Mother's Day 2024

Mother’s Day was first dreamed up by Anna M. On May 10, 1908 – Miss Jarvis a held memorial service at her church a few years after her mother’s death and gave every person who attended a white carnation, her mother’s favorite flower.  Large cities across the United States began to meet on the second sunday of May to recognize the love and sacrifice of mothers.  May 9, 1914, by an act of congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.  He said this day would be a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” Here, we see culture catching up to scripture.  Honoring our mother’s and father’s has always been a part of God’s plan.  He has used mothers throughout history as models, protectors and nourishers of their children.  
 
Mother’s day isn’t just a day of celebration but also a day to mourn. For some, this is their first Mother’s Day without the lady who raised them. For others, Mother’s Day is challenging because of their parodical son or daughter who is both far from God and them. There are others who desire to be a mother but God hasn’t answered that prayer yet.  Which is why we join together in community on Mother’s Day to both celebrate and mourn together.  We know as a Gospel community that no matter what our situation with our mother, children or family – God is still for us.  

Proverbs 31:29–31
"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."
 
Proverbs 31 is a beautiful celebration of a daughter, wife, mother and worshipper.  A woman who is doing the work of caring for her kids, her husband, and her business affairs while worshipping with all of her heart, soul and mind.  This a woman who is deserving of praise. As we think about biblical characteristics of a mother there are many that come up: loving, caring, compassionate, patience and caring.  But we want to focus on the self-sacrifice of a mother.  Many of our mothers have modeled Jesus to us through their self-sacrifice.  We can learn a lot about Jesus as we look at our mothers whose relationship with Christ overflowed into our relationships with her children. Looking at Philippians 2:3-4, we see our call as Christ followers to be full of sacrifice and how our mother’s sacrificed for us.  

Others more Significant | As Christ followers, we are called to sacrifice and serve others as Christ did. Moms live this out in so many ways.  They so often sacrifice time and energy raising their sons and daughters.  
 
Others Interest | Jesus sacrificed his interest for us.  He willing went to the cross for us. Our moms took on the interest of their children out of love.  They learned about sports, dance and our favorite shows. They sacrifice for us.  But sacrifice isn’t sacrifice when it is done in love.  
 
Serving Others | Salary.com says stay at home moms should be paid $160,000 for their work.  But no mom has ever gotten paid. They served us out of love.  We could never pay them back for their service.  Like Jesus who gave us a gift in salvation that could never be repaid.  

Big Idea: Jesus' self-sacrificing love can be seen in a mother’s love for her family. We too should live a life full of self-sacrifice for His glory, not ours.