Happy Mother's day with Nancy and Randy

CALL & RESPONSE:

ONE: And Jesus said, "Come!" To all mothers and children, He said "Come!"

ALL: To the motherless and the childless, He said "Come!" To all who long to be mothered, He said "Come!"

ONE: Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ALL: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.


PRAYER OF INTERCESSION & LORD'S PRAYER:   
Our heart-felt prayer today, 0 God, is but this — bless our family and help us to be a blessing to it. Touch all those who are mothers to us or to others. Anoint with Your healing goodness our brothers and our sisters. Smile upon our children and help them to grow.

We thank You God for our family. We thank You God for Your family, for the family You have given us by our birth, for the family You have bestowed by our rebirth. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray to You saying: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Drama Moment:

HONOUR YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER

MEL:      (enters, carrying Bible, sipping from Styrofoam cup) Eeeuuu, this fruit punch! No wonder the adults drink coffee after church.

TIF:           (follows, running) Melissa, you've got to hide me. (stands behind Mel, Ducking slightly)

MEL:        Why? (looking back to exit) What did you do?

TIF:            I called my Mom a nag.

MEL:         Nice work! Now you can just kiss off the movie this afternoon.

TIF:          That's why I yelled at her.

MEL:          Why?

TIF:             She said I couldn't go to the movies with you.

MEL:          Why?

TIF:       I promised her that I would do my homework yesterday, but I didn't get around to it.

MEL:             Oh, Tiffany!

TIF:       It isn't like I don't have the rest of this afternoon and all of tonight to do my homework.

MEL:         So, you called her a nag.

TIF:           (looking over Mel's shoulder toward exit) Do you see her? I'm hoping she'll

cool down if I stay out of sight for awhile.

MEL:     It's a good thing you're not a Jew in ancient Israel.

TIF:      What does that have to do with anything?

MEL:     (hands Tif the cup) Here, hold this. I'll show you. (opens Bibles & thumbs through pages)

TIF:         (drinks) Eeeuuu, this fruit punch! No wonder the adults drink the coffee after church.

MEL:        (laughs) Yeah, that's what I said.

TIF:        What are you looking up?

MEL:        Here it is: Deuteronomy 21, commandments for the Jews. See here? It says if you have a rebellious child, ...all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you.

TIF:      They really did that?!

MEL:   I don't know if they did it or not. But it must be pretty important for God to command it that way. (turns pages)

TIF:            All I did was call her a nag. It isn't like I swore at her or something.

MEL:        (points) Look here.

TIF:          Exodus 20. That's the ten commandments. So?

MEL:     (points to each) So, you've got four commandments about God (points) then six commandments about people.

TIF:       Honour your mother and your father. Alright, you've preached a good sermon.

MEL:     Tiffany, you can make light of it if you want to, but these are the ten commandments, not the ten suggestions or the ten really cool ideas.

TIF:     Yes, by my Mom promised I could go to the movies today.

MEL:     Yes, and you promised to do your homework. Look at the next
commandment.

TIF:     You shall not murder. I never killed anybody.

MEL:   I'm not saying you did. But look at the order that God lists the
commandments. They're listed in order of importance. He says honouring your mother and father is more important than (points) You shall not murder. It sounds to me like it's pretty important to God that you honour your parents.

TIF:    Yeah, well, I'll honour her later. Right now, I'm mad at her.

MEL:   If you won't honour your mother for her sake, do it for your own benefit.

TIF:     Are you saying that if I go and apologize to her, she might let me go to the movies?

MEL:    No. Read Here. (points)

TIF:     Honour your mother and your father. I just read that.

MEL:   Read the rest of it.

TIF:  Honour your mother and your father, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. So?

MEL:    So, did you know that people who honour their mother and father live longer than those who don't?

TIF:  No, I didn't. So, what are you saying? Are you saying that because I called my mother a nag, I'll get eaten by worms or struck by lightning?

MEL:  No. What I'm saying is that the Lord made the universe with certain rules, like gravity. If you jump off a tall building, you'll probably fall and die. If you honour your mother and father, you'll probably live longer than someone who doesn't. It's as simple as that.

TIF:   (sigh) I suppose I should go and apologize to her.

MEL:    Only if you want to live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

TIF:   (sigh) You know, you ruined everything.

MEL:  I ruined everything?!

TIF:   Yeah, I was having such a good time being mad at her. (takes sip from cup)

MEL:   (laughs) You'll get over it.

TIF:    (looks in cup) A lot sooner than I'll get over this fruit punch. Here. (hands over cup) Wish me luck. (exits)

MEL:   I wish you long life. (begins absentmindedly to drink, looks in cups, scowls & follows)

The Offertory Prayer: 
Gracious God, You are a living parent imparting wisdom to those who love and follow You. As Jesus demonstrated to His disciples, You offer the immeasurable peace of an eternal home. We praise Your name in the comfort of this peace, and place these offerings before You. Multiply these gifts so that those seeking to establish peace in this world will feel Your guiding hand. Everything in heaven and earth comes from You, Lord. We gave You only what is Yours. May Your grace shown to us in Jesus Christ make us generous givers. Amen.

MO'THER'S DAY PRAYER: 


Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so You watch over Your church. Bless these women, that they may be blessed as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honour them always with a spirit of profound respect.

You have given to women the capacity of participating with You in the creation of new life. Grant that every woman may come to understand the full meaning of that blessing, which gives her an unlimited capacity for selfless love for every child she may be privileged to bear, and for all Your children.

Watch over every mother who is with child, strengthen her faith in Your fatherly care and love for her and her unborn baby. Give her courage in times of fear or pain, understanding in times of uncertainty and doubt, and hope in times of trouble. Grant her joy in the birth of her child.

To mothers You have given the great privilege and responsibility of being a child's first teacher and spiritual guide, give them wisdom and patience. Grant that all mother's may worthily foster the faith of their children, following the examples of Mary, Elizabeth and other women of the Bible who follow Christ. Help mothers to grow daily in 
knowledge and understanding of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and grant them the wisdom to impart this knowledge faithfully to their children, and to all who depend upon them.

We beseech You to send Your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to all mothers who sorrow for children who have died, are ill or estranged from their families, or who are in trouble or danger of any kind. Help grieving mothers to rely on Your tender mercy and fatherly love for all Your children.

We ask Your blessing on all those to whom You have entrusted motherhood. May Your Holy Spirit constantly inspire and strengthen them. May all mothers receive Your grace abundantly in this earthly life, and may they look forward to eternal joy in Your presence in the life to come. Grant all these things through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

ANTHEM : 

"SING A NEW SONG"



Daniel L Schutte & New Dawn Music

Sing a new song unto the Lord;
let your song be sung from mountains high.

Sing a new song unto the Lord,
singing alleluia.

Shout with gladness, dance for joy.
O come before the Lord.

And play for him on glad tambourines,
and let your trumpet sound.

Sing a new song unto the Lord;
let your song be sung from mountains high.

Sing a new song unto the Lord,
singing alleluia.

Rise, O children, from your sleep;
your Saviour now has come.

He has turned your sorrow to joy,
and filled your soul with song.

Sing a new song unto the Lord;
let your song be sung from mountains high.

Sing a new song unto the Lord,
singing alleluia.

Glad my soul for I have seen
the glory of the Lord.

The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.
I know my Saviour lives.

Sing a new song unto the Lord;
let your song be sung from mountains high.

Sing a new song unto the Lord,
singing alleluia.

Meditation : Defending the Christian Family

Defending The Christian Family

Today we celebrate Mother's Day and we ponder about what a mother is. A mother's job is to watch over, nourish and protect. This job starts the minute she finds that she's conceived. This is a built-in mechanism, a gift from the Lord. A mother is the chief night watchman who hears the slightest turn of a baby in its crib. She hears a light whimper and she's immediately at her baby's side.

A mother is a doctor and a nurse, all rolled into one. It doesn't matter if it's a fever, a crying baby that won't settle down, a tooth that's about to come out or the cuts, scrapes and bruises that befall a child, none of these matter, because Mom knows exactly what to do. Mom just kisses the boo-boo and the child feels okay.

She's the taxi driver and chauffeur. She's the time keeper and she gets the kids to school on time, to their piano lessons and their ball games. She's the chief bottle washer and the cook, and sometimes she feels like it will never end.

A mother is a counsellor and a consoler. She listens while they tell her that nobody loves me and everybody picks on me. She's the referee in every dispute and the cheer person at every game. A mother is the light at the end of the tunnel in bad times and good. After all — she's MOM.

Although overworked and underpaid, a mother doesn't complain. She would do anything for her children, coming to the rescue no matter what! These are, after all, her God-given talents, the means to take and use the glory of God. God expects a mother to raise and nurture her children, to make sure they have the skills to function and be prepared to face the world and to face the world beyond. A mother, who is a Christian mother, nurtures her entire family to be defined by the love of God. God's love establishes a Christian family, and God's love maintains the Christian family, and as long as you love, you are doing all that God asks of you.

Christ was very concerned about the family. He insisted that we not cheat our parents out of the duties we owe them, that our offerings to God should never be made at the expense of our care for our mothers and fathers. Jesus was concerned for the practical day to day aspects of living as members of a family, as members of the basic biological unit of parent and child.

But Jesus also changed the definition of family. He told us that there is only one family that counts, that there is only one family that is eternal and unchangeable, that there is only one family that is satisfying, and that is the family that He came to make us a part of, the family of God.

And so we celebrate Mother's Day by remembering the contributions and sacrifices that mothers have made on our behalf. We can start with how Mother's Day began. People began honouring mothers a long time ago. As a matter of fact, when it first started, it was called Mothering Sunday, and was celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent.

Then, about 150 years ago, a woman named Anna Jarvis, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, something she thought mothers believed in doing. She called it Mother's Work Day. After Anna died, her daughter, also named Anna, wanted to honour all that her mother had done. She remembered that her mother hoped that one day someone would make a special day just for mothers.

Anna worked very hard to try to create a special day, and by 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday in the United States. The policy was soon adopted by both Canada and Mexico. By the time of Anna's death in 1948, 40 countries were celebrating Mother's Day, and today the number has more than doubled.

But there is a twist to the story. Anna ended up disliking Mother's Day. She didn't want Mother's Day to be all about the expensive gifts and fancy flowers, but rather she wanted just a day to show mothers how much they were loved and appreciated.

In honour of Mother's Day, I'd like to tell you a story about one mother whose devotion not only shaped her son's life, but countless others as well.

Her name was Monica. A Christian, she was married to a prominent man who wasn't a believer. He was unfaithful and even beat her at times. Monica's response was to go to church every day and pray for his conversion. She hoped that by setting a godly example, even in the midst of her mistreatment, she might win him over. And that's exactly what happened.

The suffering and anguish caused by her husband paled before what Monica's oldest son put her through. He lived a licentious life, one which was devoted to pleasure. He left one mistress and took up with another. His only son was born out of wedlock. His lack of faith and rejection of Christian truth hurt Monica even more. He belittled her beliefs and seemed to go out of his way to embrace Christianity's competitors.

Still, Monica never gave up. The greatest preacher of the time, knowing of her prayers and tears for her son, told her that it was impossible that the son of so many tears should perish. And it turned out that the preacher, Bishop Ambrose of Milan, was right. At the age of 35, Monica's son, Augustine, became a Christian and was baptized, along with his son, Adeodalus, by Bishop Ambrose. A few months later, on the way home with Augustine and Adeodalus, Monica fell ill and died.

Monica could not have known that her prayers and devotion would affect not only the life of her son, but also the course of history. Het concern was that her son believe the truth which is in Jesus. The devotion to the spiritual welfare of her son is why Monica is regarded as the model for all Christian mothers. Like Susannah Wesley, mother of John and Charles, her zeal for the salvation of her son had an impact far beyond anything she could have imagined.

But there's another reason why Monica's story should resonate in our hearts. Her concern was not only that her son gave up his debauchery, as important as that was. Monica was determined that he embrace the truth of Christianity. She prayed that he would put his mind to the service of Christian truth. And that's exactly what he did. Much of what Christians believe today was first and best articulated by Monica's son. His writings are considered classics, not only of the Christian faith, but also of all Western culture and civilization.

While there can only be one Monica and Augustine, every Christian mother and father should be concerned with their children's worldviews. Praying for them and teaching them to seek after Christian truth is a solemn duty on our part and a contribution they will always remember, whether it is Mother's Day or any other day of the year.

Mothers may not know it, but they are often responsible for the faith development of their children more than several ministers put together. Take the case of Mrs. Jones, a mother of eight, who wanted to become a preacher. She consulted her minister to help her discern whether indeed God wanted her to be a preacher. After listening to her story, the minister said to her, "Mrs. Jones, God indeed wants you to be a preacher. You see, He has already given you the congregation, referring to her large family.

The goodness that we associate with our family at its finest moments, the joy we have experienced, the communion that we have felt, is still with us, because God doesn't permit anything good to be lost. And new joy, new communion, keeps on coming; it is always within our grasp. It comes when someone shows love to me. It comes when I show love to someone.

The challenges of faith that come from family and children can be both explicit and implicit. Sometimes children ask you explicitly and directly, "Mom, why do we do this?" or "Why do we say that?" Their questions can be very hard to answer at times. Like the seven year old boy who asked his mother, "Mom, if God is everywhere, why do we have to go to church to pray?" But, hard as the questions they ask may be, that is actually the easy part. The hard part is being attentive enough to hear the questions they are asking, not in so many words but by their changing attitudes and by their body language. Mothers who are able to hear and respond to the unspoken questions of their children are not just great mothers, but great preachers as well. Children today are growing up in an increasingly confused world. They need answers.

In order to be ready to defend the truth of our faith, we must be grounded in the faith ourselves and only then will we be able to share it with those around us. You can't give what you don't have. We must make an effort to know our faith more deeply.

In 1 Peter, Chapter 3, we are reminded of the sublime truth that when it comes to sharing our faith with others, example speaks louder than words. In fact, it is said that the greatest legacy a mother can leave her children in this world is the testimony of a deep and exemplary life of faith. This is made clear in the words of Dorothy Law Nolte's "Children Learn What They Live."

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance and friendship,
They learn to find love in the world.

God gives us each other as family. He calls us together and says to us: This is your brother, this is your sister, this is your mother, this is your father. As you love them, so you love me, as you love me, so you love them." To be in a Christian family, and to live as a member of a Christian family ought to live, is a wonderful thing.

The Bible tells us: "We are together the children of God. We are together the family that God has made, and when we love others, and in that love nurture others and forgive others, when we respect and honour sisters, and help them with their burdens, when we walk humbly with others and worship with others as Christ did, then we have everything that a person can have. 
Embrace your family, love your family, and God will take care of all the rest!  
BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN: May the blessing of God be an especially bright benediction upon mothers everywhere on Your blessed day. Go now into your week, knowing that you are embraced by the love of God, a love that is sweeter and more tender than any you have ever known.