The Joyous Mother Of Children (Part 1)

“Praise the LORD!

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

praise the name of the LORD!

“Blessed be the name of the LORD

from this time forth and forevermore!

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

the name of the LORD is to be praised!

“The LORD is high above all nations,

and his glory above the heavens!

Who is like the LORD our God,

who is seated on high,

who looks far down

on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes,

with the princes of his people.

He gives the barren woman a home,

making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the LORD!” [1]

Some years ago, it was reported that a prestigious Manhattan school banned making Mother’s Day gifts. The rationale for this move was to protect the feelings of children of same-sex couples. [2] The push to eliminate Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day as well, continues in our world. [3] The push to rid the world of the concept of mothers (and fathers) seems only to intensify with each passing year.

I suspect that many mothers would miss “treasures” such as pencil holders created from cast-off soup cans, coloured string, and Styrofoam pictures. I never had any particular difficulty with the concept of Mother’s Day, but I do confess that Mother’s Day presents pastoral difficulties for me. As a student in elementary school, I made such gifts, but they were created to be presented to my Grandma Nellie. She served as a surrogate mother, saying on one occasion after I had grown to manhood, “I had to love Mike, no one else would.” The reason I treated this woman to my childish gifts is because my own mother had deserted the home. You can understand the reason I inured myself to hearing the accolades to mothers, I had no such memories of my own.

In earlier years of my service among the churches, I found it beyond challenging when I was required to prepare a message for the second Sunday in May. On some years, I would simply continue with the particular series of messages I was delivering, giving the observance of Mother’s Day what amounted to a cursory acknowledgement. In other years I struggled to prepare an appropriate message, which seemed often to turn into a rather tepid presentation of God’s ideal for motherhood.

Eventually, the pain of the day was ameliorated through God’s gift of a gracious wife. Lynda revealed the beauty of motherhood, and I grew to appreciate this day through watching her mother our children—the children God had entrusted to our home. Mother’s Day grew until the day had become an opportunity for me to honour my wife as a joyous mother of children. Today, I have no doubt that mothers are truly a divine gift.

I believe it is right for churches to set aside a day in which mothers are honoured. In part, such honour is required because the concept of family is under assault. Same-sex “marriage” is the law of the land, and support for this novel idea has grown dramatically in such a short time that it takes away one’s breath. [4] The concept of “alternative life-styles” is rapidly becoming acceptable not only within contemporary society, but among contemporary evangelicals. [5] Of course, same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada for more than fifteen years. [6] Therefore, if for no other reason than that our children should be encouraged to honour the family as God created it, we should observe Mother’s Day.

It is folly-wide-the-mark for anyone to expect the public education system to provide moral instruction for our children. I am grateful for godly teachers who serve as salt and light within the public-school system. Nevertheless, it is unrealistic to expect an educational system created by the world system to provide moral guidance for our children. Sound moral guidance can come only through godly families and through the instruction in the Faith provided by the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our children need opportunity to acknowledge God’s righteous plan in their own lives. As families are increasingly assaulted from multiple directions, we need to exalt God’s ideal for the home. Join me in an all together too brief exploration of the estimate placed on mothers in the Word of God. Among the texts exalting motherhood within Scripture is the 113th PSALM, which I invite you to examine together with me at this time.

GOD’S POWER IS REVEALED THROUGH HIS COMPASSION — This 113th Psalm is thought to have originally been a victory Psalm, sung at the time of victory during war. The style of the Psalm harkens back to the earliest days of Israel’s history as a nation. The Psalm begins with praise to God and concludes with praise to Him. You will recognise the opening words in the Hebrew tongue as Hallû yah! The words mean “Praise the LORD,” just as the translation used for this message indicates. However, we are not out of line to simply exclaim, “Hallelujah!” Perhaps more importantly in light of our recent commemoration of the Resurrection and the ongoing observance of the Lord’s Table among the faithful, this Psalm begins “the Hallel,” which was sung at the three Great Feasts, at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), and at the New Moons.