This is a Mothers’ Day sermon.  I’m speaking about that today without apology and with much appreciation for those without whose benefit none of us would be here.  Ministers are often reminded not to get too sentimental.  Supposedly, talk about Mother's Day takes away from God.  I think the opposite is true - mothers can point us to God.  Their love is closer to God's than we can imagine.

          A fellow once told me the reason he avoids talking about motherhood is because for some, it is an accident, and not always a welcome one.  For others, biological motherhood isn’t possible, and therefore a topic to be avoided.  And for a few others, their mothers weren’t all that nice.  For sure, motherhood under the very best of circumstances is hard work.  It's a fulltime job that never ends.  Men retire, but I'm not sure women ever do.

          The German poet Wilhelm Busch once wrote, "Mutter werden ist nicht so schwer; Aber Mutter sein dagegen sehr."  ["Becoming a mother is not so hard.  But being a mother is very much so!"]  But some women might not agree with that!  They love being a Mom and wouldn't trade it for all the world.

          The Bible commentators say that what she did, her waiting on Jesus and the other, was recorded to show she was fully healed.  She had been in bed for days and now was so quickly and completely healed that she fairly jumped out of bed and started cooking.  They rightfully show this illustrates the power of the Lord's healing.  He sees a sick person, touches her, and presto - she's okay.

          But there's more here.  I believe her remarkable recovery is also mentioned to show her true nature.  She might still have been tired, but she is a mother and mothers serve their loved ones.  It's possible she waited on them because she was glad finally to be out of bed.  Sometimes anything is better than lying in bed.  Maybe she served them because they expected her to.  "Hey, Mom!  You're up and better.  You're going to make it - great!  So, what's for supper?"

          Whatever the case, we don't hear much about her after this.  She probably lived the rest of her life in that house.  We know that later some early Christians built a church over the site, about fifty feet from the synogogue in Capernaum.  And the church was not built to remember her, but Jesus.  Peter's mother-in-law wasn't looking for attention.  Hardly any mothers are.  Motherhood is a humbling job.  They're just glad if their loved ones get a little attention.

          An elementary teacher asked her class this math question:  "Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were seven of you--your Mom and Dad and five children.  What part of the pie would you get?"  "A sixth," replied the boy.  "Are you sure?" she said.  "Yes, teacher, one sixth."  "I guess you don't know your fractions," said the teacher.  "Remember, there are seven of you."  "But, teacher," he said, "you don't know my mother.  She would say she didn't want any."

          A five-year-old and a seven-year-old presented their Mom with a house plant on Mother's Day.  They had used their own money and she was thrilled.  The older of them said, "Mom, there was a really big bouquet that we wanted to give you at the flower shop.  It was real pretty, but it cost too much.  It had a real pretty ribbon on it that said, 'Rest In Peace,' and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace so that you can rest."

          Jesus needed rest, also.  The people of that day saw Him as someone who was more concerned with others than with Himself.  There were other Rabbis with their bands of disciples.  Many were good, but some of them surely led that kind of life because of the prestige it brought them, or the popularity or even power.

          But here was a man with a heart unlike others.  He helped others because He loved others.  Jesus could easily have said, "This isn't why I came.  If I keep on being interrupted by all this healing, I won’t get anything done."  That's what many might have said.  But instead Jesus tenderly takes the sick woman by the hand, helps her up, and brings her the gift of wholeness.  Then He heals the others.

          In 1914, Anna M. Jarvis convinced President Wilson to establish the second Sunday of May as a time to honor the mothers of our country.  I'm glad he did.  Someone told me the other day I should also address husbands or fathers in this message.  He said tell those guys to "Lie, cheat, steal and divorce."  He said, "Tell them to lie - lie a little longer in bed with your wife each morning.  Cheat - cheat on the clock and spend more time talking with them.  Steal - steal a kiss here and there and tell them you love them.  Divorce - divorce yourself from work a week or two each year for a special vacation for just the two of you."  He said, "Tell them to lie, cheat, steal and divorce, but do it right!"

Copyright © 2005 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.