Happy Mother’s Day!

May 8, 2016 / Happy Mother’s Day!
 
“A mother understands what a child does not say.”   ~ Jewish Proverb
 
A Mother does so much more than anyone (especially a man) can describe: carrying and cherishing the child, bearing not only the pain of birth, but the weight of a human soul; the future of a life, and the health of another.  These are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when considering what a Mom is, and what she does.  If we had a “Mother’s YEAR” instead of a “Mother’s DAY,” I would still not be able to give proper honor and place to this precious gift.  Therefore, please allow me to join with your families in wishing each mom a Happy and Blessed Mother’s Day.  We thank God for you; and we are honored to celebrate the treasure and gift that you are to your children, to the Body of Christ, and indeed, to Society as a whole. 
 
With that said, not all “moms” are biologically linked to their children.  Consider something the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Rome:
 
Romans 16:13 VOICE - Give my best to Rufus, clearly one of the Lord’s chosen, and also his mother. She’s like a mother to me.
 
We do not know exactly who this “Rufus” was, however, the Gospel according to Mark tells us that Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled to carry the cross of Christ, was the “father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21).”  Maybe this is the same man, we do not know.  What we do know, however, is that Paul acknowledged the mother of Rufus, was a woman “who has been a mother to me, too.”
 
Please let that sink in for a moment.  An unnamed woman known to the congregation in Rome (and identified by her role as a mother), was being publicly esteemed by the Apostle Paul as a “mother to” him as well.  This woman must have been a very special lady.  My dear friends, the Church is described by many metaphors in the New Testament.  We are the Body of Christ, the Flock of God, the Fellowship of the Saints, the House of the Lord, and maybe most tellingly…the Family of God!  I am convinced that one of the great needs in our Society and within the Body of Christ is for the FAMILY OF GOD TO BE RESTORED. 
 
It is imperative that Fathers and MOTHERS IN THE FAITH arise and be active in the Church and in our neighborhoods.  One never knows when the next Apostle Paul or Billy Graham or Bebe Patten or John Wesley may be sitting in the Sunday School classroom, the balcony, or playing in the park down the street.  We need mothers and fathers in the Church and in our Nation.
 
Beloved, I am convinced that not only is it appropriate to celebrate and honor our familial mothers on this day, but that the Body of Christ must acknowledge, honor, and esteem those women who may not share our genetic traits, but are nevertheless “Mothers in the Lord.”  Likewise Ladies, you may have raised your children, but we all know that your work as a mother never ends.  So too, within the church and society, we have an entire generation that needs your parenting. J