May 10, 2018
“Mother’s Day”
Julia Ward Howe was the first to propose a "mother's day" in the U.S. in 1870. In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May" and “Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association. She got it nationally recognized in the U.S. in 1914.
Nine years after the first official Mother's Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become and spent all her inheritance and the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the celebration.
From the gospels we don’t get a picture of Jesus as the perfect son. Maybe he was sore from having to start life in a cattle stall? At the age of 12 he made his mother upset because he stayed behind in Jerusalem when his family had left for home. Remember that story? His parents looked frantically in that huge city for three days (no Amber Alerts then)! When they finally found him, his mother scolded him but he calmly replied, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” He acted like it was his parents’ problem, not his!
Years later Jesus leaves home and the family hears reports that he is crazy so they go off to find him so they can help him. And what does he do? He disowns them! “Who are my mother, sister and brothers,” he asks. Then he answers his own question, “anyone who does the will of God.” Does that mean he doesn’t think his mother was doing God’s will? (Don’t tell our Roman Catholic friends).
What if Jesus was really trying to tell people, with his apparent lack of honor for his mother, that they had it all wrong? They had misunderstood the commandment to mean that mother and father were all important and that family ties were the ultimate goal. Jesus said, ‘no!’ read that commandment again. “…honor your father and mother as the Lord, your God, has commanded you…” Who deserves the ultimate honor? Who is at the wheel/in command? God!
So that is the bottom line then; we honor our mothers (maybe dads too…next month) because in doing so we are honoring God. And mothers love and care for their children because in doing so they are honoring God. It seems our mothers have been working for God all this time. About time we children do our part.
Happy Mother’s Day to all who show love and care to God’s children!
Pastor Mike
“Mother’s Day”
Julia Ward Howe was the first to propose a "mother's day" in the U.S. in 1870. In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May" and “Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association. She got it nationally recognized in the U.S. in 1914.
Nine years after the first official Mother's Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become and spent all her inheritance and the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the celebration.
From the gospels we don’t get a picture of Jesus as the perfect son. Maybe he was sore from having to start life in a cattle stall? At the age of 12 he made his mother upset because he stayed behind in Jerusalem when his family had left for home. Remember that story? His parents looked frantically in that huge city for three days (no Amber Alerts then)! When they finally found him, his mother scolded him but he calmly replied, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” He acted like it was his parents’ problem, not his!
Years later Jesus leaves home and the family hears reports that he is crazy so they go off to find him so they can help him. And what does he do? He disowns them! “Who are my mother, sister and brothers,” he asks. Then he answers his own question, “anyone who does the will of God.” Does that mean he doesn’t think his mother was doing God’s will? (Don’t tell our Roman Catholic friends).
What if Jesus was really trying to tell people, with his apparent lack of honor for his mother, that they had it all wrong? They had misunderstood the commandment to mean that mother and father were all important and that family ties were the ultimate goal. Jesus said, ‘no!’ read that commandment again. “…honor your father and mother as the Lord, your God, has commanded you…” Who deserves the ultimate honor? Who is at the wheel/in command? God!
So that is the bottom line then; we honor our mothers (maybe dads too…next month) because in doing so we are honoring God. And mothers love and care for their children because in doing so they are honoring God. It seems our mothers have been working for God all this time. About time we children do our part.
Happy Mother’s Day to all who show love and care to God’s children!
Pastor Mike