[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for Mother's Day

[Joe Parrish]

Sermons for Mother’s Day: 
     John 14:23-29 – “Love and Obey” 
     Romans 16 – “Mother’s Day”
 
John 14 the sermon titled “Love and Obey" 
 
Welcome on this Mother’s Day. Someone has made a list of nine things a Mother would never say. See if your Mom would ever say these things:
 
1. “How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?” Anybody?
2. “Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too.”
3. “Just leave all the lights on . . . it makes the house look more cheery.”
4. “Let me smell that shirt--Yeah, it’s good for another week.”
5. “Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I’ll be glad to feed and walk him every day.”
6. “Well, if Timmy’s mom says it’s OK, that’s good enough for me.” 
7. “The curfew is just a general time to shoot for. It’s not like I’m running a prison around here.”
8. “I don’t have a tissue with me . . . just use your sleeve.”
9. “Don’t bother wearing a jacket--the wind-chill is bound to improve.” 
 
Well, someone has to make sure we all survive childhood. And usually that task falls to Mom.
 
I can’t imagine a better lesson for Mother’s Day than one that begins like this: “If anyone loves me, he will obey . . .” That is what Christ says to us in our text for the day. Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him . . .” 
 
Obedience is important to our spiritual lives. However, obedience is also an important part of helping a family run smoothly.
 
A professor was giving a lecture on company slogans and was asking his students if they were familiar with them. “Joe,” he asked, “which company has the slogan ‘Fly the Friendly Skies’?” Joe answered with the correct airline. “Brenda, can you tell me which company has the slogan ‘Don’t Leave Home Without It’?” Brenda answered quickly with the correct credit card company. “Now John, tell me which company bears the slogan ‘Just Do It’?” “That’s easy,” John answered, “It’s my Mom.” The shoe company surely stole their motto from someone’s Mom: ‘Just Do It’?” Why? “BECAUSE I SAID SO!”
 
Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him . . .”
 
There is an undeniable link between love and obedience. We can threaten a child to be obedient. We can punish an act of willful defiance. But the only way that our children will internalize the values we want for them will be if they know they are connected to us by a bond of love that cannot be broken. So it is in our relationship with God…
 
The rest of this sermon following the outline above can be obtained by joining www.Sermons.com.
 _______________________ 
 
Romans 16, the sermon titled "Mother’s Day" 
 
Sermon Opener - Mother's Day – Romans 16
 
I must candidly confess that when I was in seminary the 16th chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans didn’t do much for me. It struck me as being boring nothing more than a long presentation of people’s names, most of whom I could not pronounce; I usually skimmed over that part so I could get to what I considered to be the real Gospel. Over the years I have greatly changed my attitude about this particular chapter and I have discovered that there is much more to it than I had first imagined. For example, it is interesting to note that of the twenty-six people who Paul singles out for his personal greeting, six were women. Now that strikes me as being rather interesting, since Paul has frequently gotten a bum rap for being a male chauvinist. I think it also shows us the tremendous influence that women had in the early church. In the male oriented first century Palestine, it is tellin g that Paul could not describe the church without mentioning the significant role of women.
 
Verse 13 of chapter 16 is particularly interesting and it is one that scholars have struggled with over the centuries. Paul writes: "Give my greetings to Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Now this statement could be taken two ways. It could mean that Paul had two distinct women in mind--the mother of Rufus and his own personal mother. Or, he could be saying: "I salute Rufus and his mother, who is like a mother to me." If that is what he meant, and most Biblical scholars agree that that is indeed what he meant, then it raises some interesting speculation. When and where did Paul meet Rufus’ mother? Did she nurse him through some serious illness?  
 
Did she receive him into her home for an extended stay during his missionary journeys? How did this woman and Paul form such a close bond that he refers to her fondly as being like his mother? Mark tells us that Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus cross, had two sons: Alexander and Rufus. Was this the same Rufus to whom Paul was speaking? If that is true, his mother would be Simon of Syrene’s wife. No one knows for sure who this remarkable woman was who served as a mother figure for the great Paul. But it really makes no difference, because what he writes makes an excellent springboard for a Mother’s Day sermon.
 
Some people ridicule Mother’s Day as a lot of sentimental drivel. They say that it is nothing more than the creation of the greeting card companies and the florists. And, to be perfectly candid, there are many ministers who shun this day because, they say, it is not a religious holiday. Furthermore, they preach from the lectionary, which has an assigned scriptural reading each week, and therefore mother’s day is left out.
 
Well, of course, we must admit that there is sentiment to this day, but what is wrong with that? Seems to me that a little bit of sentiment is healthy.  True enough, there are some women in the Bible, such as Jezebel and the vindictive Herodias, who had John the Baptist beheaded, who tarnish the institution of motherhood. There are women today who abandon, abuse, and corrupt their children and who create a poor model, but I like to think that these are the exceptions. Most mothers do the right thing and deserve recognition. So this morning I would like to join Paul and salute all of the mothers who are with us.
 
1. First, mothers should be saluted for their tenacious love.
2. Secondly, mothers should be saluted for the tremendous impact they have.
3. Third, mothers should be saluted because where they are, that is where home is.
 
Click  http://www.sermons.com/signup or call 1-800-777-7731 to join.
 
___________________________
 
If They Are Going to Get You…
 
Author, speaker and sports enthusiast Pat Williams, in his book A Lifetime of Success, give one of the best examples I know of a mother’s love.
 
He tells of attending a very special Atlanta Braves’ baseball home opener on April 8, 1974. It was a night game against the Dodgers and it was a complete sellout. Williams looked around to see that, seated immediately behind him was singer Pearl Bailey. Up at the plate: the immortal Henry Aaron. On the line: Babe Ruth’s record of 714 career home runs. Aaron had tied the record and tonight he was aiming to break it.
 
Understand that this was nearly 40 years ago. An African‑American player was about to topple the great Babe Ruth--and a lot of people in the country didn’t like it. Aaron got a lot of mail that year--more than 930,000 letters in all, far more than any other person in the country. Most were fan letters--but about 100,000 of them were hate letters, some containing death threats. 
 
Williams says he was on the edge of his seat when Dodgers pitcher Al Downing hurled the ball toward the plate. Aaron swung and connected. The crack of his bat echoed through the stands. The ball was gone. Home run. Babe Ruth’s record was shattered. The ballpark went nuts.
 
“As Aaron rounded second base,” says Williams, “a couple of teenagers--both white--jumped over the retaining wall and ran onto the field, chasing Aaron. For a moment, no one knew what they had in mind, but then it became clear: they were celebrating and cheering Aaron on. As Aaron crossed the plate, the dugout emptied as the Braves streamed onto the field to surround him, cheering and whooping it up. But amid all those ballplayers around Aaron was a short, sixty-eight‑year‑old black woman. She latched onto Aaron and wouldn’t let go of him.
 
“Henry Aaron turned and said to her, ‘Mom! What are you doing here?’
 
“‘Baby,’ said the mother of the new home‑run king, ‘if they’re gonna get you,’ (thinking of the death threats Aaron had received) ‘they’ve gotta get me first!’” 
 
That is love only a mother could have for her child. “If they’re gonna get you, they’ve gotta get me first!”
Pat Williams, A Lifetime of Success, (Grand Rapids. MI: Fleming H. Revell, 2000), pp. 109-110, adapted by King Duncan
___________________
The Most Important Job in the World
 
Dr. Tony Campolo is a well-known and highly-respected, inspirational speaker. Over the last several years, Tony Campolo has spent much of his time traveling around the world on speaking tours.
 
Meanwhile, his wife, Peggy, has chosen to stay home and give herself and all that she has to the "Bringing Up" of their two children, Bart and Lisa. On those rare occasions when Peggy does travel with Tony, she finds herself engaged in conversations with some of the most accomplished, impressive, influential, sophisticated people in the world. 
 
After one such trip, Peggy told Tony that sometimes as she visits with these powerful people… she finds herself feeling intimidated and sometimes even questioning her own self-worth. Tony said to her: "Well, honey, why don't you come up with something you could say when you meet people that will let them know that you strongly value what you do and you feel that it is dramatically, urgent and crucial and important.
 
Well, not long after that, Tony and Peggy Campolo were at a party… when a woman said to Peggy in a rather condescending tone, "Well, my dear, what do you do?" Tony Campolo heard his wife say:
 
"I am nurturing two Homo Sapiens into the dominant values of the Judaeo-Christian tradition in order that they might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time." 
And the other woman said:
"O, my, I'm just a lawyer."
 
I like that story because it reminds us that there are a lot of important jobs in the world today but not one of them is more important than the job of being a mother. 
 
Tony Campolo adapted by James Moore, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
 
___________________________________
 
What’s a Good Mother Like?
 
Judith Viorst once wrote an essay based on interviews she had with children. The subject was “What’s a good mother like?”
 
Viorst reports that the children expected their mother to get angry from time to time. “She has to,” said Ted, “or she’ll faint from holding it in.” 
 
“But it’s best to remember,” said Randy, “that when your mother starts to act real weird, you have to look scared and serious. Don’t giggle. When mommies are mad, they get madder if you giggle.”
 
“My mommy got so mad,” said Megan, “that she yanked the plate off the table and all the mashed potatoes flew into the air.” “And why,” Viorst asked, pretending she’d never heard of such shocking behavior, “why would a mother do a thing like that?” 
“Well,” said Megan, “she told my older brother, Mike, he’s 11 years old, to eat the potatoes on his plate and he said ‘Later.’ And then she told him again to eat the potatoes and Mike said ‘Soon.’ And then she told him he had better eat those potatoes right now and he said, ‘In a minute.’ And then she stood up and Mike finally took a bite and told her, ‘How can I eat them? They’re cold!’” 
 
It’s not easy being a Mom. 
 
King Duncan, www.Sermons.com, adapting Judith Viorst, All in the Family
________________________
 
Job Description: Mother
 
I found this job description circulating on the Internet this past week. Anyone interested? [You may want/need to shorten this.] 
 
WANTED: Mom
 
JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
 
RESPONSIBILITIES: Must provide on-the-site training in basic life skills, such as nose blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management. Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus. Must be able to think out of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project. Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life. Also, must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above-mentioned skills in conflict resolution. Must be able to choose your battles and stick to your guns. Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything." Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $ 5 to go skating. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices. Also, must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because fund-raiser will be your middle name. Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions such as "What makes the wind move?" on the fly. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
 
ADVANCEMENT/PROMOTION POSSIBILITIES: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
 
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
 
WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
 
BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.
 
Every mother here this morning knows that mothering brings more joy and love and fulfillment than seem possible.
 
Adapted by Leonard Sweet 
_________________________________
 
Unconventional Mother’s Day Gifts
 
This Mother’s Day take a moment to think of all the mothers in the world who are in need. There are millions of women in the world living on less than a dollar a day. There are women in this country who are wondering how they are going to feed or diaper their children from day to day. There are children who need medical attention that their parents may not be able to afford. Anyone who has ever had to worry about such things can deeply sympathize. For those of us who have escaped such worries, we can only imagine the level of instinctive stress that uncertainty can provoke.
 
There are many ways to celebrate Mother’s Day, but here are a few unconventional suggestions that will prove to your own mother that she did a good job raising you. How about dropping off a box of diapers and/or a case of formula to a local food bank or women’s shelter? If you have some baby furniture or clothing that your own children have outgrown, how about donating that stuff to a local charity? Does our local hospital have a fund for children who need care? Are there doctors in our community or city who volunteer in clinics overseas who might need supplies? There are countless ways to help support Moms locally and globally. Let your own Mom know that you were thinking about her and all of the many things she provided for you along the way…and that you did a good deed in honor of her. It will make her proud.
 
www.esermons.com 
________________________________
 
Worse-Case Scenarios
 
If moms are to be faulted, it is because they love their children so much that they get irrational about it. For instance, in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin approaches his mother
 
Calvin: "Can Hobbes and I go play in the rain, Mom? 
Mom: "No." 
Calvin: "Why not?" 
Mom: "You'll get soaked." 
Calvin: "What's wrong with that?"   
Mom: "You could catch pneumonia, run up a terrible hospital bill, linger a few months, and die." 
Calvin, looking out the window at the rain: "I always forget. If you ask a mom, you get a worse-case scenario."   
Hobbes: "I had no idea these little showers were so dangerous." 
 
Bill Watterson, The Essential Calvin & Hobbes, p. 130.
 
__________________
 
 
The Truest Friend
 
A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. 


Washington Irving (1783-1859)
__________________________
 
Why God Made Moms…
 
"Why God made moms" answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions.   
 
Why did God make mothers? 
 
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.   
2. Mostly to clean the house. 
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born. 
 
How did God make mothers? 
 
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. 
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring. 
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.   
 
What ingredients are mothers made of? 
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. 
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.   
 
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? 
1. We're related. 
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.   
 
What kind of little girl was your mom? 
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. 
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. 
3. They say she used to be nice.   
 
The rest of this list and many additional illustrations and sermons for Mother’s Day can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20100430/73b5df9d/attachment.htm>