The "Be There" Attitude Series

Last week I began a series about attitudes. As we look at the second sermon in this series I want to discuss what I call the "Be There¨ attitude. Mother’s are a prime example of the "be there¨ attitude. There are many things we could say about mothers. We could talk about their love. We could talk about their gentle spirit. We could talk about their endurance. We could talk about their kindness. One thing is for sure, mothers display a "be there¨ attitude. They are there when we are born. They are there when we cut our first tooth. They are there when we take our first step. They are there when we graduate from school. They are there for many other events. What a wonderful attitude!

Some of the great events of history have been built around the "be there¨ attitude. If you have seen a picture of the soldiers erecting the American flag at Iwo Jima you witnessed such an attitude. If you have heard the story of the Alamo you witnessed such an attitude. If you have visited the Vietnam memorial in Washington you witnessed an event that represents such an attitude.

There are many places where we should display a "be there¨ attitude.

- We should "be there¨ for our country.

- We should "be there¨ for our friends.

- We should "be there¨ for our church family.

- We should "be there¨ for our employers.

It is not always easy to "be there.¨ A husband was told by a marriage counselor to try and be more considerate of his wife. One day he comes home from work. He is dressed in a suit, has cologne on, and has a bouquet of flowers and a box of candy in his hands. He rings the doorbell and he is standing there as she opens the door. He holds out the flowers and the box of candy. The wife opens the door takes one look at him standing there and starts crying. In between her sobs she says, "Oh, I can’t believe it! Little Johnny has been throwing up; the dishwasher just broke; your parents are coming to visit this weekend and to top it all off, you come home drunk!

(Contributed to Sermon Central by Timothy Henning)

There are many things that affect our commitment.

- Conditions and circumstances affect commitment.

- Values affect commitment. Many Southerners were disloyal to the union during the Civil War because their values affected their commitment.

- People affect our commitment. A beautiful young girl will affect a boy’s sense of commitment to his buddies.

- Ultimately, your faith will affect your commitment, in other areas of your life.

We are going to look at a Biblical example of a person who had a "be there¨ attitude. She was a mother. In fact, she was the mother of Jesus. Our text for today is taken from John 19:25. "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother¡¦s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.¨ Jesus mother, Mary, was loyal and dependable. She was there when Jesus was an infant. She was there when Jesus performed His first miracle. She was there when Jesus faced his trials. Ultimately, she was there when Jesus died.

What a trait, loyalty! It is so important. My prayer is that it would be said of me, he was always there. He was loyal. I want my sons to say, he was there for me. I want Judy to say, he was there for me. I want my friends to say, he was there for me. I want my fellow believers to say, he was there for me.

I want to examine Mary, not as the mother of Jesus, but as a person who was dependable and loyal to a lifestyle. In so doing, I want to lead you in discovering the qualities that made Mary such a positive example. If we follow her example it will affect our faith but also our daily lives. That is what it’s all about: being a better Christian, being a better husband, being a better employer, and being a better church member. What do you need to see?

1. You need to see your life as an assignment from God. Mary’s assignment was to serve as the earthly mother of the Son of God. What a job! What an assignment!

If you are going to honor God your assignment may not be easy. In the Bible, believers did not face easy assignments.

- What if you had been in Noah’s shoes?

- What if you had been Moses?

- What if you had been in Jeremiah’s shoes?

- What if you had been in Paul’s shoes?

Your assignment may not be easy.

Erma Bombeck wrote this essay entitled, When God Created Women. It underscores the difficulty of being a mother. "By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into his sixth day of working overtime. An Angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on this one?" And the Lord answered and said, "Have you seen the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have 200 movable parts, all replaceable, run on black coffee and leftovers, have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart, and have six pairs of hands," The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No Way!", said the Angel. The Lord replied, "Oh, it¡¦s not the hands that are the problem. It¡¦s the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have! One pair of eyes are to see through the closed doors when she asks, "What are you kids doing in there?¡¨ Another pair in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn¡¦t but what she has to know. And of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, "I understand and I love you without uttering so much as a word. The Angel tried to stop the Lord. "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish." "But I can’t", the Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing a creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower! The Angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord." "She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish." "Will she be able to think?", asked the Angel. The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate," The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman’s cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one." "That’s not a leak", the Lord objected, "That’s a tear!" "What’s the tear for?", the Angel asked. The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride," The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius Lord, this woman is amazing."