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PASTOR'S PEN
Godly mothers inspire
 | | William Campbell is pastor at First Baptist Church of Port Aransas. |
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We just passed Mother's Day, and like most, I called my mother and sent her something she would like. While in my normal sermon preparation before Mother's Day, I sensed God was leading me to preach a Mother's Day sermon. For most pastors, a Mother's Day sermon is not a big deal, but I am often uncomfortable preaching a holiday or a recognition sermon (one of my many quirks). Since there are many examples of good and "not so good" mothers in the Bible, I thought I would have a rather easy time preparing. The message actually came very quickly and easily, yet it wasn't a passage that most people associate with great motherhood. May I share with you? If you are still reading, then I am assuming it is a "Yes."
John 2:1-11 is my favorite miracle of Jesus recorded the Bible - this is unusual for most Baptist pastors, because it is the time that Jesus turned water into wine at the marriage ceremony in Cana. The end result is not what gets my attention. My favorite part of this story is Mary's (mother of Jesus) reaction. She finds out that the hosts have run out of wine (a big wedding faux pas in Middle Eastern culture). It would be like the bride and groom running out of wedding cake, except running out of wine was much worse. Mary evaluated the circumstance, went to Jesus expressing concern for the wedding party. Jesus' response seems curt in English, but he was simply stating that it was not quite time for the world to fully know who he was. Mary, having already inspired confidence in her son over the past 30 years, told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Jesus had the servants fill six huge containers full of water and then take a sample to the master of ceremonies. His statement is also one of my favorites: John 2:10 NLT "A host always serves the best wine first," he said. "Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!"
Once Mary tells the servants what to do, she is not heard from again in this story. The point of the story was never about Mary, yet we see one last quality in a Godly mother: She does not expect congratulations. I have found that often times, we Protestants do not give Mary enough credit. We assume that it was quite easy raising the Son of God, but can you imagine the pressure she must have felt? These four qualities of Mary in this story are qualities found in every Godly mother (and Dads, we would do well to learn these also).
Godly mothers inspire by, first, evaluating the circumstances; second, expressing concern for others; third, inspiring confidence in the children's abilities; and fourth, never expecting personal congratulations.
Moms, you have thankless jobs, and often never get the credit you deserve. I cannot imagine a world in which there are no Godly mothers.
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