Sermon Tone Analysis

A Mother’s Faith

Today is a day we honor and celebrate mothers, and we should!

We would not be here if it were not for our moms.

The second Sunday of May is celebrated as Mother’s Day.

The founder of this day was Miss Anna Jarvis, a teacher in the primary department of St. Andrew Methodist Church, Grafton, West Virginia, the class her deceased mother had taught.

On May 12, 1907, Miss Jarvis passed out carnations to this class in honor of her mother.

In this way Mother’s Day was born.

I’m aware that Mother’s Day is a difficult time for some of us.

Maybe you want to be a mother but you can’t be for some reason

Perhaps some of you have not had the best mother in the world

Some of us have mothers who have died

Some of you mothers have lost a child

Some of you mothers feel the pain of a wayward child this morning

And, some of you are flying solo as you work hard to care for and nurture your child.

God wants you to know, by His Word, how important you are this morning.

Maybe you are a birth mom, a step-mom, an adoptive mom, a foster mom, an aunt who has taken on the role of a mom, or a grandmother who finds herself filling the role of a mom again.

Maybe you find yourself in the role of a spiritual mother this morning.

Scripture is clear on how important you are to Kingdom building.

Let’s look at what I believe to be one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible.

It is when Hanna is praying for a son.

Now, Hannah was unable to have children.

The Biblical account tells us that her husband, Elkanah, had two wives; Hannah and Peninnah.

Peninnah was able to have children and would make fun of Hannah for not being able to have children.

This went on for years.

Hannah’s heart was crushed.

She is begging the LORD for a son.

She is in deep reverent prayer.

Hannah makes a promise to God; she will give her son back to God.

By promising to not cut his hair was fulfilling a Nazarite vow.

It was a special vow of separation to the LORD.

She was promising to raise him in the LORD.

Hannah had a son who we know as Samuel.

Samuel would go on to be a prophet of the LORD, one of the final judges over Israel, and an anointer of Kings.

How many of us had moms that prayed for us?

Through tears, through hurt, and rejoiced for us?

Here with us and online today, how many mothers have prayed for their children?

For other children who are not there own?

Sisters, your prayers do not fall on deaf ears.

God hears you and he loves you this morning.

Mothers should influence with prayer, like Hannah.

Hannah was so deep in prayer and communion with God that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk!

I have prayed with my own wife over our children, I have prayed with many mothers in the church over their children, and there is something that remain the same in those prayers.

Selflessness.

To her, It does not matter how much she is suffering, or how much emotional hurt she is feeling, or even the physical pain the she is in; those prayers focused on the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of her children.

That is a reflection of the love of Christ.

Mothers, I want to remind you this morning that you are amazing.

Here is the hard part though; Remember, there is a limit to what you can do for your children.

You do not have a magic wand.

You care for them, you love them, you nurture them, you pray for and with them, and you help guide them.

You must be willing to give them to God.

You will always be their mom, but God is their Heavenly Father.

God knows the love you feel as a mother this morning.

Recall what Jesus said as he grieved over Jerusalem before he entered for Passover.

God loves His children, yet we all wander at times.

Notice that Jesus chose to illustrate God’s love with the love of a mother.

A self sacrificing and protective love.

The same kind of love that Jesus has for each of us this morning.

Similar to the love of Christ, a mothers love is a powerful force.

Even the Greek word “agapeo,” which is the highest form of love (Godly/self-sacrificing), comes from the feminine part of speech and is always associated with God’s love and often associated with a mothers love.

As a dad it looks a little different at times.

I am not sure how many men will agree with me but if one of my kids hurts or disrespects their mom, I go to def-con 1. LOOK OUT!

She is the one that has to reel me back in!

Even through her own hurt.

A mother’s love touches those around you, not just your children.

As hard as it is, I need to say this next thing.

I think one of the hardest things for moms is, as our kids get older, you have to learn to let them go.

You want to protect them, just like God does.

I don't mean that you are not there for them or that you do not love them or pray for them.

I mean you have to let them grow up, make their own mistakes and experience their successes.

If you are hearing my words this morning, for most of us, we will always be our moms little chicks.

Nothing will change that.

Mothers are not perfect yet there is an unfair expectation placed on them to be perfect at times.

Sisters, do not place yourselves or allow others to make you feel like a failure or that you are not good enough.

If you are struggling in an area of your life, bring it to the LORD of Heavens Armies who will hear you and move on your behalf.

He will walk you though the trials and celebrate with you in victory!

If you have hard feelings or unforgiveness towards a mother this morning, know that more often than not, she has done or is doing the best she can with what she has.

I would challenge you to be honest with yourselves and ask how your shortcomings contributed toward the situation.

Ask if you are holding onto something out of ego, pride, or anger.

These things lead to a root of bitterness and do not show His grace.

Now is the time for healing and forgiveness.

We need that today more than ever.

I was thinking about the prodigal son the other day.

The focus was on the father.

The father who celebrated the sons return.

We know that was an illustration of God’s love for us.

I asked myself “Where is the mother?”

Now, this is not biblical, but I would like to think the mother was waiting it out, knowing her son would return.

Wondering what she did wrong, maybe feeling some kind of guilt, wondering what she could have done differently, and praying through her pain the entire time.

Sometimes there is nothing that you can do except turn it over to God.

Mothers, you have influence through your faith, through your prayer, through your devotion, and through your actions.

Your children learn from you, your husbands learn from you, and others around you are impacted by what you say and do.

Look what Jesus said when his brothers and mother came to see him;

Jesus was not downgrading human family, he was showing the superiority of a Spiritual family.

His mother would fill the role of a spiritual mother and John would fill the role of a spiritual son.

Commitment to Jesus and His cause is a higher loyalty than familial loyalty.

Jesus was not being disrespectful to Mary.

He made sure she was to be taken care of from the cross.

Sisters in Christ.

Our Lord and Savior is telling you that whether you have birth children or not, you are called to a divine purpose.

In the family of God, you are going to be called to fill a Spiritual mothers role at times.