Mother's Day

Mother’s Day

Luke 1:26-38

Introduction: Today I want us to look at Mary, God’s choice to be the mother of his Son.

The Lord turned & said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."

"Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible." "It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there."

"She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word."

"That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?"

"No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower."

Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, "She’s too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do."

"Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason & compromise & persuade."

Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model." "That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear."

"What’s a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You’re a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there."

I. Mary is obedient

A. She did not say “Thy will be changed, but Thy will be done.”

B. Our desires must be guided by God’s Word because NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!

1. There is a story about four preachers discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version best because of its simple, beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it was closer to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked a contemporary version because of its up-to-date vocabulary. The fourth minister was silent for a moment, then said, “I like my mother’s translation best.” Surprised, the other three men said they didn’t know his mother had translated the Bible. “Yes,” he replied. “She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw.”

II. Mary is full of love and praise

A. Love of God – God must be the foundation of our relationships, only then can we expect our relationships to be blessed by God.

B. Love of her family

C. This pregnant, single mother praises God even though she would surely be ridiculed and ostracized.

D. Even though her Son would be ridiculed and ostracized.

III. Mary is faithful

A. To God

1. God chose Mary, not the other way around.

2. She did not ask for a sign.

B. To herself

1. Exemplified by her virginity

C. To her family

1. Her visit to Elizabeth

2. Her visit to the cross –

a. She went with her Son - ILLUS- Sam Rosenberg and his family. “She went with him”.

3. There is a love that transcends even this – it is the love of God.

Conclusion: Mother’s Day may be a tough day for some of you. I’ve not always been sensitive to that because I’ve generally thought of it as a happy day. But I do realize for some that is not necessarily so. If your mother is dead, it may be a sad day for you. You have memories of her, & you long once again for her words & her presence.

If you’re childless, then you may feel empty today. If you had a poor relationship with your mother, spending your time arguing & fighting with each other, you may feel guilty today.