The Branch Of Motherhood (Mother's Day 2022 Version)

THE BRANCH OF MOTHERHOOD

Texts: Ezekiel 19:10 & John 15:1- 8

Ezekiel 19:10  Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard transplanted by the water, fruitful and full of branches from abundant water (NRSV).

John 15:1-8  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  (2)  He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.  (3)  You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.  (4)  Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.  (5)  I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.  (6)  Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  (7)  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  (8)  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples (NRSV).

A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: “My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?” When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with the word Mother. Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press. In a way, the second graders were not wrong. Mothers can be “magnetic” in their witness by their examples to their children. What happens to the children of mothers who don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? Christian legacies matter because motherhood is a stewardship that will leave its mark! How well do we "magnetically" pick up, embrace---retain and live out what our mother's taught and instilled in us?

How can we relate Mother’s Day to today’s text, John 15:1 – 8? We can relate Motherhood to today’s text by thinking of Motherhood as a branch on the Vine that Jesus is talking about. John 15:1 - 8 echoes Ezekiel 19:10.

A vine in the words of Jesus serves as a metaphor, a life line to all that grows from it. That is what Jesus meant when He said “I am the Vine and you are the branches and apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). This morning, we will take a look at the “Branch of Motherhood”. If a mother is detached from the fellowship of God, then how can she be fruitful toward God?

The pages of history are filled with those whose lives were fruitful. Today we will focus on how Motherhood is a stewardship that leaves its mark.

MOTHERHOOD IS A STEWARDSHIP

Consider this small inventory of children whose mothers made a difference. Among the names of some who changed history is …..

> Saint Augustine, a fourth century church father whose mother prayed for him without ceasing until he left his playboy lifestyle and got saved. He became one of the major influences in early Christianity. (St. Augustine's Confessions).

> John Wesley, was the fifteenth of nineteen children, and his mother Susannah Wesley taught him how important self examination was because of how sin likes to hide. http://www.fullyaliveinchrist.com/2010/08/sunday-salt-what-john-wesleys-mother.html He became the founder of Methodism.

> General George Patton whose mother, according to Paul Harvey, helped him tremendously in his childhood with his reading, writing, and horse –back riding [equestrian skills], and countless others. He was the general the Germans feared the most in WWII.

> Insert your own name and consider what your mother did for you!

How is it that motherhood is a stewardship? Does it seem odd to call the role of motherhood a stewardship? A steward is a caretaker.

1) Stewardship of motherhood: A steward takes care of things that belong to someone else.

2) Like a shepherd: A good example of stewardship is shepherds taking care of the sheep of their flock. Motherhood is a stewardship in the ways that a mother takes care of her household as Proverbs 31 describes.

3) Susanna Wesley’s stewardship as a mother. “Susanna’s children were covered daily in religious devotion, discipline, and academia. She and her husband placed a tremendous emphasis on piety and the importance of a virtuous life. However, she had a difficult time showing her affections to her daughters, and even to John. She knew God had a calling on him, and thought that any tenderness toward him might get in the way of his being put solidly on the path that God had chosen for him. Admirable as that is, her coldness hindered him with women all of his life. [Opinion or fact?] He was never able to settle comfortably in a lasting relationship with a female”. https://www.sgaumc.org/newsdetail/the-story-of-john-wesleys-sisters-1864837