Sunday, May 21, 2006
May 14, 2006--MOTHER'S DAY--God and Mom's Love/Sacrifice
Note: This post is not a transcript of an actual sermon. It is taken from the loose outline notes used by the pastor in delivering the sermon. Actual delivered sermon may have varied. No recording available. Sorry.
Text: Exodus 2:1-4, 1 Kings 3:26; John 15:13
Happy Mother's Day, one and all. This is the time when we think about Moms and what they have done for us. For some, it is remembering our mothers who have gone on to be with the Lord, for others, it is taking Mom out to dinner. Today, I would like to look at Moms and their love and compare it to God's love for us. My supposition is that Mom's love is the very embodiment of the nurturing love God has for us. My supposition is that Mom's love is the very essence of the caring God has for us, that prompted Him to lay down His Son for us.
You know, the other day, I was looking at some pictures. It was the picture of a girl fresh out of high school, with a poofy hat on, long dark hair, holding one of those old style phones to her ear. She had a certain twinkle in the eye, a certain something. Then, close by, was another picture...this one of a woman older, in her 60s, with short curly hair, and she was sitting next to some children. However, there was that same twinkle in the eye. It was the same person. It was my maternal grandmother. I also saw another picture, of a girl on a farm in Clinton County, looking out enthusiastically to the world as she sat on the grass. Then, I saw another picture, this time of a woman with glasses, lighter hair, and a little bit of seasoning. The same love in the eyes was there, however. Mothers are like that. There is something special about them.
These women were special. Both of these young women were bright, they could have done lots of things. However, both decided to settle down and raise families. Both of them sacrificed much. They sacrificed careers, they sacrificed their hopes and dreams. They sacrificed their lives, in a sense. They gave of themselves so that their children would see life. This is cliche, but it is true. If it were so readily a characteristic, would we have the amount of unborn murders we have today, if that twinkle were something so easily gotten? The sacrifice of mothers is something special. In many ways, the example of moms' sacrifice is the very image of God.
God sacrificed a portion of Himself, His Son, part of the Godhead, in order to save us. Mothers sacrifice their youth, their vigor, to see us come to full maturity. Likewise God sacrificed a portion of Himself to bring us closer to maturity, and He nurtures us, much as even when we are long gone from being babes, our Moms still nurture us, even if we are too dumb to know we still need that nurturing.
And, unfortunately, like Moms, God is often put in a box and taken for granted. We take out the love and the caring when we want it, then we hang up the phone or tell mom goodbye. We take out God when we need Him, but when we feel sure of ourselves, back He goes into the box. We need to stop that. We need to quit taking our moms for granted. We need to quit taking our God for granted. Unfortunately, Moms will not be here with us always, though their lessons and love long endure. We have the memories but we wish we stil had the times. Likewise, we can't keep putting off God forever. There will come a time when He won't take the box approach anymore. And it will be disastrous for us.
Mothers Day, just as church day, should not be just once a year or once a week, it should be everyday. We need to honor our moms and our God every day, not just one special day. However, often we get bogged down. So, if only for today, Moms, we Love you, we need you, thank you. Now go out and love your moms, and realize that by loving them, you are loving an essence of the Lord as well, and that we need to love God just as much as well.
Text: Exodus 2:1-4, 1 Kings 3:26; John 15:13
Happy Mother's Day, one and all. This is the time when we think about Moms and what they have done for us. For some, it is remembering our mothers who have gone on to be with the Lord, for others, it is taking Mom out to dinner. Today, I would like to look at Moms and their love and compare it to God's love for us. My supposition is that Mom's love is the very embodiment of the nurturing love God has for us. My supposition is that Mom's love is the very essence of the caring God has for us, that prompted Him to lay down His Son for us.
You know, the other day, I was looking at some pictures. It was the picture of a girl fresh out of high school, with a poofy hat on, long dark hair, holding one of those old style phones to her ear. She had a certain twinkle in the eye, a certain something. Then, close by, was another picture...this one of a woman older, in her 60s, with short curly hair, and she was sitting next to some children. However, there was that same twinkle in the eye. It was the same person. It was my maternal grandmother. I also saw another picture, of a girl on a farm in Clinton County, looking out enthusiastically to the world as she sat on the grass. Then, I saw another picture, this time of a woman with glasses, lighter hair, and a little bit of seasoning. The same love in the eyes was there, however. Mothers are like that. There is something special about them.
These women were special. Both of these young women were bright, they could have done lots of things. However, both decided to settle down and raise families. Both of them sacrificed much. They sacrificed careers, they sacrificed their hopes and dreams. They sacrificed their lives, in a sense. They gave of themselves so that their children would see life. This is cliche, but it is true. If it were so readily a characteristic, would we have the amount of unborn murders we have today, if that twinkle were something so easily gotten? The sacrifice of mothers is something special. In many ways, the example of moms' sacrifice is the very image of God.
God sacrificed a portion of Himself, His Son, part of the Godhead, in order to save us. Mothers sacrifice their youth, their vigor, to see us come to full maturity. Likewise God sacrificed a portion of Himself to bring us closer to maturity, and He nurtures us, much as even when we are long gone from being babes, our Moms still nurture us, even if we are too dumb to know we still need that nurturing.
And, unfortunately, like Moms, God is often put in a box and taken for granted. We take out the love and the caring when we want it, then we hang up the phone or tell mom goodbye. We take out God when we need Him, but when we feel sure of ourselves, back He goes into the box. We need to stop that. We need to quit taking our moms for granted. We need to quit taking our God for granted. Unfortunately, Moms will not be here with us always, though their lessons and love long endure. We have the memories but we wish we stil had the times. Likewise, we can't keep putting off God forever. There will come a time when He won't take the box approach anymore. And it will be disastrous for us.
Mothers Day, just as church day, should not be just once a year or once a week, it should be everyday. We need to honor our moms and our God every day, not just one special day. However, often we get bogged down. So, if only for today, Moms, we Love you, we need you, thank you. Now go out and love your moms, and realize that by loving them, you are loving an essence of the Lord as well, and that we need to love God just as much as well.
# posted by Mark : 2:08 PM
