Mothers Drink From Their Saucer Cause Their Cup Has Overflowed

Sermon.974

“Mothers Drink From Their Saucer Cause Their Cup Has Overflowed”

Luke 1:26-45

From the pulpit of Bayview Baptist Church, Mother’s Day, May 13, 2001

I was driving East on I-40 near Ashville, North Carolina, listening to Blue Grass Music.

A classic song was playing on the radio: “I’m drinking from my saucer cause my cup has overflowed.”

Right away, I related that Blue Grass song to Mothers the world over.

Note: The Tuesday after Mother’s Day, one of my church members Emailed me the following poem: "Drinking From My Saucer", and I have since edited this sermon to include this poem which is believed to be written by Jimmy Dean.

I’ve never made a fortune,

and it’s probably too late now.

But I don’t worry about that much,

I’m happy anyhow.

As I go along life’s way,

I’m reaping better than I sowed.

I’m drinking from my saucer,

’Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven’t got a lot of riches,

and sometimes the going’s tough.

But I’ve got loving ones around me,

and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for His blessings,

and the mercies He’s bestowed.

I’m drinking from my saucer,

’Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,

My faith wore somewhat thin.

But all at once the dark clouds broke,

and the sun peeped through again.

So, Lord, help me not to gripe,

about the tough rows that I’ve hoed.

I’m drinking from my saucer,

’Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,

When the way grows steep and rough,

I’ll not ask for other blessings,

I’m already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,

to help others bear their loads.

Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer,

’Cause my cup has overflowed.

--Author Unknowned

Mothers are nurses, psychologists, counselors, chauffeurs, mediators, coaches, teachers, and disciplinarians.

They wear the hats of cleaning ladies, gardeners, lawn care specialists, and cooks.

Mothers also give cuddly hugs!

But most importantly, mothers are a link to God and are in fact in most cases a child’s first impression of God’s love.

Mothers drink from their saucer cause their cup has overflowed!

We usually read this particular passage of Scripture during the Christmas season, but let’s look at this passage in the Gospel of Luke this morning found in Luke 1:26-45.

Look first with me at the many difficulties Mary faced.

Mary was pregnant and she was not married; so we see that Mary faced the difficulty of a tarnished reputation.

That’s what it seemed like on the surface, but we know the rest of the story, and we know that Jesus was of the Holy Spirit and is the Son of God.

But do you think the people believe that story in the little town of Nazareth?

I seriously doubt it, how about you?

If you came from a small town like I did, you know that juicy gossip is a hot item in small towns.

Here is this unmarried teenage girl expecting a child.

So, the facts are, those who liked to gossip must have enjoyed talking about Mary and her circumstance.

The second thing Mary experienced difficulty with was her poverty.

The book of Philippians says that Jesus was rich in heaven and he became poor on earth for our sakes.

Jesus actually emptied Himself of all the vast treasures of heaven, and in the likeness of men on earth, He became as a slave, humbling Himself, becoming obedient until death, the death of the cross (Philippians 2:7, Greek paraphrased)

We probably don’t realize today just how poor Mary and Joseph were, but when Jesus was brought to the Temple as a baby for the first time, for His dedication to God, Mary and Joseph offered 2 doves in sacrifice to God, the sacrifice of the very poorest of Judean society.

I was raised relatively poor, as were some of you.

But one thing we didn’t lack at our home was a good dose of love in our family.

You can tell we didn’t miss too many meals either!

Love is free and much better in the long run than having lots of money.

A third thing Mary faced difficulty with was the people’s hatred for her child, even at His birth.

Matthew Chapter 2 says “..an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt…for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

When Jesus was born, the prince of darkness of our world, Satan himself, set in motion everything at his command to do away with Him.

Even today, Satan knows that the quickest way to destroy your family is to attack your children, who don’t yet have the maturity to deal with him.