Creator God, you said that even if a mother could forget the child she is nursing, you would never forget us! On this Sunday, as we celebrate mothers and those who mother us, we open by lifting some of them up to you.
First, we lift up mothers and fathers who are raising a child on their own without a partner. We ask that you give them extra strength!
We lift up those who hoped to be mothers or tried to be mothers and biologically it didn’t happen. Sometimes they felt left out of this process, and we ask healing of the emptiness of their arms today.
We lift up other parents whose arms are empty because they have lost children, whose hearts are especially broken on this day. And we lift up children who have lost parents, whose hearts are also sore. In this time of pandemic, we lift up those who are separated from their parents by doors and windows and walls. It is very hard to be apart from them.
We lift up mothers, we lift up children, we lift up all who are happy, and sad, and overwhelmed on this Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday. Amen
I chose our Scripture today to talk about a woman who was never named, but who played a key role. She is known simply as The Widow of Zarephath.
1 Kings 17:8-16
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had turned the hearts of the people against God. As a result, Elijah called for a drought to hit the land to turn the hearts of the people back to God. As a result, there was little food and little water. And in the midst of the worst of it, God sent Elijah to a widow.
You may be aware, that widows and orphans have a special place in God’s heart because of their vulnerability. But on this Mother’s Day, I want to remind all mothers that God has them in His hands, like he has all of us.
In a way, we have been in a drought. No, I am not talking about toilet paper, or even the meat that is hard to find on shelves at the moment, we are in a drought of being able to be with people we love. We feel, at times, isolated.
Over the last few months, parents, and especially mothers, have played an ever more important role. They have added teaching to the list of their accomplishments. You may be aware that the average “teaching time” one on one, equivalent to an entire school day is only two hours. Which leaves countless unfilled hours that must now be filled.
The other parents we are missing on this Mother’s Day are parents who are hopefully safe while they live in assisted living situations. I know it has been hard for everyone to visit through windows because we can’t be together in person.
I say “I know,” because I have been there. You probably know that Patricia’s birthday is on the 29th of August, and that mine is the 30th. Back then, Moms spent 2-3 days in the hospital. Because babies were in the rooms with Moms, only a total of two visitors were allowed, and only for a couple of hours a day.
So, on the day of my birthday, Gary and my Mom showed up. My Mom brought a cake, and I shared it with the nurses. But that afternoon, my family gathered on the patio outside of my room and sang “Happy Birthday” through the window. While my isolation lasted only a couple of days, many of you have gone weeks without being able to be together.
So, anyway, God sent Elijah to a widow who was at the end of her resources, much like we feel we are at this time. As she put it, she was making her last meal. And Elijah asked her to share.
I am not certain what the widow thought. Maybe she just figured that they wouldn’t starve any faster if she shared. Maybe she hoped that having Elijah around would bring her some kind of protection. Maybe she believed that she would not run out as he promised. Whatever, she divided the oil and the meal, and the three of them ate.
But God had something bigger in mind when He sent Elijah to be with her. From that moment on, she never ran out of flour or oil. We often think of this as miraculous provision, and it was. The thing we don’t know or understand is why or how her provisions were refreshed.
Maybe there WERE angels who carefully filled her pantry when she wasn’t looking. But maybe the angels were people around her. Perhaps they saw her tender heart towards Elijah and wanted to help, bringing a portion of their wheat and oil to her.
Because in times of need, angels don’t always look the way we expect. Many years ago, I had an experience with an angel who looked very different from what I ever expected. I took a week off of work and planned a local camping trip with Patricia, to prepare myself for a Girl Scout trip I was taking with my troop.
What I did not know was that the location I had chosen had become a dangerous campground, with many homeless and drug users hanging out there. So, we obliviously set up our tent that afternoon, and practiced cooking over a campfire. Immediately, a large dog came and sat nearby, watching us. I thought it was the smell of the food, and checked with the manager.
He said he wasn’t sure where the dog came from, it had just showed up the day before, but it had seemed peaceful, so he was waiting to see if someone claimed it.
As we walked through the camp, the dog followed. While we slept, the dog was nearby. Everyone at the camp thought we had a big dog, and in spite of it being a rough area, we were not challenged. The next morning, as if by magic, another large dog joined the first and both accompanied us on our walk.
That afternoon, as we packed up our gear, the dog wandered away and never came back. I kept a picture of the dog for a long time, and always introduced it as my encounter with a guardian angel.
Many of you have been angels to those around you. I know it is common to bring supplies to church for Open Doors, or Missouri Food Packs, or other organizations. We have supported Cancer Perks, and children’s organizations. We have hand tied blankets for the Children’s Cancer wing. These, folks, are acts of angels.
So, just as God sent angels to fill the flour and the oil, God sends us out into the world to provide the world in whatever way we can. We are God’s hands and feet, and being apart from one another doesn’t change that one bit.
Benediction and Charge:
Now, may God the Father and parent of us all, Jesus the Son and our Savior, and the Holy Spirit who makes us whole be with you and guide you this Mother’s Day.
Go, and be the person God calls you to be. Go, and Mother the world!
