MOTHER'S DAY

O' LORD, our God, we lift our voices together in the name of Christ Jesus and give thanksgiving for this day and this time that you have granted us so that we might bring great glory to You on this Mother's Day. Father, it is through Your great wisdom that man was created, and from a man, a woman. It is through this hallowed bond, Oh Lord, that we fulfill Your commandment to be fruitful and to multiply and to receive the rich love, a mother's love, received first from You. Bless all those who are gathered, in Your name, who may call themselves Mothers, and bring richness to their days, and great respect from our collective hearts, We pray in His Name, AMEN.


AND IT BEGAN


In (Gen 2:21-23) So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

Thus we have our Man and Woman, soon to be someone's Mom and Dad.

This was the start. God's mighty plan to join ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN into a lifelong bond, providing THE method of producing families, children, natural brothers and sisters who themselves would grow up be joined together by the Lord and produce families all in the loving grace of a mighty and wondrous God.

The word MOTHER appears 320 times in the Bible. Some mothers were famous. Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Bathsheeba, and of course Mary, Mother of Jesus. Other Moms we will simply say that Jezebel's image was probably not the most wholesome for children to emulate.

On this Mother's Day, let us take a journey through the Bible, specifically to scripture highlighting Mothers of Biblical times.

In Exodus 20:12, God lays out by a commandment that we should honor our Father and our Mother. This is repeated in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms and Proverbs and further.


In Judges Chapters 4 and 5, read about Deborah, a powerful judge and leader of the Israelites, and how she, took Barak by the hand and with the help of a brave woman and mother named Jael, a major battle was won. Deborah called herself a Mother in Israel. Perhaps the title should have been Mother OF Israel.


In the book of Ruth, we read of a wondrous bond between a widowed mother-in-law and her like-wise widowed daughters-in-law. Committing one's self to an exemplar of motherhood to journey into the unknown. A great love story. Ruth became a mother and the Great Grandmother of King David!

Not all mothers of Biblical times had happy outcomes. The wife of LOT, Abraham's nephew was turned into a pillar of salt as she looked back towards Sodom and Gomorrah in defiance of the Angel of the Lord. Genesis 19:26

Jezebel, wife of King Ahab set a horrible standard for her children as she became truly a terror and killer taking many lives in pursuit of her Pagan beliefs. Her story begins in 1 Kings, Chapter 16. Her end came in a most gruesome way.

When you were a child and was hurt, or you were sick, who made it all better? It was Mom. Who taught you how to count to ten, to say thank-you and please? It was Mom. Who taught you to pray; Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take? It was Mom.

Then there was Mary:

(Luk 1:30,31, 34, 35) The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

(Luk 2:7) And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

(Luk 2:17, 19) When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Mary, the Mother of Christ, the most cherished and adored MOM of all time.

It is those special and unique talents, gifts and nurturing temperaments given to Mothers, by the grace of God, that causes Mothers to be so very special and to hold eternal places in our hearts. Whether good or bad, strong or weak, she will always be more than just a woman, she will forever be MOM. Happy Mother's Day.

LET US PRAY: Father, we praise You for Your great wisdom in creating Mothers. Those who carry us while You knit us together in the womb, those who nurse us, hold us, care for us, teach us, and Love us, just as you have taught. Continue, O Lord, to hold Mothers in special regard, keeping their hearts pure and soft as the great nurturers of your Kingdom, In the name of Jesus, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY...MOM?