Thursday, May 10, 2018
Mother's Day, Church, and Jesus
Here it is again. This Sunday is Mother's Day. And churches once again are wrestling with what to do about recognizing it. Because here are some of the people who will be in your audience Sunday...
Lots of Moms. New Moms up thru Great Grandmothers. Single Moms. Moms still grieving the loss of children. Moms with faithful generations growing up under them. Moms with children who are not believers.
There will be women there who want with all their heart to be Moms, but it hasn't happened yet. Single women who have found their mate. Married women who can't seem to get pregnant. And women who are single by choice and some who have chosen not to have kids.
Church Moms will be there. My wife has "daughters" all over who look to her for advice. Every church has those church Moms. I can name a dozen or so where I go to church. And that is without really thinking about it.
Children will be there. Grown kids bringing their family to church with Mom. Young kids sitting by Mom, or on Mom. And there will be grieving children missing their Mom. Some of them for the first time this Mother's Day. There will be children there who are estranged from their Mom. And some who were abused by there Mom.
So how does the church handle Mother's Day. Celebrate all Moms and know that some feel awkward and left out? Apologize for perhaps hurting someone's feelings if you celebrate mothers? Pretend every women is a mother? Ignore it?
Preach on Mom's in the Bible. Dust off the Mary sermon. Or Elizabeth. Or Timothy's mother and grandmother. Or Ruth and Naomi. What about Eve? Or Leah and Rachel?
So what would I do?
I would be sure that more than anything, we celebrate Jesus.
And it is a good chance to celebrate Moms and motherhood. So do it. Acknowledge those who might be hurting or feel awkward. But the truth is, most of the ladies we worry about hurting or offending are actually not going to be upset. If they are believers -- and most of them will be since it is ... well, church -- they are big fans of mothers. They want to encourage and help and support the mothers of their church.
So here's to Moms. Moms by birth, by marriage, or by fellowship. Moms that did their best and Moms that wish they had done better. Moms that showed us Jesus. Moms that loved us, nurtured us, and supported us.
So here is my shout-out to my five favorite Moms. Love you Granny. Miss you and will see you in heaven. And love you Mom. You taught so much about Jesus. Julie and Jamie. You girls are great Moms. Your kids are the living proof of the good work you are doing. And Honey/Mom/Mimi. You are the best. Your kids and grands adore you. And I love you for the dozens and dozens of your Moms you have mentored, supported, cried with, loved on, and modeled how to be a Jesus wife and mother.
You Moms rock.
Lots of Moms. New Moms up thru Great Grandmothers. Single Moms. Moms still grieving the loss of children. Moms with faithful generations growing up under them. Moms with children who are not believers.
There will be women there who want with all their heart to be Moms, but it hasn't happened yet. Single women who have found their mate. Married women who can't seem to get pregnant. And women who are single by choice and some who have chosen not to have kids.
Church Moms will be there. My wife has "daughters" all over who look to her for advice. Every church has those church Moms. I can name a dozen or so where I go to church. And that is without really thinking about it.
Children will be there. Grown kids bringing their family to church with Mom. Young kids sitting by Mom, or on Mom. And there will be grieving children missing their Mom. Some of them for the first time this Mother's Day. There will be children there who are estranged from their Mom. And some who were abused by there Mom.
So how does the church handle Mother's Day. Celebrate all Moms and know that some feel awkward and left out? Apologize for perhaps hurting someone's feelings if you celebrate mothers? Pretend every women is a mother? Ignore it?
Preach on Mom's in the Bible. Dust off the Mary sermon. Or Elizabeth. Or Timothy's mother and grandmother. Or Ruth and Naomi. What about Eve? Or Leah and Rachel?
So what would I do?
I would be sure that more than anything, we celebrate Jesus.
And it is a good chance to celebrate Moms and motherhood. So do it. Acknowledge those who might be hurting or feel awkward. But the truth is, most of the ladies we worry about hurting or offending are actually not going to be upset. If they are believers -- and most of them will be since it is ... well, church -- they are big fans of mothers. They want to encourage and help and support the mothers of their church.
So here's to Moms. Moms by birth, by marriage, or by fellowship. Moms that did their best and Moms that wish they had done better. Moms that showed us Jesus. Moms that loved us, nurtured us, and supported us.
So here is my shout-out to my five favorite Moms. Love you Granny. Miss you and will see you in heaven. And love you Mom. You taught so much about Jesus. Julie and Jamie. You girls are great Moms. Your kids are the living proof of the good work you are doing. And Honey/Mom/Mimi. You are the best. Your kids and grands adore you. And I love you for the dozens and dozens of your Moms you have mentored, supported, cried with, loved on, and modeled how to be a Jesus wife and mother.
You Moms rock.
