going to look at the message: - what some coasters might say if they could talk. And I’ve brought some of my coasters here with me today. Question: How many of you have a set of coasters somewhere in your home? (Hands) How many of you use them!!!???

I have four kinds of coasters here. I have a very colorful one made of yarn (I made it). And I have one here from a kitchen set that is made out of wood. And then there’s this one which is really pieces of cork, glued together to make the base, with a pretty paper overlay over top of it. And then there’s this crystal one (we’re going to call it crystal for today anyway). And this coaster was a special find that Orval (if there) discovered for me at the Community Connection just the other day, so I bought it.

Before we look at our coasters more closely, let’s read together, what the Bible has to say about a woman.

1 Peter 3:3&4: It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that make you beautiful. No, your beauty comes from within you - the beauty of a quiet spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God.

Whether you are a wife, a mother, or a lady in your family, God speaks of your value to the home and society as that which is on the inside. A gentle, quiet spirit which can never be destroyed. Isn’t that beautiful? Ladies, you have the potential to have something within you, that can never be destroyed - no matter what age you are, or what you’ve been through, or are going through. We’re going to find out today, how you can have that quiet, gentle spirit that is so beautiful to God and to others.

Humor: A mom was tucking her little boy into bed one summer night during a violent thunderstorm. She was just about to turn out the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?”