Someone has written, ‘Confession is good for the soul.’ This morning, for a few moments, all mothers present get to experience their own personal and unique confession, okay?
From the website, corsinet.com, I am going to read a list of ‘mom-isms.’ (1) ‘Mom-isms’ are things that moms say or have said.
They will appear on the screen and after I read each of them, I will ask for a show of hands (from moms only) to indicate if they have ever said them. Okay? Here we go…
(2) All I do is follow you around, picking up after you like some maid. (2A) Answer me when I ask you a question! (2B) Beds are NOT made for jumping on.
(3) Are you going out dressed like that? (3A) Did you brush your teeth? (3B) Go play outside! It’s a beautiful day!
(4) Money does NOT grow on trees. (4A) Is your homework finished? (4C) When you have kids of your own you’ll understand.
Finally, (5) You just ate an hour ago! (5A) Who are you going with? Do I know them? (5B) Go ask your father.
Now, doesn’t that feel better?
Have you ever wondered what famous mothers said to their famous children? Here are just a few: (Also from corsinet.com)
(6) Abraham Lincoln’s mother was once quoted as saying, "Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can’t you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"
(7) There was Batman’s mom, (aka Mrs. Wayne) who was overheard to say after Bruce Wayne (aka) Batman was looking at the Bat mobile, “It’s a nice car, Bruce, but do you realize how much the insurance will be!"
(8) There is even a quote from Goldilocks, mother after her run in with the three bears. "I’ve got a bill here for a busted chair from the bear family. You know anything about this Goldie?"
(9) Even the great Albert Einstein could not escape his mother’s attention one day when she said, “But, Albert, it’s your senior picture. Can’t you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something....?"
(10) There was Jonah, yes that Jonah, whose mom was heard to say, "That’s a nice story, but now tell me where you’ve really been for the past 3 days!"
(11) Finally, mothers of great inventors have been known to keep their inventive siblings on earth. Mothers like Thomas Edison’s mom who said to him after he told her about the light bulb. "Of course I’m proud that you invented the electric light bulb, dear. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"
Finally, in keeping with the title of my sermon, here are a few lessons learned by others from their mom. (I shared some of these a few years ago, but these are new lessons that have been learned.)
(12) My mother taught me about (12A) WEATHER. "This room of yours looks like a tornado went through it." (12B) My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!"
(13) My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do." (13A) My mother taught me about GENETICS. "You’re just like your father."
(14) My mother taught me about WISDOM. (14A) "When you get to be my age, you’ll understand. Finally, my mother taught me about FEAR. (14B)"One day you’ll have a child who’ll do the same things to you."
This morning, I want to share three important things that my mother has taught me. But, first, I want to show you a wonderful picture of her. (15) Pretty hot isn’t she? This is her high school graduation picture. I will let her tell you when she graduated!
Several men over the years thought that she was pretty hot including my father who was very much attracted to his assistant high school Sunday School teacher who did factory work in Ohio and attended three years of college (the equivalent of an associate’s degree today) in Minnesota. She was the only member of her family to graduate from both High School and college.
Nine years passed between the time she first met my dad and their marriage on October 29, 1955. (16) They were married for over 35 years before dad passed away 15 years ago this month. (And Mother’s Day 15 years ago was a hard day for us.) Out of that relationship and out of mom’s own commitments and values came the following lessons.
(17) Lesson number one – the primacy of faith. When mom committed her life to Christ 60 or so years ago, it was a commitment that was real and life changing. Faith was (and is) important to mom. Her faith in Christ was number one in her life then and it is still number one today.
It meant that certain things took second place in her life or did not matter at all. In some recent reading, I read the following prayer from the late Henri Nouwen.
‘O Lord, who else or what else can I desire but you? You are my Lord, Lord of my heart, mind, and soul. You know me through and through. In and through you everything that is finds its origin and goal. You embrace all that exists and care for it with divine love and compassion. Why, then, do I keep expecting happiness and satisfaction outside of you? (17 A)Why do I keep relating to you as one of my many relationships, instead of my only relationship, in which all others are grounded? Why do I keep looking for popularity, respect from others, success, acclaim, and sensual pleasures? Why, Lord, is it so hard for me to make you the only one? Why do I keep hesitating to surrender myself totally to you?.. Lord, dispel my mistrust and help me become a trusting friend. Amen.’
Mom has grounded all of her other relationships in the one that really matters – her relationship with God. And because she had grounded all other relationships, she has helped me learn the lesson of the primacy of faith. She has lived out this prayer.
In our main text for this morning, Paul acknowledges the contribution of Timothy’s mother and grandmother in his faith journey.
‘I know that you sincerely trust the Lord, for you have the faith of your mother, Eunice, and your grandmother, Lois.’
Dads are important, very important, in the growth and development of children. But, a mother’s influence is strong and long lasting.
I cannot remember where I read this, it was recent, but it was about gang life and the fact that sometimes the only thing that keeps some people from getting hurt or killed by a gang member is that a gang member knows the potential victim’s mother and vice versa. Interesting isn’t it?
A mother’s faith is long wearing and a lifetime as well. I have been reminded of that by a recent development in our extended family where one of my cousins, whose life was been consumed by drugs, alcohol, and jail, and who wandered this country for years, was recently saved and baptized. I know that my aunt, my mom’s sister, has prayed for him for years and that prayer has paid off. AMEN? AMEN!
There were times in my teenage years, as mom has told me later, when she was really praying for me because of the concerns about the choices I was making. Those prayers were answered as I chose (I know that this is not always the case) to do what was right.
But Paul correctly points out that the faith of a mother and grandmother had molded the faith of young and emerging leader. Faith development cannot be left alone to the church or a paid person. For our faith to grow and develop parents are a critical component to faith development.
A study done by Search Institute in the early 1990’s of 6th through 12th graders as well as adults in the four or five largest denominations in the US indicated that mothers’ were the number one positive faith influence on those surveyed. For the adults it was 64% and for the teens, it was 73%.
A second lesson my mother taught me was the importance of commitment. (18)
In Matthew 5:37 (18A) Jesus made a very important statement regarding make a vow (or perhaps what we today would call a promise) when He said, ‘Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough.’ Mom, and dad, lived out this verse.
If they said they would do something, they would do it and do it to the best of their ability. They showed up when they were needed to even when it was inconvenient.
(19) On the tombstone that marks their grave is the phrase ‘We served the Lord together’ and they did! I think that between the two of them, mom and dad had something to do with every aspect of church life except preaching. They taught a variety of ages, served on a variety of boards, led a variety of ministries, and a couple of times dad was the lay delegate in one church.
Other things were put on the back burner when it conflicted with their primary commitments: personal faith, family, and church. Now to be honest, I have come to see certain things differently than mom did in terms of commitment and involvements. But her underlying commitment to the importance of commitment especially to Christ and the Church has come through loud and clear. And her value of commitment has been a key value in my life.
(20) The final lesson that my mother taught me was the strategic value of good choices. (20A) A verse that I have heard from mom’s lips over the years is Philippians 3:12 ‘I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.’
When you hear my mom’s story, one thing stands out, the importance of good choices and this is clear when she talks about her courtship with dad. Mom was 31 when she married my dad who was a few weeks past his 24th birthday in October 1955.
As you could tell by her high school picture that I showed earlier and this one as well (21) she was a looker. She made the strategically good choice of not lowering her standards when it came to men and she was willing to be, (her words here) ‘an old maid’ if necessary. Dad was persistent and after numerous times of ‘popping the question’, she said yes.
Mom has taught me the strategic value of good choices by living out this verse in Philippians. This verse is a statement about the very strategic choices of looking forward and looking at Jesus and working toward that day “when [she] will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved [her] for and wants [her] to be.”
Since her salvation experience in the 1940’s mom’s choices has been rooted in her relationship with Christ and I think that she has asked the question many times before it was made popular, ‘What would Jesus do?’ In doing so, she has made good choices a value that has been passed on to me.
Now some of you might be thinking, ‘Gee Jim it sounds like you had the perfect family!’ (22)
Let me remind you of several of things. 1. Who is the son in this story? (I rest my case.)
2. While the influence of the family is deep, profound, and sometimes very, very hurtful, God’s grace is greater than anything else is! We had our trials and difficulties, but all three of us, in our own ways, relied on the grace and power of God to get us through life as a family and as three different individuals.
3. There are lessons that we can learn from all of our experiences, the good ones and the bad ones. Keep in mind (23) Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
We admit this morning that many have memories of a mother that is perhaps sad or painful and today is a difficult day. Remember Romans 8:28, God still can work through the good and the bad of our lives as we love Him and allow His love to work its way deep into our hearts and souls.
In Psalm 68:6 there is a statement that we need to ponder and ask God to help us both understand and experience, ‘God places the lonely in families.’ For some of us, our family life has taken some unexpected turns. But please remember this… God has placed us all in families and through salvation; we are a part of God’s family, the church. And because we can be a part of God’s family, there is hope for all families because God created families, God is interested in families, and God wants families to be all that He has created them to be.
(24) In my pocket day timer there is a quote by Anthony Brandt that reminds us just how important families are to us. ‘Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.’
So moms… no matter how old your kids are… no matter how you currently feel or have felt about your family… let me suggest the following: (25)
(25A) You can still demonstrate faith. No one is too old to demonstrate an alive and vital faith in Christ. I think of my Grandmother Kane right up to her dying day demonstrated faith.
Her faith was strong. It was confident. It was believable. But she was concerned about her children, all grown and in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. She was concerned about their relationship with the Lord, one in particular, who finally came to Christ later in life.
(25B) You can still model commitment. One of the interesting dynamics of current family life is that of the ‘boomerang’ effect. Have you heard the term?
A CBS News report in January 2004 by CBS correspondent Richard Schlesinger tells the story of 31 year-old Tiffany Harrington who has decided to move back home to Virginia from New Mexico. The reason for doing so?
According to the CBS.com web posting, “Tiffany is looking for a new life and a new job. So, she’s decided to move in with her mother for the first time since she was 18.”
A high percentage of kids in their 20’s and 30’s, not just in America but also in England, are moving back home. The Guardian, an English newspaper, states, “The boomerang generation are children leaving the home for university, then finding [higher] education leaves them with much higher debt than they expected, or can afford to repay.”
The article goes onto say, “One option is moving back home so they can afford to repay the debt once they begin working. Others choose a university near to the parental home, and live at home while they study. “This, coupled with mounting house prices,” the article concludes, “makes it increasingly difficult for people in their early twenties to get on to the property ladder. Low levels of personal savings, combined with the mounting cost of care for the elderly, also appear to lie at the root of the problems faces by "boomerang" families across the country.”
It would be hard for Susan, the boys, and I to move in with mom. (It would also be illegal as her mobile home park allows only those aged 55 and up to live there!) But, it is happening for a wide variety of reasons. Maybe it needs to be seen as an opportunity to model commitment all over again as well as some good encouragement.
I like the bumper sticker, “If had known that grandkids were so much fun, I would have had them first!” For grandkids, give opportunity to help model commitment to the next generation.
Finally, mom… (25C) you can still exhibit good choices. I think of two Old Testament women, Naomi and Ruth and the example they set for making good choices.
Both had lost husbands and found themselves at a difficult place in life. But, both made good choices and decided not to become victims but made the important choice to become responsible.
They trusted the Lord and followed Him and as a result, I believe that we see those good choices wind through history and through the earthly lineage of Jesus Christ as we read in Matthew 1 of His human lineage.
Moms do not give up on your kids. You still matter to them and the Lord wants to help you mother well even when the kids are grown and out of the house. Your work is deep and profound and it is a lifetime experience. Ask the Lord for strength and patience and keep praying for your children.
To mom, I say ‘thanks!’ To Susan, I say, ‘Thanks!” To the Lord, I say ‘thanks… and Amen!’
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘051406svgs’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
Sources:
Things I learned from my mother
http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/hgender6.html
Famous Mom Quotes
http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/hwoman3.html
Mom-isms http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/mom.html
Einstein photograph
http://www.humboldt1.com/%7Egralsto/einstein/pictures/newyork.jpg
Search Institute Findings
The Teaching Church, pages 169, 171
Brandt quote
Pocket Pal 2006 Diary © Myron Corporation
CBS story
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/08/eveningnews/printable592186.shtml
Guardian story
www.guardian.co.uk/britain/article/0,2763,1126905,00.html
