Sermon and Worship Resources

These illustrations are for John 14:15-21 and Mother's Day
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Sermon Opener – The Peace of Christ in a Chaotic World - John 14:15-21

One of the best newspaper cartoons of all time is Calvin and Hobbes. One day Calvin and Hobbes come marching into the living room early one morning. His mother is seated there in her favorite chair. She is sipping her morning coffee. She looks up at young Calvin. She is amused and amazed at how he is dressed. Calvin's head is encased in a large space helmet. A cape is draped around his neck, across his shoulders, down his back and is dragging on the floor. One hand is holding a flashlight and the other a baseball bat.

"What's up today?" asks his mom.

"Nothing, so far," answers Calvin.

"So far?" she questions.

"Well, you never know," Calvin says, "Something could happen today." Then Calvin marches off, "And if anything does, by golly, I'm going to be ready for it!"

Calvin's mom looks out at the reading audience and she says, "I need a suit like that!"

That's the way many of us feel as we see the news and deal with life. Sometimes this world seems quite violent and people seem to be at each other's throats. A suit like that would help, so we can say with Calvin, "Whatever may come my way, I'm going to be ready for it! Bring it on!"

Well, I don't have a suit like Calvin's to give you this morning, but I do have word for this morning: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There is a defining phrase in that statement. One that tells us what kind of peace it is that Christ gives us. Listen to it again and see if you can pick it out: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." The defining phrase is: "Not as the world gives." Do you see how that defines God's peace? The world promises peace through the rule of law. Law and order is the only way for a society and a people to experience peace and law and order must be kept by the aggressive use of force. That's the only way that the world can bring about peace.

But here is how Jesus will give you peace. If you obey his word He and the Father will come to you and make a home with you. Right in your heart. Not by force but by choice. They will abide in your heart bringing peace. The world's peace is peace through strength. The Lord's peace is peace through surrender.

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True Colors - John 14:15-21

Anyone ever have a chameleon as a pet? The chameleon (the word means “ground lion”) is an unusual “old world” creature with independently movable eyes, a helmet head, and fused toes. It is known primarily though for its ability to change color on the rotation of a dime, according to its mood. The chameleon uses this ability to blend into its surroundings, to hide from predators, or to silently approach prey.

We use the word chameleon in the English language also to indicate a person who is prone to change their opinions or behaviors simply dependent upon what situation, group, culture, or politics that person is immersed into.

Ever know someone who sides with anyone they come in contact with? Some call these people “fair weather friends.” They don’t seem to have a firm opinion of their own about anything. At least it’s impossible to tell what they really think, because they will agree with whomever they are with. Put them into a room with climate change advocates, and they will passionate advocate for climate change. In the next hour, put them into a room with climate change protestors, and before you can say “flip,” they’ve taken up a sign and have begun protesting along with their peers.

You probably also know people who do this same flip-flop when it comes to their faith. Put them into a room with die-hard Christians, and they’ll take up daily prayer, worship, and join several committees. But remove them from that atmosphere and put them into a different environment, either in an anti-Christian culture or a secular situation, and voila! They’ve adapted so well, you could never tell they’ve ever been a person of faith. I like to call people like this “Chameleon Christians.” They blend into every social situation and cultural milieu so well that you can never tell what they truly think or feel, or if they truly have faith in Jesus or not.

A rare breed? Not exactly. Chameleon Christians are more common than you think….
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C. S. Lewis on Love

To love at all is to be venerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin or your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers...of love is Hell.

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1960, p.169.

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God Surprises the Hopeless

When Christopher Columbus was sailing to the new world his hired sailors were threatening mutiny. The voyage was long and hard and there was no land in sight for weeks. One day Columbus saw an encouraging sign. Floating on the ocean swells was a small tree branch. The branches’ leaves were green, indicating that land could not be far away. The green branch gave the sailors enthusiasm and a renewed hope. Soon after its discovery land was sighted from the sailor in the crow’s nest.

When all seems hopeless God has a way of surprising us and being present, even in the loneliest places. It is not God who is absent but we who have ceased to believe in a God who loves us more than we love ourselves.

Keith Wagner,Who Said Loving Others was Easy?

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When Doubt Sets In

The life of faith can be like that-doubts set in, despair overwhelms us, and the whole notion of believing in God seems crazy. Jesus knew his disciples would have days like that. So he told them we're tied together like branches on the vine-or like climbers tied to the rope-tied together by the Spirit, to trust in one who is always more than we can understand, to keep us moving ahead on the journey of faith, to encourage us when believing seems absurd. "I will not leave you orphaned," said Jesus. "I am coming to you."

Barbara K. Lundblad, I Will Not Leave You Orphaned

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Accepting the Storms with Calmness

A story was written some years ago about a man who had discovered an amazing inner spiritual peace. He had lost his entire fortune in the stock market crash in the 1930s. He was drinking himself to death. He decided to take his life by walking out into the ocean and swimming past the point of no return. As he came to the edge of the water, he noticed something sparkling in the sand. It was a pale, delicate shell. He stood there, completely captivated by it. Finally he picked it up. It was so delicate that the least pressure of his fingers would crush it. Yet it was undamaged and perfect. He was puzzled by this fact as the waves roared in upon him. How could a shell remain intact and unbroken in the midst of the tons of seething water?

Suddenly it dawned upon him that the shell did not panic, fight the forces of the water, and seek to forge its own path in the ocean. The shell simply yielded itself to the waters. It has accepted the storms with calmness, just as it had accepted the stillness of the depths of the water where it had its beginning. By yielding itself to the water, it survived. Suddenly the man saw himself. He had been fighting God, disobeying him, and trying to defy the spiritual forces at the heart of the universe. He realized now why his life was troubled, and his days were not worth living. He dropped to his knees and placed his life in God's hands. He walked away into a new life of faith.

O. Garfield Beckstrand II, The Word From The Upper Room, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

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I'm Not Allowed to Cross the Street

A little boy was riding his tricycle furiously around the block, over and over again. Finally a policeman stopped and asked him why he was going around and around. The boy said that he was running away from home. The policeman asked why he kept going around the block. The boy responded, "Because my mom said that I'm not allowed to cross the street."

The point is clear--obedience will keep you close to those you love.

Michael Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching.

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Loving Others

When others do things that go against our beliefs they become very difficult to love. And yet, Jesus tells us that loving others is what he expects of us. Love is the essence of our faith. It is to be unconditional, sacrificial and never ending. But, let’s be honest, there are times when loving others is not easy. Shoot, with some folks it’s hard to get to “liking,” much less loving!

Take for example a story of the Berlin Wall that had just been erected in Germany. In the early days of the famous Wall, hostilities flared when truckloads of stinking garbage were dumped from East Berlin into West Berlin. Many residents wrote to the mayor demanding revenge for this offense, but he responded in a unique way. He asked the people to gather all the flowers in West Berlin and bring them to a certain place at the wall. Then as a great avalanche of beautiful and fragrant flowers was poured over the wall, a large banner was raised. Written on the banner were the words: "We each give what we have." (from Jerry Fuller, OMI, Deacon Sil)

Keith Wagner, Who Said Loving Others was Easy?

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Playing God

Mee Spousler of the Mount Hope United Methodist Church, in Aston, PA., tells how she was trying to put her three-year-old son to bed for a nap.

When she was unsuccessful, she put him in her bed and laid down with him to encourage him to rest. She fell asleep, but he didn't. When she woke up, she saw him sitting on a chair at the end of the bed, and asked, "Luke, what are you doing?"

"I'm playing God," he replied.

"Playing God?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I'm watching over you while you sleep."

Children understand more than we do sometimes. God IS watching over us. Jesus gave that promise here in talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Not only will God watch over us but through the presence and reminder of the Holy Spirit, we will be reminded of what it means to "Love Jesus and keep his commands." And God will help us to create the environment of love, grace, faith and security that we need for our homes today. Our challenge is to listen to the Holy Spirit and to trust Christ.

Billy D. Strayhorn, If You Love Me….

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Responding to the Spirit, Responding in the Spirit

When Jimmy Carter was running for President of the United States, one of the more vivid moments in the campaign passed by almost unnoticed. One Sunday morning, candidate Carter had been worshipping at the Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. When the service was over, he exited the church into the swarm of press encamped on the church's front lawn. Cameras whirring, video lights glaring, microphones thrust forward, the media mavens moved in for interviews, pushing themselves to think of clever questions to ask a presidential candidate on the way out of a Southern Baptist Church -- "Did you like the sermon?" "Did you enjoy the choir this morning?" "Do you plan to remain a Baptist in Washington?" -- on and on the banal questions spewed.

Suddenly, a reporter, probably in a stroke of luck, shouted out a question that genuinely mattered: "Mr. Carter, suppose when you are President, you get into a situation where the laws of the United States are in conflict with what you understand to be the will of God. Which will you follow, the laws of the state or the commandments of God?"

Carter stopped, looked up, and blinked into the bright Georgia sun, obviously turning the question over in his mind. Then, perhaps still "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day," perhaps with the Spirit gently whispering the lyrics of the gospel into his ears, he turned toward the reporter and replied , "I would obey the commandments of God." Alert aides, alarmed by this candor, unnerved by their candidate's near-treasonous remark, hurriedly whisked him away from the press and into a waiting car. Carter the politician should have avoided the question, or hewed closely to the law of the land, but Carter the Christian had the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ whispering in his ear, "Do you love me? The world cannot see or know me, but do you love me? Do you keep my commandments?"

Thomas G. Long, Whispering the Lyrics, CSS Publishing

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ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS NOT IN OUR EMAIL
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Ring Those Bells – 1 Peter 3:13-22 by Leonard Sweet

These days the sight of an enormous white ship floating into exotic ports is commonplace. The cruise ship industry is huge — almost as large as the horizontal skyscraper ships that serve it. Like huge hotels turned onto their side, these glowing, white behemoths dot the oceans. They are the twenty-first century’s “white whales.”

But before the commercial cruise lines ruled the deep, there were other big white ships that traveled the seas, ships that purposefully put themselves and their crews in harm’s way. Naval hospital ships, appropriately designated as “haven class” ships, often offered the closest, most accessible care to wounded troops during World War II and the Korean War. One of those ships was aptly named the “U.S.S. Consolation,” a floating hospital capable of caring for over 800 patients and housing a host of medical professionals. These “white whales” offered the best medical treatment possible under hostile, combat conditions. Although hospital ships were painted white and were emblazoned with a red cross to advertise their non-hostile identity, their close proximity to battle zones did not ensure their safety. The business of saving lives is always hazardous duty . . . without hazard pay.

The U.S.S. Consolation served as a hospital ship from 1944-1955. It offered healing and comfort to the wounded in both World War II and the Korean conflict. The “Consolation” was decommissioned in 1958, but instead of being sold for scrap or made into a floating museum the Consolation was reborn in 1960 when it was turned over to a newly formed civilian service organization — Project Hope. “HOPE” was the acronym for a civilian medical volunteer service organization — “”Health Opportunities for People Everywhere” (today think “Doctors Without Borders”). In short, the “U.S.S. Consolation” got a new coat of white paint and was re-named the “S.S. HOPE” — a name that was painted in huge red letters across her bow. For the next fourteen years that “HOPE” floated across the seas of the world, pulling into ports from Malaysia and Indonesia to South America and the Caribbean, bringing hands-on medical care to whomever needed it, offering medical training for any and all local care-givers, and extending medical education to families to help them keep healthy.

What a different image from a cruise ship( aka hangover ship) — a hope ship. Instead of a light-blazing, music-blaring, hangover-bringing big white party ship, every time the “S.S. HOPE” pulled into a new port its mission and message spelled out simply four big letters: “H.O.P.E”

The clear declaration of hope is what 1 Peter’s letter is all about. Hope in Christ…

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The Scope of Love - John 14:15‑21 by Leonard Sweet

The Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) is the only non-Italian sculptor commissioned to have one of his statues erected in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He was not allowed to sign his “Monument to Pope Pius VII” because he was a Protestant; not Catholic.

What Thorvaldsen is most known for, however, is his Christus carving known popularly as “The Resurrected Christ.” You can see it today in the cathedral of Denmark's magical city Copenhagen. Thorvaldsen wanted to create the greatest statue of Jesus ever made. Out of clay he molded a monumental, majestic figure with regal gestures: his face tilted upward in triumph, his hands raised in power and authority.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the unveiling. A partially opened window in his oceanside studio let night fog and sea spray work their way with the clay. When Thorvaldsen returned to his studio after a brief absence, the upraised hands had drooped. They no longer commanded, but welcomed. The confidently upturned face had lowered itself onto the Savior’s chest.

The face was no longer that of a King wearing a crown, but a compassionate shepherd worrying about his sheep. At first Thorvaldsen agonized over the time wasted and the need to begin again. But the more he looked at the statue shaped by the mist, the more he realized that this was a more accurate Jesus than the one he had originally conceived. So instead of the inscription "FOLLOW MY COMMANDS" on the base of the statue, he chiseled another message: "COME UNTO ME."

This statue was carved later by Thorvalsen in Italian Carrara marble. The original is in the National Cathedral of Denmark Church of our Lady. A famous copy of this statue of “The Last Adam” decorates the Latter Day Saint’s Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

In the creation of the first human, there was another mist that molded the First Adam into an image of vulnerability and beauty.

There are two creation accounts in Genesis: a macro one in Genesis 1, and a micro one in Genesis 2. In the Genesis 2 micro-creation story, God creates “Adam,” “the human being,” the first inhabitant of the earth, by breathing into his nostrils God’s breath, “the breath of life.” Once divine spirit is added to physical matter, Adam “became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). No other creature receives God’s own breath as its source of life.

Until Jesus. In Church theology Jesus is sometimes referred to as the “Second Adam,” or the “Last Adam,” because Jesus’ perfect humanity over‑wrote and expunged the failures and “fall” of the “First Adam.” But if Adam was distinguished by being the first God‑breathed living being, then the true “Second Adam” is that which Jesus’ Spirit breathed into existence. Jesus breathed the “Spirit of truth” into a clueless collection of frightened followers and created a new, living entity, a new form of humanity…

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Sermon Opener - Getting at the Truth - John 14:15-21

The truth is hard to find these days. Perhaps it has been hard to find in any day. Do you remember ancient Diogenes who walked about with a lamp, shining it in men's faces, saying he was looking for an honest man? Diogenes felt he could never find a truthful person.

A little later in history Pontius Pilate reflected a similar skepticism, when at the trial of Jesus he asked cynically, "What is truth?" Anyone who has ever taken a few courses in philosophy will sympathize with Pilate.

If our Declaration of Independence begins by saying, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights," we who live under the Declaration 200 years later are not so sure all those truths are self-evident to everyone.

Truth is hard to find these days. Do you remember when President Jimmy Carter promised the American people he would never lie to us? We all knew, of course, that Nixon lied to us in the Watergate scandal. We had come to expect that most politicians, including presidents, lied to us regularly. So Carter's promise was met with sneering disbelief. If "read-my-lips-no-new-taxes" George H.W. Bush broke his promise, Bill Clinton, only four and one-half months into his presidency, broke at least three major campaign promises. Subsequent American presidents have been accused of deception and broken promises.

Truth is hard to find these days. We struggle with truth in advertising, truth in labeling, truth in packaging, as well as truth in medicine, law, business, and even religion.

So truth is hard to find these days, partly because we do not want to find it. Yet it was Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The Psalmist prayed, "Send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me." In our text, Jesus promised he would send his Spirit of truth to teach and to comfort his people. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us get at the truth about ourselves and about our world….

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Acts 17:22-31 -- Good and Bad “Magical Thinking” – by Leonard Sweet

We live in an age where incredible scientific advancements take place everyday. Take GRIN, the acronym for (G) genetic engineering, (R) robotics, (I) information technology and (N) nanotechnology. The human genome has been mapped. Nanotechnology is constructing miniscule machines that can deliver inter-cellular messages or make molecular level repairs. Astrophysicists have mapped the curvature of the universe, delved into black holes, listened to the echoes of the Big Bang. Scientific inquiry and experiment have revealed the “hows” and “whys” and “whats” never before known.

We think we’re so smart. We think we have a handle on how the universe works.

So why did the builders of the new Yankee Stadium spend five hours and $50,000 digging through two feet of concrete last week? They did this to extract a David Ortiz Red Sox jersey that had been secretly buried in the concrete floor of the visiting team’s dug out. A construction worker, an unrepentant Red Sox fan, had slipped the jersey into the concrete in order to permanently “jinx” the new Yankee stadium. The story of the jersey finally came to light because another construction worker who had seen the shirt go into the slab got worried and confessed: “I don’t want to be responsible for sinking the franchise,” he said. The stadium, a 1.3 billion dollar project, was brought to a screeching halt; the glowing new future for the Yankees was endangered; immediate, expensive action was taken: why? Because everyone believed in the jinxing power of a piece of cloth submerged down in a concrete floor in a locker room.

That was one high-powered hex!

Or not.

No one can completely escape what has been called “magical thinking” (see Matthew Hutson, “Magical Thinking,” Psychology Today, March-April 2008, 90-95. The subtitle is “Even Hard-Core Skeptics Can’t Help But Find Sympathy in the Fabric of the Universe----And Occasionally Try to Pull Its String”). We “knock on wood,” throw spilled salt over our shoulders, can’t resist reading our horoscopes, always take notice of a “Friday the 13th.” Or if you think you’re immune to “magical thinking,” answer me this: how many of you here this morning wouldn’t think twice about wearing the jacket of a murderer?

Little children have that special “blankie” or stuffed animal that magically imparts peace and serenity. But big corporations hire specialists to organize the “feng shui” in their work spaces. Musician George Michael bought the Steinway piano that John Lennon composed his best know work on: “Imagine.” Michael ships this piano off to places that are in need of some kind of spiritual support: to New Orleans after Katrina; to Virginia Tech after the shootings. The piano is put on public display, with its pedigree, open for any and all to sit down and plunk out a few notes, to seek out a bit of solace in its noteworthy presence.

No matter how much scientific knowledge we acquire about the world we live in, physical reality is never enough. The human spirit knows there is always more to be revealed, that there is something more out there if we could only lift the veil.

Paul’s speech to the Athenians gathered at the elite Court of the Areopagus was designed to get his audience thinking about that inner yearning for “something more,” that “groping” for the “unknown God.” But Paul also warned them that there was a difference between religiosity and righteousness. The God who created the universe, who gave life to human beings, “does not live in shrines made by human hands” (v.24) and is not “an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals” (v.29). Idols of gold, silver, or stone will never contain God, and can never move beyond the “magical” to real faithfulness…

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Always Alongside Us

A student named Steve Winger from Lubbock, TX was taking a challenging class in Logic. The course and teacher were known for exacting and demanding exams. The final exam was looming, and the professor mercifully told the class that each student would be permitted to bring in a single 8 x 11 ½ inch sheet with as much information as they could put on that one sheet for help during the test. On exam day, each student came to class clutching their precious pieces of paper with as much information as possible. Some students had crammed lines and lines of font so tiny and so numerous onto that single sheet that you had to wonder how they could read it. But Steve walked in with a single blank sheet and a friend who was a senior student and who had an ‘A’ in logic. Steve bent down and placed that single, blank sheet of paper on the floor next to his desk. His expert friend stood on the paper.

The professor noticed the extra body in the room and asked what he was doing. Steve piped up, “You said we could bring in whatever we could fit on a single piece of paper for help on this test, well, this is my help and he can fit on the paper!” He had followed the instructions to the letter and was the only student in that class to score an ‘A’ since he had his expert friend standing alongside him. The Holy Spirit is like that friend, standing alongside us, supporting us, and guiding us.

Adapted from an unknown source, Staff, www.Sermons.com

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Martin Luther on Love for Christ

As usual, Martin Luther said it so well: "But, as Christ said earlier, it all depends on whether you feel and find that you love this man [Jesus]. For if you truly believe this, then love will be there, and your heart will be moved to say: 'Christ, my dear Lord, has done so much for me. He has reconciled the Father to me and shed his blood for me. He has fought and defeated my death and given me all his possessions. Should I not require this love? Should I not thank, praise, honor and serve him with my life and my goods? If not, I should be ashamed that I am a human being.'

"Therefore Christ declares: 'Sincere love for me is part of a true Christian.'" When you believe in Christ, when you live with him, love and good works just naturally flow. They come from living together with Christ; his good influence just rubs off on us.

Mark Ellingsen, Preparation and Manifestation, CSS Publishing Company

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Remember Christ’s Glory

In the last scene of the musical Camelot, King Arthur spins out a song filled with memories of what had been the most idyllic place on earth. Alone on stage, the broken, forgiving king begs us to remember:

Ask ev'ry person if they've heard the story,
And tell it strong and clear if they have not,
That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory
Called Camelot.

Don't let it be forgot that once there was a spot
For one brief, shining moment
That was known as Camelot.

Keep the story going begs King Arthur. Pass it on to your children and your children's children; and in the very remembering, you will keep the dream alive. In the midst of the despair around you, recall this time, this special place. And, perhaps-who knows-perhaps this one brief, shining moment will come again.

We're tempted to hear Jesus singing Arthur's song as he gathers with his disciples for the last time. Jesus knew he would soon be betrayed by one of his closest followers-betrayed, arrested, and finally killed. Here at the Passover table, Jesus spins out his last words to his closest friends. We can well imagine Jesus calling them to remember the wondrous wisp of glory they had shared, when light had come into the darkness of the world. With such a song the disciples could go on, sustained by the memory of this one great life, waiting and hoping Jesus would soon return.

Barbara K. Lundblad, I Will Not Leave You Orphaned

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Humor: We Are Home Alone

A cartoon in the Saturday Evening Post showed a young boy about five or six years old talking on the telephone, he says, "Mom is in the hospital, the twins and Roxie and Billie and Sally and the dog and me and Dad are all home alone."

Billy D. Strayhorn, If You Love Me....

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Sharing the Love

I ran across a story this week about a seven-year-old granddaughter who said to her grandfather, "In this family we are kind of serious about God, aren't we?"

Grandpa said, "Yes, we sure are." And the little girl asked, "Why?"

Grandpa wrapped the little girl in his arms, hugged her real close and said, "So that I can hug you and tickle you and try to tell you how much I love you and how glad I am that God gave you to us."

The little girl grinned and said, "That's cool."

I'm not sure that hugging and tickling everybody we meet would go over very well. They might actually come and put us in one of those jackets with the buckles and really long sleeves and lock us in a rubber room. However, we are supposed to figure out how to show that love to everyone we meet. The love we have experienced through Christ is supposed to be shared.

Billy D. Strayhorn, What Difference Does It Make?

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The Protective Father

There was a nature show on television about a black bear that gave birth to two cubs. One cub died right away. Three weeks later the mother died and the remaining cub was left to fend for itself. An orphaned cub in that condition is like a walking buffet for predators. And of course the camera immediately showed a hungry-looking mountain lion.

One day the orphan cub encountered a giant male black bear. The little cub cowered at the bear's sheer mass. The larger bear peered around and seemed to realize that the mother bear wasn't anywhere to be found. He gave the little cub a friendly nudge. The camera then showed the little bear happily trailing along after the larger one. The adoption papers were signed, sealed and registered at the county seat in that nudge. Papa bear proceeded to show the cub how to grub for insects and how to catch fish and how to scratch his back against a tree.

One day the two bears became separated. The cub began to cry and looked frantically for his new father, but couldn't find him anywhere. The cub approached a stream where he'd learned to fish and something caught his attention. He looked up to see a mountain lion ready to pounce. That same mountain lion had stalked the cub for the entire show. There was no way that mountain lion would've gone for that cub with Papa bear around, but now....

The camera zoomed in on the cub. He automatically mimicked the posture of his adopted father when threatened. He stood on his hind legs and bared his teeth. Then, in exactly the same way his new father would have done, this cub let loose a mighty growl that should have reverberated throughout the forest. But, instead, only a tiny bear cub squeak came out.

You just knew what was about to happen, so you covered the children's eyes or did something to divert their attention from the TV. But, to everybody's astonishment the mountain lion lowered his head and ran off in the opposite direction!

The camera panned back to the proud little cub still standing tall on his hind legs. And then all the viewers saw what that little cub could not: a few yards behind him, at full, ferocious height, his sharp, white teeth bared in a snarl, stood Daddy bear. He may not have made a sound, but he was there.

Even though the cub couldn't see his father, his father stood guard, protecting his young. The little cub had power available greater than anything he could produce on his own. There was a greater power watching over him.

Billy D. Strayhorn, What Difference Does It Make?

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We Are the Connection

As wire links a power source with a light bulb, as a conduit links a source of water with dry land, as the radar wave links the transmitter to the receiver, as electronic emissions link a wireless network to a laptop computer, so the Spirit links us to God, bringing Christ's promised presence to dwell in us so that you and I continue to be Christ's presence in the world.

Fred R. Anderson, The God in You

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Obedience

Obedience … now that’s pretty much a dirty word these days isn’t it? I remember the very first wedding I had the honor to officiate. The young couple had requested pre-marital counseling and I agreed to provide it for them. At our first counseling session, the bride-to-be - a petite, soft-spoken, beautiful young woman who had just turned 18 a month before - said this: "Preacher, let me tell you one thing right up front. If the word 'obey' comes out of your mouth during the marriage vows, I will hike up my wedding dress and run screaming right back down that aisle and out the front door and I will not be back!" I suppose it's the American spirit of independence that makes us so resistant to the concept of obedience, even when it comes to our relationship with God.

Johnny Dean

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The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the one of the most difficult theological concepts in Christian tradition to explain. The Rev. Dr. Clint McCann, who teaches Biblical theology at Eden, often jokes with seminarians that if parishioners ask you to explain what the Holy Spirit is you should give them a serious look and say simply, "It's a mystery," and then get out of the room before anyone can ask a follow-up question.

Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest, has described the Holy Spirit this way: "When Jesus let go of his last breath - willingly, we believe, for love of us - that breath hovered in the air in front of him for a moment and then it was set loose on earth. It was such a pungent breath, so full of passion, so full of life that it did not simply dissipate as so many breaths do. It grew, in strength and in volume, until it was a mighty wind, which God sent spinning through an upper room in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. God wanted to make sure that Jesus' friends were the inheritors of Jesus' breath, and it worked!"

Chuck Currie

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Humor: The Holy Spearmint

A family was sitting in church when their youngest daughter tugged on her mother’s dress. Mom leaned to her side and the little girl whispered, “I know who the Father and the Son are, but what’s the Holy Spearmint?”

The little girl was probably not the only one in church that Sunday who was uncertain about the third person of the Trinity. If the Holy Spirit had to go through adolescence in a typical American church, he would most certainly suffer an identity crisis. If the Spirit’s search for an identity and self discovery ever prompted the question, “who am I?” the
Spirit would probably hear the congregation respond with a unanimous, “Good question, who are you?”

John H. Pavelko, The One Who Comes Alongside

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A Caring Presence: I Will Not Leave You

The assurance of loving, caring presence in our lives is so important throughout our lives. Children who grow up in unstable homes often struggle with feelings of rejection and low self worth all their lives. We need the emotional support of other people throughout our life. We especially need it during life threatening situations.

Surgery was scheduled for the next day. Tom could feel the anxiety rising. He knew his very life would be in the hands of the doctors. The day before surgery an attractive nurse came into the room to talk with him about the operation. She took hold of his hand and asked him to hold it tight and feel its warmth. Tom had no objections to that. The hand was soft and smooth.

“Now,” she said, during the surgery tomorrow you will be disconnected from your heart and you will be kept alive only by virtue of certain machines. And when your heart is finally restored and the operation is over and you are reconnected, you will eventually awaken in a special recovery room. But you will be immobile for as long as six hours. You may be unable to move, or speak, or to even open your eyes, but you will be perfectly conscious and you will hear and you will know everything that is going on
around you.. During those six hours, I will be at your side and I will hold your hand exactly as I am doing now. I will stay with you until you are fully recovered. Although you may feel absolutely helpless, when you feel my hand, you will know that I will not leave you.”

The next day the surgery went exactly as the nurse had told him. When Tom woke, he could do nothing. Before he panicked, Tom felt the touch of the nurse’s hand and he was at peace.

Jesus told his disciples that he would send another Counselor that would be along side them so that they would know that they would never be alone.

John H. Pavelko, The One Who Comes Alongside

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I’ll Be Ready!

"What's up today?" asks his mom.

"Nothing, so far," answers Calvin.

"So far?" she questions.

"Well, you never know," Calvin says, "Something could happen today." Then Calvin marches off, "And if anything does, by golly, I'm going to be ready for it!"

Calvin's mom looks out at the reading audience and she says, "I need a suit like that!"

Brett Blair, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

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A Place of Peace

In 1520 Ferdinand Magellan battled for an entire year to find a passage around South America. There at the very tip of the continent, in its icy waters he encountered some of the worst weather anywhere on earth. Raging seas, towering ice floes, and a mutinous crew plagued his efforts. When he finally made his way through those straits (which today bear his name -- the Straits of Magellan), he entered into a great body of water that lay beyond, and as he and his men lifted their faces to heaven and gave thanks to God, he named the new ocean "The Peaceful One -- the Pacific Ocean."

In his words this morning, Jesus desires to lead us in the same way to a place of peace. It is his hope to direct our feet and steer our lives from the paths that would lead to hell to his place of peace. "Let not your hearts be troubled," he says, "neither let them be afraid."

Lee Griess, Sermons for Lent/Easter, CSS Publishing Company

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Running Out of Fuel

In 1991 an Air Canada flight ran into big trouble. Passengers were enjoying an in-flight movie on the Boeing 767 when the jumbo jet's massive engines abruptly stopped. At first only those without earphones on noticed anything. However, soon it was apparent the jet was in trouble. The pilot came on the speaker system and announced that Flight 143 would be making an emergency landing. The 69 people on board were trapped in an agonizingly slow but inescapable descent to earth.

For several minutes a desperate silence hung over the cabin. Then fear gave way to screams of anxiety as the landing neared. All the latest technology could not keep the jumbo jet in the air. What had happened was this. The electronic digital fuel gauge was out of order. So the flight crew had depended on the figures given them by the refueling crew before takeoff. But someone on the refueling crew had confused pounds with kilograms. Therefore, eight hundred miles short of its destination, that mighty jet simply ran out of fuel and was forced to make an emergency landing. Fortunately no one was injured.

A multimillion dollar airplane, headed in the right direction, but running out of fuel. That's what's happening to a lot of people today. They have everything in life going for them -- a new car, a wonderful home, a good education, and a good job -- and one day they wake up out of fuel. At the center of their lives there is an emptiness. They don't know why they are living. There is nothing outside of themselves to live for.

Don't let that happen to you. Jesus tells us that the power for successful living comes from God. It is the promised gift that Jesus offers us. "Peace be with you," he says. "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives you. Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me."

Lee Griess, Sermons for Lent/Easter, CSS Publishing Company

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God’s Grace: A Gift of Peace

A minister on vacation went to visit a boyhood friend who operated a candy and novelty store. While they were reminiscing, a little boy about six years old came in and asked if the man sold marbles. The owner showed him where the marbles were. The boy asked, "How much, mister?" "Ten cents a dozen," answered the owner. The boy stood there scratching his head for awhile. Finally the owner asked, "What's the matter, son, don't you have ten cents?" "Yes," replied the boy, "but that is all I got." Then the pastor stepped over to the boy and said: "I just happen to have a special marble fund. Here is a dime. Take it and buy the marbles." The boy stood puzzled for a moment, not knowing what he should do. Finally he reached for the dime and said with a burst of joy as he handed it to the clerk, "Gee whiz." Taking the marbles and looking the pastor in the face, he repeated: "Gee whiz," and then ran out the door.

The men laughed about the incident. Soon they saw the boy returning, leading another little boy by the hand. One of the men said, "It looks like he has found a pal and is bringing him in to get another donation from the marble fund." "You can't blame him for that if his friend wants marbles, too!" replied the other man. But both men were mistaken. The two boys stopped at the open store door. The first boy, holding his bag of marbles in one hand, looking up with loving eyes to the giver of the dime, raised his other hand and pointed to the man and turned to his little pal and said: "That's him." And then the boys ran as fast as their little legs would carry them.

Where do we find peace, genuine peace, inner peace, in the midst of life's battles? Look at Jesus Christ. "That's him, folks, that's him." He gives us peace.

O. Garfield Beckstrand II, The Word From The Upper Room, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

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The Church Reminds Us

If you have noticed that pastors often seem to dislike funeral chapels, you should know that the cause of the apparent animosity is not professional jealousy. The mortuary funeral chapel is used for only one purpose and is associated with nothing but death. The church building, on the other hand, is associated with all aspects of life. All kinds of things go on at churches - baptisms, weddings, potlucks, many types of meetings, day care, choir rehearsals, funerals, worship services, confirmations. Churches are associated with life in all its variety and splendor, in all its sorrow and pain. The church reminds us that the story of Jesus is more about life than about death.

Carl L. Jech, Channeling Grace, CSS Publishing Company

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The Future Belongs to the Saviors

A schoolmaster in France was discouraged with one of his students. He wrote in his roll book concerning this student: "He is the smallest, the meekest, the most unpromising boy in my class." Half a century later, an election was held in France to select the greatest Frenchman. By popular vote, that meekest, smallest, most unpromising boy was chosen.

His name? Louis Pasteur, the founder of modern medicine. At age seventy-three, a national holiday was declared in his honor. He was too old and weak to attend the ceremony in Paris, so he sent a message to be read by his son. The message read: "The future belongs not to the conquerors but to the saviors of the world."

King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com

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We Are Not Alone: Even in the Shock of Grief

Peter Marshall was Chaplain of the U.S. Senate a half a century ago and died an untimely death. His wife, Catherine Marshall, writes in her classic book The Helper, "In the early morning hours Peter awakened with alarming pain in his chest and down both arms. The doctor came; the ambulance arrived and Peter was rushed to the hospital. I had no way of handling this crisis, but to drop to my knees in prayer. My knees had no sooner touched the floor than I experienced God as a comforting mother. There was a feeling of the everlasting arms around me. It was the infinite gentleness of a loving God touching my heart. In the days following Peter's death, the Spirit carried me over and above the circumstances so that I could actually be used to bring strength to the Nation's Capital as they mourned his death."

We are not alone, not even in our hours of sorrow, not even in the shock of grief, not even in the midst of loss.

J. Howard Olds, Faith Breaks,www.Sermons.com

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Service Is Our Highest Honor

It is Memorial Day weekend. More than a weekend to frolic in the sun and picnic on the grounds, Memorial Day is a day to remember. Remember we have been bought with a price. Thousands of people have died that you and I might live in the freedom that we regularly take for granted.

In World War II alone 406,000 Americans gave their lives. We are bought with a price. So let us not reduce freedom to licentiousness nor rights to unrestraint. Remember there is a reason to be born save to consume the corn, eat the fish and leave behind a dirty dish. Not selfishness, but service is our highest honor.

J. Howard Olds, Faith Breaks,www.Sermons.com

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The Best Relationships

There was a college student who spent a year living with a group of Navajos as part of his doctoral studies. As he did research on and with the Native Americans, he lived with members of this one Navajo family. He slept in their home, ate their food and worked side by side with them every day. As much as was possible, he tried to live as one of them.

The old grandmother of the family spoke no English and the student spoke no Navajo and yet a close relationship developed between the two. They spent a great deal of time together. Despite the language problems, they shared a common understanding of love and friendship. And of course, over the months, they each learned a few phrases from each other.

When it came time for the young man to return to college, the tribe held a going away celebration for him. The next day, as he prepared to get in his pickup and leave, the grandmother came to tell him good-bye. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I like me best when I'm with you."

We can say the same thing about our relationship with Jesus, "I like me best when I'm with Jesus." Jesus said He "would not leave us orphaned." And when we are with Him, Heart and Soul, we ARE the best we can be.

Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company

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Humor: Seeing One Side of the Story

There is a wonderful old story about a young man from Scotland who was admitted to Oxford University. He moved into a dormitory. His mother worried about how he’d get along with all those snobbish Brits in a strange land. She gave him a call. “How do you find the English students, Donald?” she asked.

“Oh, Mother,” he said, “they are strange and noisy people. The one on this side bangs his head against the wall all night and won’t stop. The one on that side screams and curses until the sun comes up at dawn.”

“Oh, Donald,” said his mother, “How do you put up with such rude, noisy, people?”

“I ignore them, Mother,” said Donald. “I just sit here quietly each night, playing my bagpipes.”

King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching,www.Sermons.com

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Obedience

Some years ago, Erma Bombeck printed a piece about having the meanness parents in all the world. It went something like this:

I had the meanest parents in all the world. When I was seven years old they dared to spank me just because I told them I would not do what they asked me to do to help around the house. My friend next door never got spanked. He didn't have to help at home. He had nice parents.

I had the meanest parents. I had to eat all my broccoli and carrots before they would ever let me have dessert. My friend next door never had to eat vegetables. He had fast food brought in with burgers and shakes and brownies with all kinds of ice cream.

I had the meanest parents. They made me go to church every Sunday as long as I lived under their roof, sit there in that boring worship service. My friend next door could do as he pleased. He never went to church. Sunday was a fun day for him.

I had the meanest parents. They made me work for my allowance. I had to get a job helping an elderly old man with chores around his house. My friend next door never had to do anything and he was given four times as much allowance as I could ever earn. He had nice parents.

I had the meanest parents. When I turned sixteen, they made me earn points before I could drive the family car. My friend next door was given a brand new luxury automobile. My folks had bought an old jalopy for me to get back and forth to school, but you think I'd drive that hunk of junk and park it beside those Jeep Wagoneers, BMWs, Buicks and Mercedes? My friend had it made.

Or so I once thought, but, when we reached age thirty, I had a change in perspective. I had learned that my parents were not so mean after all. I was experiencing: the pleasure of work, the reward of recreation, the strength of a healthy body, the bonds of a strong marriage, the inward confidence that comes from faith and the wonderful supportive fellowship that comes from the Church as a community of believers.

As for my friend, things were not going so well: he was not finding his niche in the workplace, nothing seemed to satisfy him, he was having difficulty getting along with people who were not willing to do everything just as he thought he knew it ought to be done, his marriage had not lasted even two years, his body was getting out of shape, and he evidenced a cynical outlook without any under-girding that comes from the assurance of faith.

Erma came to understand that obedience to her parents ways instilled in her lasting, life giving values. "If you love me, obey..." Obedience.

Adapted from a sermon by Julian M. Aldridge, Jr. Love's Consequence

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We Need Help

Some of you are old enough to remember Richard Daly who was mayor of Chicago for 21 years (1955-1976). Mayor Daly was known as a rather forbidding guy to work for. One story goes like this. One of Mayor Daly’s speech writers came in and demanded a raise. Mayor Daly responded as could be expected. He said “I’m not going to give you a raise. You are getting paid more than enough already. It should be enough for you that you are working for a great American hero like myself.” And that was the end of it...or so the mayor thought.

Two weeks later Mayor Daly was on his way to give a speech to a convention of veterans. The speech was going to receive nationwide attention. Now one other thing Mayor Daly was famous for was not reading his speeches until he got up to deliver them. So there he stood before a vast throng of veterans and nationwide press coverage. He began to describe the plight of the veterans. “I’m concerned for you. I have a heart for you. I am deeply convinced that this country needs to take care of its veterans. So, today I am proposing a seventeen point plan that includes the city, state and federal government, to care for the veterans of this country.” Now by this time everyone, including Mayor Daly, was on the edge of their seat to hear what the proposal was. He turned the page and saw only these words: “You’re on your own now, you great American hero.”

I don't know if Daly learned anything at that moment. With his great ego perhaps he did not. But he should have learned that all of us, no matter how great we think we are, need help. We need advocates who work behind the scenes to make us who we are.

God has an advocate for you. He is the Holy Spirit.

Brett Blair,www.eSermons.com

Story of Daly taken from: Journey Toward God, New Community Small Group study on Exodus (Zondervan), p.33.

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The Lasting Effect of Love

Paul Scherer tells of how we went one day to look up the Crimean War with its charge of the Light Brigade, its drums and guns, its death and suffering. He wanted to tell the story of a woman in that war. One lone woman, a lantern in her hand, going from bedside to bedside in the hospital barracks while soldiers kissed her shadow as she passed. He could remember her name all right--it was Florence Nightingale; but he couldn't remember for the life of him what that war settled. Can you? What is permanent in this world? What is really lasting? Only love--which never fails.

Adapted from Edmund A. Stiemle, in The Minister's Manual, 1996, p. 100.

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Tied Together in a Journey of Faith

Years ago I read something rather odd: "The reason mountain climbers are tied together is to keep the sane ones from going home." Whoever said that was playing with us a bit, for we know mountain climbers are tied together to keep from getting lost or going over a cliff. But there's another piece of truth here. When things get tough up on the mountain, when fear sets in, many a climber is tempted to say, "This is crazy! I'm going home." The life of faith can be like that-doubts set in, despair overwhelms us, and the whole notion of believing in God seems crazy. Jesus knew his disciples would have days like that. So he told them we're tied together like branches on the vine - or like climbers tied to the rope - tied together by the Spirit, to trust in one who is always more than we can understand, to keep us moving ahead on the journey of faith, to encourage us when believing seems absurd. "I will not leave you orphaned," said Jesus. "I am coming to you."

Barbara K. Lundblad, I Will Not Leave You Orphaned

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Life after Desolation

Desolation calls to mind an abandoned house against a bleak landscape. It imparts the feeling of loneliness, isolation, futility. But we need to be able to distinguish between the feeling of desolation and the fact of it.

A child of five feels desolate on the first day of kindergarten. When mother leaves, that youngster is surrounded by new sights and sounds. But that feeling of desolation, strong and real as it is, ends. There is life after the first day of kindergarten! And so the feeling of being suddenly desolate gives way to the assurance that the new situation is good indeed.

Dean Lueking, From Ashes to Holy Wind, CSS Publishing Company

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The Marketplace of Ideas and Finding Your Faith

I think both Jesus and Paul listened to people as much as they talked. Paul was in dialogue with his Greek audience enough to know their beliefs and find God revealed in them. But Paul was also not afraid to put his own Christian faith into the marketplace of ideas.

Wil Willimon and Stanley Haweras have raised this issue on the Duke University campus in our time. According to Willimon, the popular idea that all religions are essentially the same and merely a matter of personal opinion is both intellectually dishonest and ultimately intolerant. As Willimon suggests, "this is merely a way of saying, `Religion is wonderful as long as we first all agree that it doesn't mean anything.'" And any genuine student of world religions knows they are very different from one another in the way they understand the Divine, the human, and the world. No, it is more honest and more respectful to learn the specifics, to understand the differences, and to know what you believe and claim it. It is possible to honor other people, to respect their religious beliefs, to find common ground where it actually exists, and to assert your own faith at the same time. Having a specific faith, talking about a specific faith does not mean you have to be arrogant and intolerant about the faith of others. Says Willimon:

Sometimes the biggest challenge is to admit that all of us are living by some point of view or another. All of us are betting our life on something. We may be betting our life on the point of view that says, "I try not to have any point of view other the officially enforced point of view that there are no points of view worth acknowledging or living and dying by." Or, there is that point of view that says, "I still have lots of questions about Jesus and his way; of course there is still much about all this that I don't understand, and I fall constantly short of being a faithful follower of Jesus, nevertheless, I am trying. I am convinced that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and I am doing my best to be faithful to that."

Larry Bethune, Christ on the West Mall

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A Transitional Object (And So Much More)

In the last few days, I’ve been reading some of the theories of D.W. Winnicott, a pediatric psychiatrist who was the chief proponent of a unique British variation of psychoanalysis known as "Object Relations Theory." Winnicott put a name on a phenomenon familiar to all of us. He asserted that all children have what is called a ‘transitional object.’ We can tell it is a ‘transitional object’ because she always has it with her. It’s usually dirty and ratty because it can’t be replaced. It might be a doll, a blanket, a teddy bear, a bottle, a pacifier, an item of clothing--anything! If a child’s ‘transitional object’ accidentally gets left at church, I usually get a frantic call from the parents, within the hour: "can you let us back in the building--we’ve left something there!"

One of the purposes of a transitional object is to help the child navigate through a world that is changing and uncertain. A transitional object provides emotional security for a child until that child can adjust and grow inwardly in order to cope with the real world ‘out there.’ (I am indebted to Robert C. Dykstra and his book, Discovering a Sermon for the above material.) Even adults have ‘transitional objects.’ We know that life is full of change and loss. We know that we occasionally have to move beyond places that are familiar. People die, relationships break, people change, and time grinds on--oblivious to our feelings. Often, religion becomes a ‘transitional object’ for us. We cling to the comfort of our church, the familiarity of our pastor, the reassurance of our music, the sensibility of our ideas about God and faith. And when things religious are torn away from us, we can be in as much distress as a small child losing a beloved teddy bear.

In the gospel text this morning, Jesus, in all the ways in which he was familiar, is being taken away from his disciples. And THIS text invites us to reflect: perhaps our most cherished religious ideas and experiences are merely ‘transitional objects.’ Perhaps God’s love for us, God’s relationship with us is far deeper, far more mysterious, far more secure than any religious belief, experience, or idea now known by us.

J. Michael Smith, Anxiety

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The Dark Night of the Soul

"Sometimes I feel like a motherless chile," the weary black slave would sing to the hot southern night, giving expression to the condition of having been taken from home and family and subjected to the power of death. Although none of us has known the bitterness of that dehumanizing experience, the sung lament has surely expressed our own agony of soul from time to time, as we confront isolation and alienation and the world becomes too much with us.

"The dark night of the soul" is a fact of the religious life; the sense of the absence of God is as real as the divine presence. Those who use the Psalms as a daily part of their spiritual diet cannot but be impressed by the alternating sense of the presence and absence of God occurring there. St. John of the Cross makes it clear that the sense of God's absence is even important for us if we are to mature in Christian life and faith. So if we assume that having made a Christian profession will protect us from times of doubt, loneliness, unhappiness, we have a naive view of the way God works in the lives of women and men.

Kendall K McCabe and Michael L. Sherer, Path of the Phoenix, CSS Publishing Company

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God Remembers and Reminds

In his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks tells the story of Jimmie, a former sailor, now a patient in a nursing home, whose severe neurological disorder had left him with a profound and permanent amnesia. He simply had no memory of anything from 1945 on. Having no ability to retrieve the past and no ability to construct a meaningful present, Jimmie lacked the continuity that makes for a sense of the self. He was, wrote Sacks, a person who "wore a look of infinite sadness and resignation."

However, when Sacks asked the Sisters who ran the nursing home whether Jimmie had lost his soul, the Sisters were outraged by the question. "Watch Jimmie in chapel," they said, "and judge for yourself."

So Sacks did watch Jimmie in chapel, and there he observed an astounding transformation. He saw an intensity and steadiness in Jimmie that he had not observed before. As he received the sacrament, there was "perfect alignment of his spirit with the spirit of the Mass." There in worship, Jimmie was no longer at the mercy of a faulty and fallible memory. "He was wholly held, absorbed ...." He whose mind was broken was given in worship, "a continuity and unity so seamless it could not permit any break."

Jimmie in his own way is like all of us. In the final analysis, none of us is able to construct a self. We must all be given a story and a continuity not of our own making. Where we have no faithful memory, God remembers, and by the grace of God, the Spirit whispers the lyrics of the saving gospel in our ears.

Thomas G. Long, Whispering the Lyrics, CSS Publishing Company

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The Land of Look-Behind – Regret

Norman Vincent Peale tells of spending some time on a lush tropical isle in Jamaica. In the hotel in which they were staying there was a map that hung in one of the hallways. In the corner of the map there was some very faint lettering over an almost totally uninhabited part of the island. Looking closely Dr. Peale realized that the words were, "The Land of Look-Behind."

Intrigued, he asked the owner of the hotel what those words meant. The hotel owner said that in the days of slavery, runaways from the sugar plantations sometimes escaped into that lonely and barren territory. They were often pursued by slave owners or the authorities with guns and dogs. The fugitives were always on the run, always looking over their shoulders. So that was where the term came from: The Land of Look-Behind.

What a terrible place to live - in a land where you are always looking back over your shoulder in fear. Some people do live there, though.

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

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Overlooked, but Not Forgotten

Every basketball fan knows the name Larry Bird. An All-Star player for the Boston Celtics for many years, Larry Bird won nearly every award a basketball player can win. And yet he still remembers what it was like to be overlooked and unappreciated. In his senior year in high school, Bird was chosen for the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Games. Now those games are a big deal in basketball crazy Kentucky and Indiana. However, the only reason Bird was chosen was that usually there was a representative from southern Indiana and they needed someone to fill that slot. They made that clear to him when he was selected. So from the very beginning, he was placed on the second team.

In the practices, however, the second team outplayed the first. And in the first game of the All-Star series, the Indiana team was up by eight points when the second team with Bird on it was sent in. They blew the game wide open. The same thing happened in the second game. This time the Indiana team was trailing in the first half when Larry's unit went in and again they went crazy and took complete control of the game. However, as the second half started, the coach put the first team back in.

Later, when it was time for the second team to go back in, the coach put everybody in except Larry Bird. He was left there, alone at the end of the bench wondering what was going on. Finally with about two minutes to play, the coach came over to Larry and said, "Hey, I forgot all about you. Why don't you go in now?" And Bird refused. "Too late, coach," he said. Years later he reflected on the event and said, "I know I overreacted because I was young. However, if I had it to do over again, I'd do the same thing because I remember how embarrassed I was. Even though my values have changed and my outlook is different, I still remember how I felt -- completely forgotten and totally unappreciated."

Friends: if one of the greatest basketball players of all time can feel forgotten, how about the rest of us who are not blessed with the talent and skill that he has? We know how it is to feel forgotten and unappreciated. We've been down that road.

But the good news this morning is that God will not forget us. God tells us that we are somebody -- and in baptism God calls us by name. God puts God's mark upon us and makes us God's own. God sends us the Holy Spirit, to comfort and counsel us in life.

Lee Griess, Sermons for Lent/Easter

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Definition of Obedience

Obedience (Lat. obêdire, "to hearken to", hence "to obey") is the complying with a command or precept. It is here regarded not as a transitory and isolated act but rather as a virtue or principle of righteous conduct. It is then said to be the moral habit by which one carries out the order of his superior with the precise intent of fulfilling the injunction. St. Thomas Aquinas considers the obligation of obedience as an obvious consequence of the subordination established in the world by natural and positive law. The idea that subjection of any sort of one man to another is incompatible with human freedom -- a notion that had vogue in the religious and political teachings of the post-Reformation period -- he refutes by showing that it is at variance with the constituted nature of things, and the positive prescriptions of the Almighty God. It is worthy of note that whilst it is possible to discern a general aspect of obedience in some acts of all the virtues, in so far as obedience stands for the execution of anything that is of precept, it is contemplated in this article as a definitely special virtue. The element that differentiates it adequately from other good habits is found in the last part of the definition already given. Stress is put upon the fact that one not only does what is actually enjoined, but does it with a mind to formally fall in with the will of the commander. It is in other words the homage rendered to authority which ranks it as a distinct virtue. Among the virtues obedience holds an exalted place but not the highest. The distinction belongs to the virtues of faith, hope and charity (q.v.) which unite us immediately with Almighty God. Amongst the moral virtues obedience enjoys a primacy of honour. The reason is that the greater or lesser excellence of a moral virtue is determined by the greater or lesser value of the object which it qualifies one to put aside in order to give oneself to God. Now amongst our various possessions, whether goods of the body or goods of the soul, it is clear that the human will is the most intimately personal and most cherished of all. So it happens that obedience, which makes a man yield up the most dearly prized stronghold of the individual soul in order to do the good pleasure of his Creator, is accounted the greatest of the moral virtues. As to whom we are to obey, there can be no doubt that first we are bound to offer an unreserved service to Almighty God in all His commands. No real difficulty against this truth can be gathered from putting in juxtaposition the unchangeableness of the natural law and an order, such as that given to Abraham to slay his son Isaac. The conclusive answer is that the absolute sovereignty of God over life and death made it right in that particular instance to undertake the killing of an innocent human being at His direction. On the other hand the obligation to obedience to superiors under God admits of limitations. We are not bound to obey a superior in a matter which does not fall within the limits of his perceptive power. Thus for instance parents although entitled beyond question of the submission of their children until they become of age, have no right to command them to marry. Neither can a superior claim our obedience in contravention to the dispositions of higher authority.

Hence, notably, we cannot heed the behests of any human power no matter how venerable or undisputed as against the ordinances of God. All authority to which we bow has its source in Him and cannot be validly used against Him.

It is the recognition of the authority of God vicariously exercised through a human agent that confers upon the act of obedience its special merit. No hard and fast rule can be set down for determining the degree of guilt of the sin of disobedience. Regarded formally as a deliberate scorning of the authority itself, it would involve a divorce between the soul and the supernatural principle of charity which is tantamount to a grievous sin. As a matter of fact many other things have to be taken account of, as the greater or lesser advertence in the act, the relatively important or trifling character of the thing imposed, the manner of enjoining, the right of the person who commands. For such reasons the sin will frequently be esteemed venial.

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A Community of Love

In a sermon titled "A New Vision," Dr. E. Howard Satterwhite of Trinity United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, compared the ideal of a Christian community of love, with a marriage in which the romance has faded, the honeymoon is over, and the relationship has become a labor of love requiring simple tenacity, "hanging in there." Describing his vision of Christian love at close quarters he said, "We should lose the illusions of perfection ... if we are looking for perfection here, we had better go somewhere else. But no one else has it either. We need to deal with the fact that we are imperfect and yet are in love as community. The community cannot save us from anything and we cannot save anyone else, not on our own skills and not on our charms. But trusting in God we become more trustworthy to each other, and more available for the authentic community that is grounded in God's power and not our own."

Carl Jech, Channeling Grace, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

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MOTHER'S DAY ILLUSTRATIONS
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Sermon Opener - Love and Obey – John 14:15-31

Greetings 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." (1)

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..."

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.

1. It is important that we obey God's commands.
2. Our obedience grows out of our love for God.
3. Christ's teachings were given to us out of God's love for us.

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Sermon Opener – Mother's Day Gifts - Ephesians 6:10-20

Johnny was complaining to a friend about how hectic his days were since he got his first job. "I get up at 6:00 each morning and eat my breakfast," he said. The friend asked, "You mean you get up and fix your own meal?" "No," said Johnny. "My mother prepares it for me. She has to cook Dad's breakfast by 6:30 anyway."

The friend replied, "Gosh, your mom gets up that early just to fix breakfast?" "Oh, no," said the young man. "She likes to get up early. It gives her more time to do the things she enjoys - like mopping the floors, dusting furniture, shopping for groceries, and preparing lunch for me and Dad."

"I see," said the friend, "but she does have the afternoon for herself?" "Oh, yes," was the reply. "She spends that time playing with my little sister, sewing, and preparing supper, 'cause my dad and I like to have supper on the table when we come home after a hard day's work. We think that's fair; after all, Mother doesn't work!"

Such an attitude brings chuckles and groans because it is so ridiculous. Just because a mother or wife is not employed outside the home, it doesn't mean that she doesn't work. You may have heard your husband or father say that on occasion, but I'd be willing to bet that very few men would trade jobs with you.

Mothers, we know that you have a twenty-four-hour-a-day job, one which demands not only all your time, but also all of your attention and energy. Because of that realization, we salute you today, in the fashion that we should honor you every day - for all you do for us and for all you give to your family.

Few of us show our mothers the depth of love, honor, and respect that we should. We know we don't, and we feel guilty about it. So on Mother's Day, we try to make up for our failure by giving MOM gifts to symbolize our true feelings of affection and appreciation.

This morning, I want to suggest several gifts of a non-materialistic, noncommercial nature, that are necessary in the Christian family and should be given each day...

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When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

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Who Am I? – Mother

A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: "My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with the word Mother.

Traditional

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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)

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Qualities Needed In All Moms

A panel of experts was asked to complete some sentences about their moms. What made them experts was the one thing they all had in common. They were all kindergarteners. Even though these are the words of 6 year olds I think the qualities they recognized in their moms are they qualities needed in all moms. Here are the sentences and the answers:

My mom is best at: "feeding the dog," "making my bed," "driving," "cleaning," "running," "riding a two-wheeler," "watering the garden."

If I had enough money, I'd buy her: "flowers," "a car," "a necklace," "a brand-new fan," "a kitten," "a diamond ring," "a big pack of bubble gum."

It makes me feel good inside when Mom says: "I love you," "good job," "dinnertime!" "You look handsome," "I'll buy you something."

My mom is as pretty as a -- "butterfly," "ballerina," "mouse," "princess," "my brothers," "goose," "gold ring," "a clean horse."

By the way, one of the most memorable comments from the children on Father's Day was: Daddy gets tired out from: "chasing mommy."

Is It Well With Your Family?

Brett Blair and Staff, www.Sermons.com.

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Long Over Due

Mother's Day was declared an annual National Holiday in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson. He directed the Congress to designate the second Sunday of May as a special day for public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of America. Since that time there has been a "Mother's Day," and, I must say that even in 1914, it was long overdue.

R.E. Lybrand, CSS Publishing Company

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Influence of Mothers

Many scholars have concluded that you cannot really understand John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, unless you understand his mother Susanna Wesley. She was so instrumental in his life that she inevitably affected the movement and its direction. Americans know that Abraham Lincoln led this nation through perhaps its time of greatest crisis; but who was it that made Abraham Lincoln the man that he was? I know what Lincoln thought. He said it was his mother.

I would submit to you this morning that there is not a person sitting here that in one, five, ten, a thousand different ways has not been forever influenced by their mother. I firmly believe that you cannot understand who a person is and what motivates them until you understand their past. And you cannot understand a person’s past without understanding the source that co-created that person along with God—their parents.

www.SermonIllustrations.com

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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.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats alot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back of her head.

Source Unknown

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A Good Mom

Once upon a time there was a Mom, who tried her best to be a good Mom and to be fair with all her children. Her children, like all children, didn’t really appreciate this and were always telling her she did more for one or the other of them than she did for all of them. "You love her (him) more than you do me", was an oft heard refrain from one or the other. Though the Mom felt bad about her children’s reaction, she just continued to do the best she could to keep them all satisfied. She encouraged their individual talents, seeing them as God-given gifts that needed her encouragement. When they reached adulthood and were out on their own, each one doing his or her own thing, she often wondered if she could have done something else to discourage sibling rivalry.

Imagine her surprise one Mother’s Day, when she was well up in years, when each child told a story about a time when she made them feel so loved that they were able to take the necessary steps to succeed in some project. They said that these memories have been a powerful force in their everyday lives and in how they try to parent their children. They ended their storytelling by singing "A Mother’s Love is a Blessing!"

Andrew M. Greely

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Humor: A Life Consuming Job

Awoman had quit work to stay home and take care of her new baby daughter. Countless hours of peekaboo and other games slowly took their toll. One evening she smacked her bare toes on the corner of a dresser and, grabbing her foot, sank to the floor. Her husband rushed to her side and asked where it hurt. She looked at her husband through her tear-filled eyes and managed to moan, "It's the piggy that ate the roast beef."

Parables, Etc. Vol. 21. No 4, June 2001, pg. 1.

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The Value of the Job

Being a mother is a demanding job. As a matter of fact, according to a recent report from Salary.com, a website dedicated to researching average salaries for various jobs and industries, reports stay-at-home moms would earn an average of $138,095 annually, including overtime, if they received a paycheck. Women who works a full-time 40 hour a week job could expect an additional $85,939 for the work done at home. Among the jobs the stay-at-home moms reported to Salary.com were day-care center teacher, van driver, housekeeper, cook, chief executive officer, computer operator, nurse and general maintenance worker.

These are all jobs that are fairly easy to appoint a dollar value but like those MasterCard advertisements there are many “priceless” aspects to the job: the hug that comes at just the right time, the crust cut off the sandwich in just the right way, the reassuring laugh that reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously, and the countless other little things that we celebrate on Mother’s Day.

Staff, www.eSermons.com. Statistics from Reuters.com ‘Stay-at-home Mothers Work Worth $138,095 a Year’ May 3, 2007.

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A Call for Help

A woman telephoned a friend and asked how she was feeling, "Terrible," came the reply over the wire, "my head's splitting and my back and legs are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are simply driving me crazy." Very sympathetically the caller said, "Listen, go and lie down, I'll come over right away and cook lunch for you, clean up the house, and take care of the children while you get some rest. By the way, how is Sam?" "Sam?" the complaining housewife gasped. "Who is Sam?" "My heavens," exclaimed the first woman, "I must have dialed the wrong number." There was a long pause. "Are you still coming over?" the harried mother asked hopefully.

Dennis Marquardt adapted from Bobby Moore, Any Old Port in a Storm.

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A Moving Tribute to an Amazing Mother

Clinton Killian has a very moving tribute to his amazing mother, who worked multiple jobs to raise her six children in the 1960s, online at Newsweek.com. He outlines how hard his mother worked to take care of her family, logging 96 hours a week at up to three jobs at a time, and how much he appreciates it now that he is grown.

He reminds us all that, “On Mother’s Day, I will tell my Mama how much I love her and thank her for all the sacrifices she made. You be sure and do the same for your mother.”

Clinton Killian, A Singular Mother, Newsweek.com, May 4, 2006

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A Mother’s Prayer

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper--not a homemaker. If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness - not godliness. Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh. Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window. Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk. Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys. Love is present through the trials. Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive. Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood. Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart. Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection. Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.

As a mother, there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love.

Author Unknown

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One Day Is Not Enough

While it is wonderful that we set aside one day to especially honor mothers, let us reflect for a moment on all of the things mothers do for us. First of all, they bring us into the world through a biological miracle that is amazing, but certainly not easy. Then they spend the next two decades preparing meals, solving problems, kissing boo-boos, helping us learn everything from how to brush our teeth to how to navigate the difficulties of the “real world.” They spend the rest of their lives fretting and worrying about us. They care for us in a way that is beyond words. They sacrifice for us in ways beyond words. Even after they have passed on, and Mother’s Day can be especially difficult for those of us who have lost mothers, their influence is so powerful that it stays with us always. I propose that one day is not enough. One day is nice, but it is not enough.

So while we take this day to especially honor mothers, let us think of it as a planning day. How can we honor our mothers, grandmothers, mother-in-laws, and aunts each and every day? How can we recognize their special contributions to our lives every day? Let us take a moment to jot down five ways we can truly honor mothers, from our own mothers to the young mothers in this congregation, to the mothers who might be missing their grown up kids, to mothers who may have passed away. (Give a few moments to allow individuals to jot down their list. You may provide a few moments at the end of the sermon or at the end of the service to return to these lists and allow people to share their ideas with each other.) Now, let us make a commitment to honor these women every day of the year because one day is not enough!

Staff, www.eSermons.com

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There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.

Andrew Jackson, U.S. President

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"In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul."

Lisa T. Shepherd

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My Mother Taught Me…

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. "Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP. "Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. "You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Source Unknown.

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Never Grown Up

As far as our mothers are concerned, some of us never reach adulthood. One stormy morning, an obviously anxious mother called a school office to check if her son's bus had arrived.

"What's your son's name," the secretary asked, "and what grade is he in?"

A giggle followed a pause. "Oh, he's not a student," she said. "He's the bus driver."

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Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, physician and poet

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I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President

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A man wrote to Reader's Digest recently. Here is what he said:

"My mother has always treated me like her baby, no matter what my age. After turning 30, I purchased a computer and learned to use it. Thinking I'd impress her with my skill and maturity, I sent her a well-written letter, complete with computer graphics, borders and an elaborate typeface.

"I phoned to ask what she thought of the letter. `It's lovely, dear,' she replied. `I have it hanging on the refrigerator for all the neighbors to see.'"

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The Writing on the Wall: A Poem for Mother’s Day

A simple poem has been circulating on the Internet by an unknown author. It speaks of unconditional love in a beautiful way:

A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her eight-year-old son,
Eager to relate what his younger brother had done.
"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow.
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.
She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.
Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!
She headed for the den to confirm her fears.

When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.
Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

Source Unknown

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The Easiest Part of Being a Mother Is Giving Birth

For the first four or five years after I had children, I considered motherhood a temporary condition - not a calling. It was a time of my life set aside for exhaustion and long hours. It would pass. Then one afternoon with three kids in tow, I came out of the supermarket pushing a cart (with four wheels that went in opposite directions) when my toddler son got away from me.

Just outside the door, he ran toward a machine holding bubble gum in a glass dome. In a voice that shattered glass, he shouted, "Gimme! Gimme!" I told him I would gimme him what-for if he didn't stop shouting and get in the car. As I physically tried to pry his body from around the bubble gum machine, he pulled the entire thing over. Glass and balls of bubble gum went all over the parking lot.

We had now attracted a crowd. Donna Reed would have brushed away his tears and granted him absolution on the spot. I wasn't Donna Reed. I told him he would never see another cartoon as long as he lived, and if he didn't control his temper he was going to be making license plates for the state. He tried to stifle his sobs as he looked around at the staring crowd. Then he did something that I was to remember the rest of my life. In his helpless quest for comfort, he turned to the only one he trusted his emotions with - me. He threw his arms around my knees and held on for dear life. I had humiliated him, chastised him and berated him, but I was still all he had. That single incident defined my role. I was a major force in this child's life.

Sometimes we forget how important stability is to a child. I've always told mine, "The easiest part of being a mother is giving birth. The hardest part is showing up for it each day."

This is traditionally the day when children give something back to their mothers for all the spit they produced to wash dirty faces, all the old gum their mothers held in their hands, all the noses and fannies that were wiped, and all the bloody knees that were "made well" with a kiss. This is the day mothers are rewarded for washing all those sheets in the middle of the night, driving kids to school when they missed the bus and enduring all the football games in the rain.

It is appreciation day for making them finish something, not believing them when they said, "I hate you," and for sharing their good times and their bad times. Their cards probably won't reflect it, but what they are trying to say is "Thank you for showing up."

Erma Bombeck, Being a Mom Means You Have to Show Up, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 1993, pp 12C.

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Am I Loved?

I had a professor in Childhood Development who said, "All it would take to have a perfect world is just one generation of perfect parents." I believed that until mid-life, when I saw several nearly perfect parents who had terrible children. But the concept is generally true--we learn to love because we were loved first. We love, according to the Bible, because God loved us first.

We all need to be loved. And we grow up testing whether we are indeed loved. One of the basic questions of our youth is, "Am I loved?" It is asked in the back seat of a car. It is asked at a party. It is asked with defiance at home. It is asked with incomplete homework at school. It is asked when drugs are offered around in friendship groups. It is asked when a gang leader suggests an initiation rite. "By this you know you are loved…."

Everyone here today, mothers or not, needs to ask, "How am I demonstrating love?" Is it in a way that others can experience?

Paul Sweet, This I Know

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Gratitude

Make a list of 31 things your wife does for you and the family which you seldom thank her for. Make a point of thanking her specifically for one on each day of the coming month. On each day of the following month pay her a new compliment on one of her good attitudes, character qualities, habits or talents. And be prepared for a better relationship than you've enjoyed in quite a while.

Unknown

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Humor

No one deserves a special day all to herself more than today's Mom. A cartoon showed a psychologist talking to his patient: "Let's see," he said, "You spend 50 percent of your energy on your job, 50 percent on your husband and 50 percent on your children. I think I see your problem."

Unknown

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Humor

Here is a bit of advice to father's on Mother's Day:

Legally, a husband is the head of the house and a pedestrian has the right of way. Both are perfectly safe and within their rights as long as they do not try to confirm it!

George E. Bergman

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Mother's Day Gifts

What NOT to Buy Your Wife: Although the only person a man usually shops for is his wife, the whole experience is a stressful one. Many a man has felt extreme frigid temperatures for a long period based on a poor present decision. As a veteran of these wars, I'm still not sure what to buy my wife, but I'll pass on what not to buy her:

1. Don't buy anything that plugs in. Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian.

2. Don't buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she'll say. Too small a size doesn't cut it either: "I haven't worn a size 8 in 20 years!"

3. Avoid all things useful. The new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points.

4. Don't buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She'll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that's she's overweight.

5. Don't buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can't afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn't want.

6. And, guys, do not fall into the traditional trap of buying her frilly underwear. Your idea of the kind your wife should wear and what she actually wears are light years apart.

7. Finally, don't spend too much. "How do you think we're going to afford that?" she'll ask. But don't spend too little. She won't say anything, but she'll think, "Is that all I'm worth?"

Herb Forst in Cross River, NY, Patent Trader, in Reader's Digest, Page 69

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Why Bother with Mother’s Day?

This is a Mother's Day sermon. I’m preaching without apology and with appreciation for that time—honored institution without the benefit of which we wouldn’t be here!

As ministers, we’re reminded not to get too sentimental about motherhood because:

(a) for some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one;

(b) for some, biological motherhood isn’t possible;

(d) for some, motherhood under the very best of circumstances is still less than abed of roses and a primrose path.

So, with all those qualifications, why bother with Mothers’ Day at all? I’ll tell you why —— because for all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls and broken dreams, for all the soiled diapers, soiled wallpaper and spoiled plans, we’re talking about a beautiful ideal, a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love and caring to light. Motherhood is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring.

Proclaim, “A Mother’s Day Sermon,” May 14, 1989.

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Mother's Day Background

Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother's favorite flower) to each person who attended. Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother's Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. He established the day as a time for "public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country." By then it had become customary to wear white carnations to honor departed mothers and red to honor the living, a custom that continues to this day.

Pulpit Helps, May, 1991

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He Did Not Explain My Mother’s Life

When Robert Ingersoll, the notorious skeptic, was in his heyday, two college students went to hear him lecture. As they walked down the street after the lecture, one said to the other, “Well, I guess he knocked the props out from under Christianity, didn’t he?” The other said, “No, I don’t think he did. Ingersoll did not explain my mother’s life, and until he can explain my mother’s life I will stand by my mother’s God.”

James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, Tyndale, 1972, p. 381

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Don’t Say No to Mother’s Day

Remember this if any of you are tempted to downplay Mother's Day this year: "You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't drive a Mazda in a GM town. And you certainly don't tell a church it shouldn't celebrate Mother's Day .... Some causes are worth martyrdom. But purging Mothers' Day from the Christian calendar isn't one of them."

Steve Laue, Shepherd's Diary, May 1992, 2.

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The Certainty Of A mother’s Love

Cranly reminds Stephen Dedalus: "Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world, a mother's love is not."

James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991), 246.

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Mothers and Father’s Get Short Changed

Mothers and Fathers -- you think you're special? You think you're being honored, having one day out of the year dedicated to you?

Consider this: Egg salad gets a whole week. As do pickles, pancakes, pickled peppers, split pea soup, clowns, carpenter ants and aardvarks. Peanut butter (March), chickens (September) and oatmeal (January) each rate an entire month.

Mothers and fathers can draw solace from the fact that along with themselves, such national treasures as the rubber eraser and moles also merit only a single day of recognition.

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My Mother Is The Light Of The World

In one church, when a Bible is presented to a third-grade child, the child recites a passage of Scripture. On one occasion, everything was going well until the minister came to one little boy who couldn't remember his name, much less a Bible verse. The little boy's eyes frantically searched for his mother, who was seated very near the front. When he finally spotted her, he was greatly relieved when she whispered, "I am the light of the world," to which he immediately bellowed, "My mother is the light of the world."

Rodney Wilmoth, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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A Defeated Mother

A newspaper cartoon shows an elementary school teacher bending down to read a note that had been pinned to a small girl's dress. The note, clearly from an embarrassed but defeated mother, read: "I hope you don't think I picked out this outfit!"

W. Wayne Price, Confessions of a Perfect Parent (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1993), 57.

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A Mother Who Lived Her Faith

"I feel I am the luckiest child in the world to have had a mother and father who lived, rather than just preached, their faith and family values," claims Marian Wright Edelman. Through her parents' example, she learned that being honest was more important than being honored. She learned first-hand that faith was safer and more enduring than fame.

Marian was the youngest of five children. Her father was a Baptist preacher who, Marian says, "lived every day the faith he preached on Sunday." He was an example for her and her brothers and sisters as well as for their community. Marian's mother worked in the background but exhibited that same practical faith. Her mother kept both their home and the church running smoothly.

The children worried how their mother would manage after their father died. "My mother did not miss a beat," Marian proudly states, "in assuming either the family or church leadership mantle." Her brother Harry assumed his father's pulpit while her mother continued as church organist and fund-raiser. She lived out "our father's legacy of service in and outside the home," Marian reflects.

Marian's mother prospered by giving and led by serving. After her husband died, Mrs. Wright opened her home for 12 foster children. She continued to operate the Wright Home for the Aged, located behind the church, until she died. This selfless woman cooked three meals a day for senior citizens, some of whom were younger than she was. Finally, her family convinced her to hire a cook. This remarkable woman kept up her community and church work until a few weeks before her death because, as she told her children many times, "I did not promise the Lord that I was going part of the way. I promised him I was going all the way until he tells me otherwise."

Marian Wright Edelman, Parade Magazine, 8 May 1994, 5-6.

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Naya

Frederick Buechner's grandmother, whom he called "Naya," lived well into her 90s. She was a very special person to Fred as he was growing up. "What makes her so rare in my experience," he says, is that, "no matter what happened to her, she seemed always to remain remarkably herself." Even at times when her life was shattered by the deaths of people she loved, even at times when her life seemed to fall apart, Fred says, "She seemed to remain so serene and intact that it was as if she lived out of some deep center within herself that was beyond the reach of circumstance." Near the end of her remarkable life, she was moved into a nursing home. She was 94 years old and too old and frail to live anywhere else. Fred, along with his wife and 2-year-old daughter, went to see his grandmother. They spent a wonderful day together.

A few days later, they received a letter from his grandmother thanking them for taking the time to visit with her. She wrote, "Dear children, it was a noble deed to make the long journey down here, and the joy of seeing you and your bewitching little fairy daughter more than compensated me for the ignominy of substituting an old crone in a dark little room for the Naya of legend."

This would be the last letter he would receive from his grandmother. She died a few weeks later.

"She could see clearly and without either bitterness or complaint," Fred says of his grandmother. "It is a glimpse of at least, some important aspect of wholeness, he admits, "that I carry with me to this day, a bit of bannister to hold on to as I, myself, prepare to climb the dark stair." She was a person in whom the love of God was very evident.

Frederick Buechner, "Journey Toward Wholeness," Theology Today 49 (January 1993): 455-56.

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If There's No Gardener, There's No Garden!

A. Roger Merrill, in the best-selling book First Things First, tells the story of a business consultant friend who was moving into his new home. He decided to hire a friend to landscape the grounds. This friend had a doctorate in horticulture and she was extremely bright and knowledgeable.

"Fred had a great vision for the grounds, but because he was very busy and traveled a lot, he kept emphasizing to [his friend] the need to create his garden in a way that would require little or no maintenance on his part." He said automatic sprinklers were an absolute necessity; he was always on the lookout for laborsaving devices and any other ways of cutting time.

Finally, his friend said, "Fred, I can see what you're saying. But there's one thing you need to deal with before we go any further. If there's no gardener, there's no garden!"

Steven R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill, First Things First: To Live. To Learn, to Leave a Legacy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 77.

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What Goes Into A Home?

The Bible does not say very much about homes; it says a great deal about the things that make them. It speaks about life and love and joy and peace and rest. If we get a house and put these into it, we shall have secured a home.

John Henry Jowett, What Is a Mother? (Norwalk, Conn.: C.R. Gibson, 1977).

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The One I Loved the Most

Bill Ritter tells of a TV interview that once caught his attention. The person being interviewed was a heroic mother who had single-handedly raised a large family. In spite of all the frustrations, disappointments and obstacles, she had persevered and every one of her children had made remarkable achievements, not only in their schooling but also in their vocation. It was an inspiring story worth celebrating, for it revealed the heights and depths of human greatness. During the interview, the mother was asked her secret by the reporter who said, 'I suppose you loved all your children equally, making sure that all got the same treatment?'

"The mother replied, 'I loved them. I loved them all, each one of them, but not equally. I loved the one the most that was down until he was up. I loved the one the most that was weak until she was strong. I loved the one the most that was hurt until he was healed. I loved the one the most that was lost until she was found."'

Donald J. Shelby, "The Lord's House and Ours"

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The Mother Teresa Effect

Wonder what to do to start up "The Mother Teresa Effect"? Here are some find-a-need-and-fill-it statistics on poverty:

100,000,000 people have no shelter whatsoever.

770,000,000 do not get enough food for an active working life.

500,000,000 suffer from iron-deficiency anemia.

1,300,000,000 do not have safe water to drink.

800,000,000 live in 'absolute poverty,' unable to meet minimal demands.

880,000,000 adults cannot read and write.

10,000,000 babies are born malnourished every year.

14,000,000 children die of hunger related causes every year.

Gerald W. Schlabach, And Who Is My Neighbor? Poverty, Privilege, and the Gospel of Christ (Scottdale, Pa.: 1990), 24, quoting Ruth Leger Sivard's World Military and Social Expenditures, 1987-88 (Washington, D.C.: World Priorities, 1987), 25.

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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

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Job Description for A Mother

Erma Bombeck's job description for motherhood: "Wanted: Woman to raise, educate and entertain child for minimum of 20 years. Be prepared to eat egg if the yolk breaks, receive anything in hand child spits out, and take knots out of wet shoestrings with teeth. Must be expert in making costume for 'bad tooth' and picking bathroom locks with shish kebab skewer. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, including holidays. Comprehensive dental plan, vacation, medical benefits and company car negotiable."

Erma, Bombeck, I Want to Grow Hair: I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Go to Boise: Children Surviving Cancer (New York: Harper and Row, 1989), 56-57.

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Love Complicates Life

"God's problem is not that God is not able to do certain things. God's problem is that God loves. Love complicates the life of God as it complicates every life."

Theologian Douglas John Hall, God & Human Suffering: An Exercise in the Theology of the Cross (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1986), 156.

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Whose Boy Are You?

One of the great preachers of our time is Dr. Fred Craddock. Craddock tells a story about vacationing with his wife one summer in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One night they found a quiet little restaurant, where they looked forward to a private meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. Craddock leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn’t come over here." He didn’t want anyone intruding on their privacy. But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. "Where you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"Oklahoma," Craddock answered.

"Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been there," the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?"

"I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University," Craddock replied.

"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I’ve got a story to tell you." And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.

Dr. Craddock said he groaned inwardly and thought to himself, "Oh, no! Here comes another preacher story! It seems like everybody has at least one."

The man stuck out his hand. "I’m Ben Hooper," he said. "I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born, so I had a pretty hard time. When I started to school, my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and lunch time because the things they said to me cut me so deep. What was worse was going to town on Saturday afternoons and feeling like every eye was burning a hole through me, wondering just who my father was.

"When I was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in the church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me.

‘Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’ he asked. I felt this big weight coming down on me. It was like a big black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. ‘Wait a minute!’ he said. ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.’ With that he slapped me across the rump and said, ‘Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’

The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, "Those were the most important words anybody ever said to me, and I’ve never forgotten them." With that, he smiled shook hands with Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends.

And as he walked away, Craddock – a native Tennesseean himself – remembered from his studies of Tennessee history that on two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected to the office of governor men who had been born out of wedlock. One of them was a man named Ben Hooper.

Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com . Adapted from a Sermon by Fred Craddock.

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Humor: Mothers Can Be Shrewd

Former president Jimmy Carter spoke at Southern Methodist University and related an incident that occurred after he left the Whitehouse. A woman reporter came to Plains, Georgia, to interview his mother in relation to an article about Mr. Carter and his family. His mother really didn't want to be interviewed, but was being gracious. So when the reporter knocked at her door, Mrs. Carter invited her in. The reporter asked some hard questions and actually was rather aggressive and rude.

"I want to ask you a question," she said. "Your son ran for the presidency on the premise that he would always tell the truth. Has he ever lied?"

Mrs. Carter said, "I think he's truthful; I think you can depend on his word."

The reporter again asked if he had ever lied in his entire life.

His mother said, "Well, I guess maybe he's told a little white lie."

"Ah, see there!" the reporter exclaimed. "He's lied! If he told a white lie, he has lied."

The reporter was still not satisfied and asked, "What is a white lie?" And then Lillian Carter said, "It's like a moment ago when you knocked on the door and I went to the door and said I was glad to see you."

Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from an unknown source.

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Parenting

It is in the home that we first develop our sense of who we are. Every child has a right to a secure, happy home life. Every child has a right to the love and nurture of his or her parents.

Akin to identity is the question of self-worth. Dr. James Dobson, author of several excellent books on raising children cautions us that, “A child can learn to doubt his worth at home even when he is deeply loved by his parents! Destructive ideas find their way into his thinking process, leading him to conclude that he is ugly or incredibly stupid or that he has already proved himself to be a hopeless failure in life.”

The famous Psychiatrist Dr. Alfred Adler had an experience when a young boy which illustrates just how powerful such a belief can be upon behavior and ability. He got off to a bad start in arithmetic and his teacher became convinced that he was “dumb in mathematics.” The teacher then advised the parents of this “fact” and told them not to expect too much of him. They too were convinced. Alder passively accepted the evaluation they had placed upon him. And his grades in arithmetic proved they had been correct. One day, however, he had a sudden flash of insight and thought he saw how to work a problem the teacher had put on the board, and which none of the other pupils could work. He announced as much to the teacher. She and the whole class laughed. Whereupon, he became indignant, strode to the blackboard, and worked the problem much to their amazement. In doing so, he realized that he could understand arithmetic.

He felt a new confidence in his ability, and went on to become a good math student.

We need to encourage our children. We need not only to surround them with love but we need to help them feel competent as persons.

I wish every one of us had inscribed on the walls of our home the words of Dorothy Law Nolte’s work, “Children Learn What They Live,” and then kept this constantly before us in our daily activities.

If a child lives with criticism,
HE learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,
HE learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule,
HE learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame,
HE learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance,
HE learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement,
HE learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise,
HE learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness,
HE learns justice.

If a child lives with security,
HE learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval,
HE learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
HE learns to find love in the world.

Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com, Adapted from an unknown source.

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All Women

All women become like their mothers," Oscar Wilde once wrote. "That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.

Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, New York: Norton, 1980, p. 33.

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Spanish proverb: An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.

Abraham Lincoln: No man is poor who has had a godly mother.

William Ross Wallace: The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

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Tenacious Love

There was an interesting story on CNN not long ago about a twenty-five year old man in San Francisco who was dying of aids. And you know how he got it and I do too. Because of that his father had completely disowned him. His mother was dead. So there was nobody. The man looked like he could not weigh over a hundred pounds and had the look of death on his face. The reporter asked him how he was able to stand all of the pain, not only of death, but the pain of family rejection. He gave an interesting answer. He said I stand it by closing my eyes and imagining that I will awaken in the arms of my mother. I know that she will never leave my side.

I tell you friends, long after some fathers have disowned their children a mother will still be there. There is a tenacity about mothers.

Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com

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A teacher asked a boy this question: "Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were seven of you--your parents and five children. What part of the pie would you get?" "A sixth," replied the boy. "I'm afraid you don't know your fractions," said the teacher. "Remember, there are seven of you." "Yes, teacher," said the boy, "but you don't know my mother. Mother would say she didn't want any pie."

Bits and Pieces, June, 1990.

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Honor through Your Life

You must also give your mother honor in the way you live. Whether we want it to be this way or not, the way we live is a reflection upon our parents. So, if you really want to honor your mother, you should live in a way that she will be proud of. You must live an honorable life.

One day, several convicts were in a prison library flipping through a merchandise catalog. On one of the pages there was the picture of a lovely home. One of the prisoners said, "Man, I sure wish I could give my mother a house like that to live in." Another prisoner pointed to the nice car that was pictured in front of the house and said, "No, I'd rather give my ma a car like that, so she could come to see me once in a while."

Then the two men noticed their friend, Bill, just staring blankly at the magazine, so they asked him to say what he would like to give his mother. After thinking for a few minutes, he looked at them with tears in his eyes and said, in a sorrowful tone, "I wish I could give my mother a more honorable son." That young man was grieving about the fact that his dishonorable life and actions had dishonored his mother.

R.E. Lybrand, Home Is a Four-letter Word, CSS Publishing

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A New Command on Mother's Day

On this day when we’re trying to show our loving appreciation for all that love we’ve received from the special person called “Mom,” it is so fitting that we hear Jesus say what he said here in our text: “A new command I give you: Love one another.” Actually, Jesus’ command to love one another is appropriate for any day of the year, but it does take on special meaning on a day like today since included in that command to love, are those special ladies who brought us into this world and loved us in a way that only a mother can.

Staff, www.eSermons.com.

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The Blood of Mother Love

I recall a farmboy telling of the time he came out of his house and heard a commotion by the chicken coop. He ran quickly and found a hen being savagely attacked by a large hawk. He stopped, picked up a stick, and ran to the hen's defense, but he was too late; as the hawk flew off, the hen collapsed. The boy looked sadly at the stricken hen wondering to himself, wondering why the hen had not fled to the safety of the chicken coop which was only a few feet away. He knew why, when from under the wings of the dead hen emerged four little chicks and on each was a mark of blood, the blood of mother-love that sacrificed itself for their salvation.

We, too, are a marked people, marked by the blood of the Lamb of God who was crucified for us and gave himself in suffering love that we might be saved.

John M. Braaten, The Greatest Wonder of All, CSS Publishing Company

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Humor: Mother’s Maintenance Manual

Many of us take better care of our cars then we do our mothers and yet we only expect our cars to last 5 or 6 years but we expect our mothers to last for a lifetime.

Maybe we need a maintenance manual for mothers so we would know how to take care of them at least as well as we do our automobiles.

Here are some items that might be included in such a manual.

Engine: A mother's engine is one of the most dependable kinds you can find. She can reach top speed from a prone position at a single cry from a sleeping child. But regular breaks are needed to keep up that peak performance.

Mothers need a hot bath and a nap every 100 miles, a baby-sitter and a night out every 1,000 miles, and a live in baby-sitter with a one week vacation every 10,000 miles.

Battery: Mother's batteries should be recharged regularly. Handmade items, notes, unexpected hugs and kisses, and frequent "I love you's" will do very well for a recharge.

Carburetor: When a mother's carburetor floods it should be treated immediately with Kleenex and a soft shoulder.

Brakes: See that she uses her brakes to slow down often and come to a full stop occasionally. (A squeaking sound indicates a need for a rest)

Fuel: Most mothers can run indefinitely on coffee, leftovers and salads, But an occasional dinner for two at a nice restaurant will really add to her efficiency.

Chassis: Mother when their bodies are properly maintained. Regular exercise should be encouraged and provided for as necessary. A change in hairdo or makeup in spring and fall are also helpful.

If you notice the chassis begins to sag, immediately start a program of walking, jogging, swimming, or bike riding. These are most effective when done with fathers.

Tune-ups: Mother need regular tune-ups. Compliments are both the cheapest and most effective way to keep a mother purring contentedly.

If these instructions are followed consistently, this fantastic creation and gift from God, that we call MOTHER should last a lifetime and give good service and constant love to those who need her most.

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Humor: Short Jokes - Children Say the Funniest Things

1. A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around and see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like." Without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

2. A Sunday School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

3. The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"

4. Six year old Angie and her four-year old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why, who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the two mean in the back of the church, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.

6. A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"

7. I had been teaching my 3-year old the Lord's prayer. For several evenings at bedtime, she could repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us from e-mail. Amen"

8. One particular 4-year old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

9. A little boy was overheard praying, "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

10. A young boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle, he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing, and was near tears by the time he reached the pulpit. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."

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A Complicated Joy

Have you noticed how hard it is to have a simple joyful event anymore? Something inside wants me to blame it on some external factor like political correctness run amuck. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. We live in a fallen world of complicated joy.

Special times like Mother's Day or Father's Day remind me of this sad reality. While I enjoy preaching a "happy little sermon" about moms or dads, the complicated reality of our broken world jumps up and trips me. There are those moms or dads who have been abandoned or abused by their spouses and the last thing they want to do is give thanks or hear nice things about something and someone they don't have. Ditto for those who have had horrible experiences with their own moms or dads. In addition, there are those who have wanted and prayed and waited to be moms and dads without success and with deep wounds. Suddenly, what seems so simple and profoundly important jumps up has the joy stolen from its moment. Our concern for the wounded often leads us to forego the rejoicing, tone done the celebration, or issue all sorts of exception statements so the wounded don't get further injured. Meanwhile, those who have reason for joy have a lot of it siphoned out of the moment.

As Christian communities, however, I believe our churches need times of unabashed joy. Yes, there are those in pain who have been victimized by bad marriages or bad parents. Yes, there are those who ache to have children of their own and who find what is missing hurtful on these kinds of days. But, I believe we truly NEED to celebrate these kinds of moments without apology. Let me share a few reasons why.

First, we need to honor those to whom honor is due. In our petty and nit-picky world, people seldom get the affirmation and praise they deserve. Standing up and honoring those who deserve must be done -- it is not an option for godly people. God wants us to honor those to whom honor is due. (Romans 13:7)

Second, our children need to know that in the troubled world in which they often find themselves, there are moments of joy to cherish and to anticipate. How do they know what "normal" should be, or what goal to set for their own lives if all they hear about are the exceptions and the injuries? Let's teach them to be kind and compassion as well as to think on lovely things and to reach for them in their own lives. (Philippians 4:4-9)

Third, so often in caring Christian communities, our focus is on the broken, the wounded, the left out, and the injured. This is not only appropriate; it is righteous in the truest definition of that biblically rich term. We must be communities of care and compassion. We also must maintain a healthy and holy balance. Thanks for our blessings, praise for the greatness and graciousness of our loving God, and appreciation for his response to our pleas for help and healing should also be a part of our worship. A compassionate community will lose its compassion if it forgets the joy that inspired it. We must rejoice with those who rejoice in addition to weeping with those who weep. (Romans 12:15) The broken need to share the blessing of gratitude with those who rejoice. This is not just encouragement for those rejoicing, but it also helps the broken refocus on other things than their own brokenness and offers the promise of their own brighter tomorrow.

Birthday parties are special because a group of friends come to rejoice at the blessings of someone else. Much is the same in our celebrations of complicated joy at church. We will never assemble with unfettered joy on this side of heaven. But, if we will allow ourselves, we can anticipate that unfettered joy in moments of celebration where the broken, injured, and wounded share in the joy of the moment with those who are not. While it may be a bit complicated by our fallen and broken world, our time together as God's family must be a time to anticipate the joy that awaits us when our Father brings us home!

Even though it may be complicated, rejoice!

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)

Phil Ware, A Complicated Joy, originally published in Heartlight Magazine