Greetings to all, especially our beloved mothers, grandmothers and wives.  You are God's greatest gifts to the world and the church, as Martin Luther once said, coming only after the Gospel of Christ and music.  Godly Mothers are one of the three pillars of the Christian family, together with godly fathers and the Lord Christ Himself.  A godly mother is indispensable to the family, with her strength, her insight and her morality.  We give thanks for them and all they do for us.

          In the early 1900's Anna Jarvis first suggested an annual day to honor all mothers.  At a memorial service for her own mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave out carnations, her mother's favorite flower, to each woman who attended.  Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and on May 9, 1914, ninety years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May to be Mother's Day, a time for "public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country."

          It was a busy day in their California home, with the Mom and her 3 children and one on the way.  One particular day, the mother was having trouble doing even routine chores, all because her three year-old, Mark, was on her heels no matter where she went.  Whenever she stopped to do something and turned back around, she'd trip over him.  Several times she suggested activities to keep him occupied.  "Wouldn't you like to play on the swing set?"  "How about a coloring book?"  But he smiled and said, "Oh, that's all right Mommy.  I'd rather be in here with you."  Then he continued to bounce happily along behind her, getting in the way.

          After stepping on his toes for the third time, she finally asked him why he was acting this way.  He looked up at her with sweet blue eyes and said, "Well, Mommy, in Sunday class my teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps.  But I can't see him, so I'm walking in yours."  Innocent words, but I think that little boy knew more about faith in the Lord than a lot of grownups do.

          Mothers are central to families.  It's no secret that families are in trouble today, with some people even thinking they should be put on the Endangered Species list.  Forces in America are trying to redefine the family, and if they could, would do away with the traditional family altogether.

          But today is not the time for ranting against bad social trends.  I believe the family is still very strong, and I'd like to suggest several things this morning for our thoughts:  First of all, that families will become stronger the more we honor mothers.  The love and strength they give to all families cannot be over-estimated.

          Each year, us pastors are cautioned not to emphasize Mother's Day too much, as it supposedly takes away from the Gospel.  That's baloney!  I believe a godly encouragement of Mother's Day can only help the church and the Gospel.  If something is good and is helpful to all, let's encourage it and thank God for it.  Thanking God for motherhood is akin to thanking God for life.  You can't do it often enough.  Without continually showing their importance, the family and society will continue to be weakened.  Praise God for His wonderful gift to us of mothers!

          Secondly, it's important that we realize that we Christians belong to two families, that visible family which gave us earthly life, and that heavenly family, the Church, which guides us toward eternal life.  The Church is also God's gift to us.  In the Church we are blessed with the Gospel and forgiveness.  In the Church we find friends and purpose in life.  In the Church we are God's new family.

          Our church family holds more of lasting benefit than we give it credit for.  People in earthly families may pass on, but God does not.  Families may be founded on abuse and lies, but the Church is not.  True, churches can have their weaknesses, but we dare not think its problems are all out there - that a church's problems have nothing to do with us.  A congregation is made up of the strengths and weaknesses of all its members.  We're part of the problem, but also part of the solution.

          Martin Luther, in Thesis #62 of his 95 Theses, wrote, "The true treasure of the Church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God."  In Christ's death and resurrection, you and I are redeemed.  When we have faith in Him, His perfect life is placed over life, so that when God looks at us, He sees Jesus.  What Christ did becomes ours - this is what the Bible calls "Justification."  We are justified - declared righteous - by the mercy of God.  He doesn't have to love and forgive us - He just does.  And because He does, we have hope for eternal life.

          In our Baptism, we are adopted into the family of God.  In our worship and fellowship and acts of service in the church, we gain strength from God and each other.  Children will remain in our homes only 18-20 years, and then they leave.  But the church family goes with us wherever we are, if we will stay connected to it.

          I'm certainly not saying churches are more important than spouse and children.  But I am saying that our Christian family is vital and is too often overlooked.  Many of us still view church only in terms of what it can give us.  If the church doesn't provide what we want, something is wrong and it must be some one else's fault.  But that's the way children think.  They expect Mom and Dad, brothers, sisters and grandparents to always be there for them, to provide for their needs.  In the church, when something's not right, we grumble or get angry.  And far too often, instead of staying to make it better, we disappear.  It must be someone else's fault, but certainly not ours.

          But let's re-consider our earthly families.  Yes, many of them are in trouble, but mostly because we've lost their original purpose.  Families are for love, nurture and growth, the things mothers are best at doing.  Families work best when we think of others first, and our personal self-interests are kept in check.  If our families and homes are merely trophies to display, or just a place to sleep while we play, or even spring boards to success, we have already lost our way.

          It's like the two paddle-wheelers on the Mississippi who left Memphis about the same time, traveling down river to New Orleans.  As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the slow pace of the other.  Words were exchanged, challenges were made, and the race was on!  Competition was nasty as the two boats huffed and puffed down the river.  One boat began falling behind - it didn't have enough fuel.  There'd been plenty of coal for a regular trip, but not enough for a race.  As the boat dropped back, some clever sailor took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the ship's boilers.  When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport.  They ended up winning the race, but to do it, they burned all their cargo.

          God has entrusted cargo to us, too: children, spouses, friends.  Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination.  Yet when program takes priority over people, or when self-interest comes before the needs of others, people suffer.  When we treat our loved ones poorly, what do we have left?  How much cargo do we sacrifice in order to win the rat race?  How many people never reach the destination because competition eats them up?

          Evidence is mounting that the better our relationships are at home, the more effective we are in our careers.  If we're having difficulty with a relationship, that difficulty will be translated into reduced performance on the job.  U.S. News and World Report showed a study that the "typical" millionaire usually has a stable home life.  He or she is an individual who has worked eight to ten hours a day for thirty years and is still married to his or her high school or college sweetheart.  A New York executive search firm, in a study of 1365 corporate vice presidents, discovered that 87% were still married to their one and only spouse and that 92% were raised in two-parent families.  The evidence is overwhelming that the family is the strength and foundation of society.

          I have some advice for all you who have a mom (or a wife) - make a list of 15 things she does for you and which you seldom thank her for.  Then make a point of thanking her for one of those things on each day for the next 15 days.  Then for the rest of the month, compliment her each day on one of her good qualities, attitudes or talents.  Then be prepared for a better relationship than you've enjoyed in quite a while!  Today let us all give thanks to God for families, our social family and our church family.  For it is in them that we can experience God's love most clearly.  Amen

Copyright © 2004 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.