Scripture Reading: I John 4:7-21
Message: “Mother’s Love”
Text: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16).
Introduction:
We were all created by God and brought into this world through one called “Mother”. Each one of us has an earthly mother and an earthly father.
At some period in time, two people, male and female, got together and conception took place. Planned or unplanned, that is how life started for each of us.
There may be some here who never had the opportunity to know their mothers. I say this because years ago, many people lived in the country. In those days, the doctors would make house calls and children were delivered at home.
Transportation was not as good as it is today. Paved roads and superhighways did not exist as they do at the present time. The hospitals were in the larger cities that were many miles from the farmlands. Things were not as convenient then as they are now.
When there were complications in delivery of the newborn, many times the mother would die during or after the deliver process. Infection was a major factor because antibiotics were not as prevalent as today. Sometimes the baby would die. Those babies whose mother died would be raised by the father or someone else.
Story: “I Will Die – Let My Baby Live”
(Story by Calvin S. Stanley)
I knew him as a brilliant young member of a noted family. He was studying in one of the great universities. His physical development was nearly perfect. Tall, broad-shouldered, brawny, graceful in bearing, and quick in movement, he was soon well-known as an athlete. On the field he was invincible in contest, being lion-like in his contact with opponents. But when the games were over, in the hours of study and social circles, he was found to be unusually sympathetic, considerate, and kind. In the company of young women he was always the true gentleman, a model of refinement and courtesy. And even in private he never referred to them except in the purest terms. The word Mother was most sacred to him; and whenever that word was used in his presence, he became silent: sometimes he even shed tears.
I inquired of him one day why he was so rough and lion-like in athletics and so gentle at other times, especially toward girls and women. He said, “I never like to refer to this, but my father told me that when I was being born, Mother’s case was most serious. The doctor said, ‘I cannot save them both. Decide quickly which one it shall be.’ My father stood speechless I was told, not knowing what to say. Mother, who had overheard what the doctor said, said ‘I will die: let my child live.’ Thus, mother gave her life for me!”
Those of us who have had the opportunity to know the love and affection of our mothers are very fortunate. I hesitate to say, but I am relatively sure that some of you did not have mothers who were kind and loving.
Perhaps some of you might have been abandoned by your mother. This has happened more than we would like think about.
Today, it is not uncommon for us to read or hear about a newborn baby being found in a dumpster or trash can. Sometimes a mother will wrap her baby in a blanket and place it where they know the baby will be found. In this day and age, the fire department is asking young mothers who want to give up their babies to bring them to the station and no questions will be asked. This is certainly better than destroying the baby, but it is unfortunate for the baby in that they will never have the love and affection of their maternal mother.
When these babies grow up, many of them set out to search for their maternal mother. We see these stories on television quite often. Why? They are searching because there is something very important missing in their lives. Most of the time these people do not hold a grudge or are not angry with the mother who gave them up. They merely want to find, meet, and know the missing link in their life. If I were one of these people, I would search until I found the missing love in my life.
Story: “She Felt Alone”
(From Baptist Standard)
A little girl was in an orphans’ home and it was observed that she never cried. One day one of the matrons asked her, “Why do you not cry? I have never seen you cry.” The little girl replied, “I have no one to cry to since Mamma died.”
For most of us, our mamma’s have gone on to be with the Lord. We can still cry because we are never alone.
It was a glorious thing for every Christian that Christ said, “Lo, I am with you always,” meaning every day, under all circumstances. The Christian can cry to Him, call upon Him, trust in Him, and share with Him whatever joys come into life.
1. What is a mother?
2. What are the characteristics of a mother?
Let’s look as these items and see what we can learn about mother.
1. First of all, what is the definition of the word mother?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word “mother” as a female parent. It also states that a mother is one who gives birth.
Genesis 4:1-2 says, “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain…Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Every individual has a mother. I say that because we were not created the way Adam and Eve were created.
The mother carries the baby normally for a nine month period. The mother protects and nourishes the baby with her own body from the time of conception to the day of birth.
Who are some of the Biblical mothers?
There is Elizabeth. She was the wife of Zacharias. For some reason, Elizabeth was not able to bear children. Zacharias and Elizabeth were very dedicated to following God’s laws. They were very obedient to God’s will. Elizabeth felt very bad because she could not bear any children and now being past the childbearing age, she felt hopeless. But God was waiting for the right time and when the right time came, Elizabeth became pregnant and bore a child whose name was John the Baptist.
Hannah’s story is similar to that of Elizabeth in that she could not have children for a long time. She was also a Godly woman who prayed for a son. Hannah’s life was a little different than Elizabeth’s life. Hannah was one of two wives of Elkanah. The other wife was Peninnah. Back in those days, it was common for a man to have more than one wife. What made it even worse was that Peninnah was able to have children while Hannah was unable to conceive. God heard the prayers of Hannah and Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel.
The next story that is similar to that of Elizabeth and Hannah is that of Rachel. This is the story of Rachel and her sister Leah. Both of these people were wives of Jacob and both of these people wanted children. Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah, but Leah was able to conceive and bear children. She bore Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah before Rachel bore any children.
Rachel remained barred for a number of years. Rachel became jealous of Leah (her sister) and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” (Genesis 30:1).
Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” (Genesis 30:2).
When the timing was right, Rachel bore Joseph and Benjamin.
Then there was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Scripture says that the angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to a virgin named Mary. Gabriel said to Mary, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28).
Mary was frightened by the appearance of the angel and by the words the angel spoke. The angel assured Mary that everything was going to be alright.
The angel said to Mary, “You will be with a child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31).
Mary did not understand all this, but was assured by the angel that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). This is how the conception will take place. Mary accepted this response from the angel.
This story is a bit different from the previous stories because Mary was not yet married. This was not the will of man and woman, but instead the will of God. Also, Mary was not in competition with other women Joseph was married to.
2. Let’s look at the characteristics of a mother.
a. Loving
b. Caring
c. Protective
d. Understanding
e. Helpful
f. Knows God and prays to God
I hope that each one of you had a loving mother. I can honestly say that my mother was a loving mother. I could always go to my mother and talk to her about anything. If I was hurting for any reason, she was able to take the hurt away. Mother was a dedicated woman.
Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened” (Matthew 11:28).
Mother would say, “Come here and tell me what is bothering you. I believe I can make it better.” There wasn’t a hurt that mother couldn’t make better with her kindness expressed through the love of God.
Mothers, like Jesus, are “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Her love was not only for her family, but it was for whoever needed it. If someone needed something from the store, mother was willing to go for them. If someone was hungry, mother was at their doorstep. If someone needed clothes, mother always found clothes somewhere. Everything mother did was done with a touch of God’s love.
Story: “Love Never Fails”
I found a story that appeared in the Wesleyan Methodist. This story shows a mother’s never ending love. The story goes like this:
A mother kept a candle burning in the window every night for ten years. One night, very late, a poor wretched woman came in from the street. The aged mother said to her, “Sit down by the fire.” The stranger asked, “Why do you keep the light in the window?” The old mother replied, “That light is for my wayward daughter. She left home ten years ago. I am praying for her return. I have kept a light in the window for ten years! Others often blame me for worrying about her, but, you see, I love her. I am her mother. Often, in the night, I open the door, and look out into the darkness and cry, ‘Lizzie, Lizzie!’”
The woman from the street began to weep. The aged mother looked closely at her and said, ‘Why, how cold and sick you seem! You must have trouble enough of your own!” Then suddenly the mother exclaimed, “Can it be? Yes! You are Lizzie! My own lost child! Thank God that you are home again!” How thankful we can be that Mother loves us.
The characteristic of love displayed by my mother is the same displayed by my children’s mother. My wife, Carol, goes the second mile to help those in need. Whatever she has and someone needs, she gives it to them. Carol is a wonderful example of the love that comes from God.
The caring attitude that a mother has stems from the love of God. A caring attitude goes hand-in-hand with love.
When Jesus was talking to Peter and Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” Peter responded with the words “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Then Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep” (John 21:16).
Jesus is using the word “love” in connection with the word “care”. By the same token, a mother who loves cares. The shepherd loves his sheep and cares about them. A mother loves her children and cares for them.
The next characteristic of a mother is that she is protective. Just as you and I protect the belongings we have, mothers will protect their children. Female animals will protect their young. This is a natural thing to do.
Remember the times you went to bed but couldn’t go to sleep because the monsters were in the room. Mother came to protect you. All of us had times when someone was going to knock the tar out of us. Mother was there to protect us. Mothers try to protect their children from getting sick. Mothers protect their children by telling them not to talk to strangers or what to do if a stranger approaches them. Mothers are protective because they love their children and they care about them.
A mother needs to be understanding. Proverbs 16:22 says, “Understanding is a fountain of life.” A Christian mother is enlightened by the Word of God. A mother who understands her relationship with the Father will understand her relationship with her children. Children have many questions as they mature; therefore, mothers must have answers to these questions. A mother understands those questions posed to her by her child and does not consider them dumb questions. She listens and responds to her child just as the Heavenly Father listens and responds to her.
A mother is helpful to her children or anyone else who is in need of help. The mother is responsible for helping her child with schoolwork. Mother is willing to help with school activities. Mother is ready to take the child to music lessons or scout meetings. Mother is helpful in these various settings. As a young child, mother is helpful when it comes to dressing the child or putting on their shoes. Mother is helpful when a child is hungry.
In Isaiah 41:10, God says, “I will strengthen you and help you.” Mothers say, “I will help you now and this will make you a stronger person.”
A mother needs to know God. As I said previously, my mother was a Godly woman. My children’s mother, Carol, is a Godly mother. My mother had a close relationship with God and Carol has a very close relationship. Scripture says, “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (I John 4:7).
All of us believe that love is important, but many times we think of love just as a feeling. The kind of love we are talking is the kind that God demonstrated by sending His Son into the world to redeem us. Jesus loved us so much that he gave his life for us. The Holy Spirit, who lives within our hearts, gives us the power to love.
Without love, there would be no understanding, helping, caring, protecting or knowing God. The love a mother has is the love that comes from God because God is love.
I heard a story about a mother who needed to leave home for several days, but before she left, she wanted to tell her children why she had to be gone and what was expected of them in her absence. The mother told them to behave themselves, remember to say their prayers and brush their teeth before going to sleep.
Then she asked them to hold hand as she was going to pray. Mother poured out her heart to them in prayer. At the end of the prayer, the children raised their heads and looked into the eyes of mother. Every face glowed like the sunshine. After a minute or two, the two year-old snuggled his little face up against his mother’s cheek and whispered in her ear – “More prayer Mom.”
Mother is able to instill the importance of prayer into the lives of her children. When the child is not afraid to ask for more prayer and the mother is not afraid to pray, a home of happiness is assured.
Conclusion:
Mothers deserve the greatest respect.
Mothers go through the pain of childbearing.
Mothers get up when the baby cries.
Mothers walk the floor to ease the tummy ache.
Mothers change the diapers.
Mothers feed the baby.
Mothers wash the clothes.
Mothers bathe the baby.
Mothers cook the meals.
Mothers do the shopping.
Mothers dress the children.
Mothers chauffeur the children.
Mothers help with school projects.
Mothers work with the scouts.
Mothers clean the house.
This is only a partial list of what mothers do.
Mothers work is never done.
Mothers are: loving, caring, protective, helpful, understanding and prayerful.
Howard Johnson (1915) put it this way:
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold,
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell
“MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.
Amen.
