The Christian Mother!
Sermon Notes: May 13, 2007
- Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor
(480) 895-8766
John 15:9-17 NRSV
9“As the Father
has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide
in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11I have said
these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be
complete. 12This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. 13No one has
greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command
you. 15I do not call
you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is
doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you
everything that I have heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,
fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in
my name. 17I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
A.
Introduction
1. Magnet or Mom?
a.
Mr. Murphy the science teacher had spent half a semester teaching
the boys and girls about magnetism. He
had this question on the mid term exam:
“My name starts with ‘M’, I have six letters in my name, and I pick
things up. I am a?” Half the class wrote “Mother!
b.
Today is the day that we honor mothers and thank them for all
that they do. And most moms’ have done a
lot and sacrificed greatly for their family.
2. Erma Bombeck
a.
Some years back Erma Bombeck described
the difficult task that God had in creating mothers. After all, God would have to build a creature
that could run on black coffee and leftovers.
A mother would have a lap that disappears when she stands up. She would have a “kiss” that could cure
anything from a broken leg to a broken heart.
She would have to have six pairs of hands and three pairs of eyes. An angel pleaded with God not to work so
hard, “Lord it’s late go and rest.” God replied, “I can’t. I’m so close to creating something so close
to myself.” The angel circled the model
of a mother very slowly. “It’s too
soft,” sighed the angel. God answered,
“But tough! You cannot imagine what this
mother can endure!” Finally the angel
bent over and ran a finger across the mother’s cheek. The surprised angel said, “There’s a
leak! I told you that you were trying to
put too much into this model.” “It’s not
a leak,” said the Lord, “it’s a tear.”
The angel said, “What’s it for?”
God replied, “It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness,
and pride.” The beaming angel said, “You
are a genius!” God looking somber said,
“I didn’t put it there.”
b.
It’s not an easy job being a mom.
They do so much for us.
3. Today’s Scripture: John 15:12
a.
Jesus in John 15:12 says, “This is My
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (NRSV)
b. These words could, also, be used to
describe the Christian Mother. This
morning I would like to share three loving characteristics of the Christian
Mother.
B.
Sensitivity to the needs of others!
1. Plastic Surgeon, Doctor
Paul Grand
a.
Dr. Paul Grand the Plastic Surgeon has written about his life
experiences. He tells about an incidence
when he was a medical student. He
discovered that he was very good at intricate dissections. It’s a skill that requires a sensitive
touch. Then during the summer recess
Paul signed on as a hand on a sailing schooner.
He spent eight weeks pulling ropes, hauling sail, and pulling up the
anchor. As a result he developed large
calluses all over his palms and fingers.
His hands were so tough he thought that he could do anything with
them. He was proud of his “manly”
achievement! When he returned to medical
school he discovered that he was not able to do the delicate dissections anymore. He had lost his touch and he feared that he
would lose his dream of being a surgeon.
Eventually the tough skin wore away, the sensation returned to his
hands, and he could do the delicate medical work. What Dr. Grand learned is that you can
toughen yourself to the point where you don’t feel pain. However, when you lose sensitivity you, also,
lose the ability to care and help others.
b.
You and I need sensitivity if we are to love others as Jesus
loves us. For most of us the best human
example has been mom. She never ever was
too tough to feel our pain, and be there to help us.
2. M*A*S*H
a.
In one episode of M*A*S*H Doctor Frank Burns is depressed. Margaret has left him for a younger more
masculine fellow. Then Hawkeye Pearce
has to intervene to save one of Frank’s patients. Dr. Burns is so upset that he gets a gun,
threatens suicide, and barricades himself in Colonel Potter’s office. Colonel Potter calls him on the office
phone. Frank is even more upset. Then the kind Chaplain calls Frank, and this
doesn’t help either. Finally, Corporal
Radar O’Reilly says, “Let me try.”
Suddenly through the window they can see that Frank has put the gun down
and is spilling his heart to someone.
Radar has patched a call through to the States, and Frank is talking to
his own mother. Radar says, “Sometimes a
boy just has to talk to his mother.”
Frank poured out his troubled heart, because he knew that his mother
above all else cared about him. She
would listen, and not criticize or ridicule.
b.
For most of us that describes our own mother. Mom is or was the one always concerned about
our feelings and us.
C.
Self-less concern, especially for her family!
1. Cookie Jar
a.
Eight-year old Bobby and his four-year old brother Scotty got
into a fight. They both wanted the last
cookie in the cookie jar. Bobby got
there first and held the cookie tightly in one hand. With his free hand he was engaged in a
slapping, grabbing, and shoving match with his little brother. Mom set them both down and took the cookie
from Bobby. Sarcastically she said,
“I’ll solve the problem for you. I’ll
eat the cookie.” Her two boys stared at
her in unbelief. Then one of them said,
“Oh, no you won’t, Mom. Whoever heard of
a selfish mother?”
b.
Sadly there are selfish mothers.
However, for most of us mom has been the one most willing to sacrifice
and do without for her family.
2. Marian Anderson’s
Mother
a.
Marian Anderson’s mom was certainly a mom who was willing to
sacrifice for her family. She was a poor
woman who cleaned floors and took in laundry for a living. She barely made enough to feed them and pay
the rent. Then Marian’s talent was
discovered. Mother took in laundry for
years to be able to pay for the singing lessons. Marian Anderson would eventually become rich
and famous. Marian has sung for several
Presidents and the Queen of England. She
has received many awards for her talent.
A reporter once asked Marian to name the greatest moment in her life. Without hesitation she said, “The day I went
home and told my mother she wouldn’t have to take in laundry any more!”
b.
Was your mother or some other special woman in your life like
that? Thank her in word and prayer for
her self-less sacrifice for you.
D.
Strong moral character.
1. Lieutenant John
Blanchard and Miss Hollis Maynell
a.
In “Chicken Soup for the Soul” I read a beautiful true love
story. It was about Lieutenant John
Blanchard a young soldier in basic training in
b.
John arrived early. At a
minute before 7 p.m. John stood up in his best dress uniform and watched as
people approached him. His heart was
pumping with anxiety and yet longing for the long awaited meeting. In his own words this is what happened: “A young woman was coming toward me, her
figure was long and slim, her blond hair lay back in curls from her delicate
ears, her eyes were blue as flowers, her lips and chin had a gentle firmness,
in her pale green suit she was like spring come alive! I started toward her entirely forgetting to
notice that she was not wearing a rose.
And as I moved a small provocative smile curved her lips: ‘Going my way, soldier?’ she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer
to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the
girl. A woman well past 40, she had
graying hair tucked under a worn hat.
She was more than plump; her thick ankled feet
were thrust into low-heeled shoes. But
she wore a red rose on the rumpled brown lapel of her coat. The girl in the green suit was walking
quickly away.
c. I
felt as though I was split in two. So
keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman who’s spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my
own. And there she stood; her pale,
plump face was gentle and sensible. Her
gray eyes had a warm kindly twinkle. I
did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the
small worn blue leather copy of the book, which was to identify me to her. This would not be love. But it would be something precious, something
perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever
be grateful. I squared my shoulders and
saluted, and held out the book to the woman even as I spoke. I felt choked by the bitterness of my
disappointment. ‘I’m Lieutenant John
Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me. May I take you to dinner?’ The woman’s face broadened in a tolerant
smile. ‘I don’t know what this is about
son,’ She answered, ‘but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she
begged me to wear this rose on my coat.
And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner I should tell you that
she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of a test!’” Lieutenant Blanchard passed the test. Would you?
John and Hollis have now been married for over 60 years.
d.
For most of us it has been mother who constantly passed the test
of values. Not only did mom teach you
right from wrong, but also she lived what she taught.
2. My Mom
a.
My mom was and is that way.
From her I learned values spoken and lived. One time a clerk gave her too much money in change. Mom did not realize this till we got out to
the car. When she told me I said, “Cool,
you got an extra five dollars!” Mom
replied, “It’s not cool. It’s not right
in God’s eyes to steal. Keeping the
money would be to cheat the owner and it might get the sales lady in trouble,
because her register is short of money.”
b.
Mom went back in and returned the five-dollar bill. This was just one of the many times she
taught me right from wrong and the importance of high moral character.
E.
Conclusion
1. Thank You: This morning
let us say thank you to the good Lord for the gift of mom and other special
women. And we thank mom and these other
ladies for their love.
2. Recap: Most
especially, we say thanks for sharing and teaching us these three loving
characteristics:
a.
Sensitivity to the needs of others!
b.
Self-less concern, especially for your family!
c.
Strong moral character.
John
15:9-17 NRSV
9“As the Father has loved me, so I have
loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I
have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my
joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. 12This is my commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s
friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants any longer,
because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called
you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from
my Father. 16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,
fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in
my name. 17I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
The Christian Mother!
The three
loving characteristics of a Christian Mother:
1.
Sensitivity to the needs of others!
2.
Self-less concern, especially for her family!
3.
Strong moral character.