Good morning
Could everyone who has or has had a mum please raise their hands?
Good I have prepared the right sermon for Mother’s Day.
We all have a mum.
God has given us many blessings in life.
Jesus is the greatest blessing of all, eternal life.
And not far behind Jesus would have to be mums.
Without them we wouldn’t have life.
God has given us life through them.
And they fulfil God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah
That He will bless them so they can be a blessing to others
God has blessed mums so they can be a blessing to us and others.
And there are many blessings mums are to us.
On a Monday a teacher gave her class a lesson on the magnet and what it does.
Every Friday they have a revision of the weeks lesson.
One of the questions was: “My full name has six letters. The first one is M, and I pick up things. What am I?”
Half the class replied mother.
Mums bless us in many ways.
I invite you to turn to the person next to you and share one way God has blessed you through your mum.
Some people have mixed feelings about their mum.
Not everyone has had a good relationship with them all the time.
And sometimes even mums get things wrong.
Remember Romans 3:23: for everyone sins and falls short of the glory of God
One day, a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking among her black hair. She asked "Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?" Her mother replies, "Well, every time you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thinks about this awhile, then asks, "So how come ALL of Grandma’s hairs are white?"
Despite their superhuman efforts at times mums aren’t perfect,
often they are the first to admit it
But God does forgive them.
And so should we.
Someone once said that one of the blessing about life they learnt from their mum is about forgiveness,
About seeking forgiveness and giving forgiveness.
This highlights something about mums that are worth remembering.
Throughout their lives they often reflect God
especially that God is constantly thinking of his children,
even if their children don’t think so.
Susannah Wesley, mother of John Wesley spent one hour each day praying for her 17 children. In addition, she took each child aside for a full hour every week to discuss spiritual matters. No wonder two of her sons, Charles and John, were used of God to bring blessing to all of England and much of America.
But it is not only the obvious times that they are thinking of their children.
One of the most difficult situations I have so far in ministry is ministering to a lady in her last days.
For over 20 years she had been estranged from her children.
As we were preparing some details the issue of her children came up
At which you could see a tear in her eye
And she requested that I contact them and see how they reacted.
Even though she had not spoken to them for 20 years she had never stopped thinking of them and praying for them.
Unfortunately that night she died.
And she never got to speak to her children.
And they probably never realised that she still thought of them.
Being a mum is difficult
Kate Samperi writes before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.
And we it comes to the blessing God gives us through our mums
We benefit most from mums when we allow God’s approach to life to influence our relationship
Ephesians 6:1-3 restates that famous commandment it says Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Honour your mum’s.
Doesn’t mean we worship them as gods.
But it does mean we give them respect.
In this commandment God is encouraging us to always give them some of the time He has given us.
To give them respect.
As I think about it….not everything my mum does I like.
And when I was a teenager I thought she was a bit weird.
But over time you notice when you respect your mum.
More blessings become obvious.
And so I encourage you to respect your mum as God’s gift to you.
Also from Proverbs 1:7-9
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools a despise wisdom and discipline.
Listen, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching
or as the New Living Translation says
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
My child,* listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
Our mum’s and dad’s give us true knowledge.
We can gain a lot of information from books and tv.
However some of the most valuable things in life are actually gained from our parents.
Now this doesn’t mean that everything my parents say is right or appropriate for today.
When I was first a parent I rejected a lot of what my mum and dads said as old hat.
But I have noticed that some of the things they say are valuable and helpful.
God has given them wisdom for life, and listening to that wisdom is like accessing an handbook for life
And for many people mums are also are instrumental in us receiving an insight into God.
In the Bible St Paul writes to a young pastor called Timothy.
Listen to what he has to say to him from 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 5.
5 I have been 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.
When I first read this passage I thought surely there is not people in the bible called Eunice and Lois.
So I went to the original languages and there they were.
But did you notice something,
the faith that Timothy had in God was the result of the time put in by his mother and grandmother.
And it is true today for over 85% of Christians when it comes to faith the most influential person has been mums.
They are often the ones who are reading devotions at night,
Persevering with faith activities when children don’t want to be that involved.
And the second most influential are dads.
Mums and dads are the main encouragers of people participating in faith activities.
And what a wonderful gift to receive through our mums,
The truth that God is a God of love and has a place for us in heaven.
And the final thing God says to us today about our mums is they need caring for as well.
As Jesus hung on the cross listen to what he did for His mum
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
As Jesus hung on the cross
He is concerned for His mother.
He is making sure his mother is cared for.
And at times our mothers need caring for.
How does your mother need caring for.
Maybe she needs a little of your time?
Perhaps she needs some physical help.
Maybe a little patience.
Perhaps she needs to hear you love her.
Think of your mum and thank God for her.
And mum’s think of your children and thank God for them.
To finish off.
One day there was a four-year-old and a six-year-old who went down the street with their dad to buy mum a mother’s day present.
They bought her a pot plant. On mother’s day the four year old was really excited because they had used their own money to buy. But the six year old was a little upset. Mum said what is wrong. "There was a really big bunch of flower shop that we wanted to give you. And it was real pretty but we didn’t have enough money. It was just for you….It had a ribbon on it that said ‘Rest In Peace,’ and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a some rest and peace.
Whether you are a mum or the child of mum
Remember the blessing God has given you through your mum
And thank God for the blessing they give.
Because ultimately all good things come from God.
Amen
