What Jesus' Moms Taught Me

WHAT JESUS’ MOMS TAUGHT ME

Introduction Illustrations:

WHAT IS A MOTHER?

Somewhere between the youthful energy of a teenager and the golden years of a woman’s life, there lives a marvelous and loving person known as "Mother."

A mother is a curious mixture of patience, kindness, understanding, discipline, industriousness, purity and love.

A mother can be at one and the same time, both "lovelorn counselor" to a heartsick daughter, and "head soccer coach" to an athletic son.

A mother can sew the tiniest stitch in the material for that dainty prom dress and she is equally experienced in threading through the heaviest traffic with a station wagon or van.

A mother is the only creature on earth who can cry when she’s happy, laugh when she’s heartbroken, and work when she’s feeling ill.

A mother is as gentle as a lamb and as strong as a giant. Only a mother can appear so weak and helpless and yet be the same one who puts the fruit jar cover on so tightly even Dad can’t get it off.

A mother is a picture of helplessness when Dad is near, and a marvel of resourcefulness when she’s all alone.

A mother has the angelic voice of a member in the celestial choir as she sings Brahm’s lullaby to a babe held tight in her arms; yet this same voice can dwarf the sound of an amplifier when she call her boys in for supper, or cheers them on at a game.

A mother has the fascinating ability to be almost everywhere at once and she alone can somehow squeeze and enormous amount of living into an average day.

A mother is "old fashioned" to her teenager; just "Mom" to her third-grader; and simple "Mama" to little two-year old sister.

But there is hardly a thrill in life that can compete to pointing to that wonderful woman and be able to say to all the world, "That’s my mother!"

One-liners:

The quickest way for a mother to get the attention of her children is to sit down and look comfortable.

Mothers can have a few minutes to themselves at the end of the day by doing the dishes.

There was a CARTOON. . .

that shows a three-year-old, freckle-faced boy in hallway. His pajamas are unsnapped, his diaper’s bagging, and he’s got a little teddy bear dangling in his hand. He’s standing in front of his mother and father’s bedroom door, which is shut. On the door is a little sign written by a weary mother: "Closed for Business. Motherhood Out of Order."

What is a Grandmother? (Written by a third grader)

A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own. She likes other people’s little girls and boys. A grandfather is a man grandmother. He goes for walks with boys, and they talk about fishing and stuff like that.

Grandmothers don’t have to do anything except be there. They’re old so they shouldn’t play hard or run. It is enough if they drive us to the market where the pretend horse is, and have a lot of dimes ready. Or if they take us for walk, they should slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They should never say, "Hurry up!"

Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandmothers don’t have to be smart, only answer questions like, "Why isn’t God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?"

Grandmothers don’t talk baby talk like visitors do, because it is hard to understand. When they read to us they don’t skip or mind if it is the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don’t have television, because they are the only grown-ups who have time.

MESSAGE:

The Genealogy of Jesus suggests how the Bible is an anthology of human experiences and of God’s redemptive acts. There are at least five things I’ve gleaned from the lives of the five women in this genealogy. Appearance of names DOES NOT VALIDATE what any of these did, but only that God’s Son is linked to them.

Doesn’t validate whatever we do, but speaks of GOD carrying out His will IN SPITE of what we do: in spite of our sin; in spite of our circumstances; in spite of what others do to us; in spite of where we came from. God sovereignly works toward and through people.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THESE WOMEN:

Mother #1: Tamar -- I Will Endeavor to Always Trust God With My Future (Don’t take my future into my own hands)

---- This is a story of deception, incest and harlotry. It was an incident which showed why God found it necessary to remove His people from the heathen culture and send them to Egypt.