MOTHERS-DAY TRIBUTE

A mother’s love is God’s love expressed. It comes in countless different shapes. I hope each of us has a precious memory of his or her mother. & that each of us can give thanks today because of that precious memory this morning. There’s nothing in the world as valuable as the memories you hold sacred inside of your mind & heart.

Close your eyes just for a moment & think of one attribute that you most prize that was an attribute of your mother. Think of it now in her honor. Would you give up that memory & experience of love for money or anything else in the physical world? I don’t think so.

MEDITATION
I invite you to close your eyes & in the silence of prayer that is to follow, I pray with you for you to accept God’s love. Dwell on God’s love for you. Think about God’s love & most of all, how you abide in God’s love; a love that will enrich your life, satisfy your every longing & fulfill your heart’s every dream. God’s love in you is greater than any disappointment. It will override any obstacle. It will lift you above every mountainous difficulty. It will renew you. It will show you the goodness in others. All this wondrous Mother’s Day, rest in God’s love. & place your Mother in prayer in God’s love. There is no finer gift. Let God love you. Let God’s love come through you. In the silence of prayer
Relax & let go. Let the great love of God enfold you. God’s love is greater than anyone or anything. God’s love is so great that it fills all time & all space. It’s instant; it’s compassionate; it’s constant tenderness and forgiveness. The love of God delights to bless. Let God’s love fill you. Let God’s love move through you. If an outer challenge appears, say quietly “God’s love is greater.” Realize, through your prayers, the nearness & availability of God’s love in the Silence.
Meditate often on the limitless bounds of God’s love. Consciously abide in it. Let this love draw you unto itself until you rest within the very heart of it. God loves you. As you sit here in this wonderful church, God is loving you exactly the way you are. God loves you now. This love is so great that there is nothing in all the universe to prevent It from showering Its blessings on you this moment. God loves you. God loves you, and how great is this love. How wondrous is this love. God’s love is greater than anything you face. (Silence) Through the power of the spoken word, let us affirm & decree for our lives: God’s love fills my life with good. I accept God’s love & I am blessed with joy. I accept God’s love & a fulfilling in my life of love in the perfect outer form. From our indwelling Christ, we give thanks for the love that has come to us in many forms & especially for the love that has come to us through our Mothers. From our indwelling Christ, we thank God for love that is coming to us continually and eternally; never ceasing. Amen.





M.O.T.H.E.R.
It was a special event & he was late. I wonder what his mother thought? Was she upset or angry?
It was only 9 miles from Nazareth to Cana. The wedding would last 7 days; at least he could have been on time. Then, all of a sudden, there he was, along with all his friends.

She looked about & saw the servants talking to each other. She knew something was wrong. & then she realized what it was; they had run out of wine.

She went over to her son, Jesus & said, “Jesus, they have no wine!” He just looked at her & said, “Woman what is that to you? My time has not yet come.” Then he walked away. . .
only to return a few minutes later.

They must have talked again, because she went over to the servants & said to them, “Do whatever he asks you to do.” They did & of course you know what happened. Jesus saved the day. It was the first miracle & it says in the Bible that after this miracle that his disciples believed in him.
As we reflect on Mothers today, Mary, the mother of Jesus certainly reveals one of the traits it what it takes to be a Mother.

1 “M” Mary had this wonderful ability to look beyond the appearance and see the potential in her child. This is the ability illustrated in the story of the wedding of Cana.

In the Hebrew culture, it was most important to celebrate a wedding properly. The celebration set the foundation for their whole marriage. The family took great care in the preparations, so when Mary found that the family had run out of wine, she knew it would be an insult to the family, bad luck for the couple. To run out of wine just as the guests were arriving was the worst possible thing to happen. Mary turned to her son, looked at him, and knew he could do something.

Don’t you wonder how she knew Jesus could do something? Do you think it’s because he’d been practicing turning water into wine at home? I don’t think so. She knew purely and simply because she was a mother. She could look beyond the impossibility of the appearance and know that he would come up with something. A mother believes in her child.

Do you remember times like this with your mother?
Didn’t she always just know that you could do it?
When you were in your first band concert, or took the SAT’s for college, or had your first heartbreak didn’t your mother know that everything would work out & be fine?

I can remember many times my mother just smiled & said, “I know you can do it.” I’d say, quietly to myself, “Sure, if you think it’s so easy, you do it!” Yet, she was right, sooner or later, I always did it. A Mother knows that there is tremendous potential within her child & expects it so come out. The ‘M’ of Mother is for the Mary-like quality that sees beyond the appearance to the potential within each child.
2.”O” Another quality that makes mothers so special is openness. Mother’s are open to whatever is right & good for their children; whatever is the highest and best for their lives. I wonder, if while Jesus was growing up, he ever went to his dad & said, “Daddy, I want to become a carpenter just like you.” Joseph might have said, “Great. I can see it now. . . “Joseph & Son.” If Mary had heard that she probably would have said, “Oh, that’s nice son,” which from a mother translates, “I don’t think so. . . or dream on.”

From what little there is about Joseph in the Bible, we still get a picture of a practical man. Can you imagine Jesus going up to Joseph & saying, “Dad, when I grow up I’m going to be the savior of the world.” I can hear Joseph saying, “Right. . . what kind of security and benefits does a job like that have?”
Fathers (the intellect) is practical.
I can imagine Jesus going to Mary & saying, “I must be about my Father’s business.” & Mary, as his mother, knew her son was destined for greatness. She was open to unlimited possibilities for her son.

Growing up, one of my mother’s favorite expressions was, “Where there’s a will there’s a way, those who reach the top, first much climb the hill. “ I got the emotional support – the pushing I needed from my mother.

My mom can’t carry a tune or play & instrument but she decided her children like her father would be musical. We learned to play instruments. She encouraged me to participate in school plays and programs. She enrolled me in extra classes on weekends & during the summer. She sent for college information, scholarship information, financial aid information. She often said she robbed Peter to pay Paul to put us through school & to give ‘her children the opportunities she didn’t have as a child.

So, when I think about Mothers, I think 1st about those 2 qualities: the Mary-like quality of seeing the potential, and the quality of being open to whatever is for the highest & best for her child.

3. “T” in mother represents toughness. Moms are tough, when they need to be really tough. Let’s go back to the story of the wedding. I think Mary got tough in that story. Let me give you an example. Let’s suppose you’ve been taking piano lessons. You go over to your aunt’s house for a holiday & there’s a piano sitting there. They say, “Oh he takes piano lessons, make him play something for us.” You think, “Oh, no! My hour has not yet come for me to play the piano!”

I can see this at the wedding feast where Mary looks at Jesus, in that special way mother’s have of looking at sons. “Jesus, they have no wine!” And Jesus saying, “Mom, so what? That’s their responsibility. My hour has not yet come.” But Mary got tough. Jesus performed.

One sunny day, out of the blue, the Mommy bird seems to ‘turn against her child & pushes her baby out of the safety of its nest. Mothers do that all the time. Mothers have to be very tough. Children often resist going forward by refusing to do whatever it is that is best for them. It could be studying, practicing, getting a job, or even moving out on their own. Mother’s have to get tough & say, “It’s time to move on.”

I have a friend who had trouble growing up & moving on. He said his mother kept telling him it was time for him to move out & he kept saying, “Mom, I’m not ready.” So first she began to charge him rent. Then for his birthday, she bought him dishes, pots & pans, sheets, blankets, flatware, etc. All the while he kept saying, I’m not ready. Well, his mother was really tough. One summer he went on a trip & when he came home, there was a moving van in front of the house. His parents were moving across the state. He says, “I guess mom figured she couldn’t push me out, so she just got Dad to leave town with her & just leave me behind.”

4. “H” Another quality of motherhood is ‘heart’. A mother’s heart isn’t where you think it is. There’s a special place in your mother’s house that contains her heart. It’s a secret & sacred place where time stands still. For some Mother’s it may be in the closet. For others it may be in a drawer. For some it may be in an attic, a box, or a truck somewhere. It’s a special place where your mother has stored all the memories of you.

Remember the black silhouette of the side of your face you made when you were in kindergarten? Do you remember the outline of the hand you made that looked like a turkey? You go to this place, open it up & you’ll find papers, pictures & priceless, wonderful memories. Your mother’s heart is here.
Here’s a poem a child wrote to her mother & found 50 years later as she cleared her mother’s house after her death. Who’s always been your closest friend right from the start? Who listens to your hopes & dreams & holds them in her heart? Who always has a friendly smile & plenty of hugs to share? Who loves you just the way you are? It’s your best friend who will care. . . your mother.

5. The “E” aspect of M.O.T.H.E.R. is energy. When you won the race, or hit the ball, who was the most excited & jumping up and down? I remember my mom preparing dinner & ‘supervising’ me learning to play the flute. Hour after hour listening to the same note, saying it was so wonderful. I remember her sitting in the pouring rain in the first row of the bleachers watching the half-time show as I marched in the band. She loaded us on the bus & took us to the Peter, Paul, & Mary concert. She stayed up all night baking cookies for my 16th birthday party & then again for my wedding.

Who was it that got so excited when you made your first batch of brownies? Who was it who comforted you when you didn’t get asked to the prom? Today is a special day to honor special people. A time to think of those wonderful qualities of a mother: the Mary-like quality of seeing the potential, openness, toughness, heart and energy.
6.”R” how do you look to for those memories that sometimes flood your mind and warm your soul. She is the one who will remember all that needs remembering.









There’s a famous Mother’s Day song called M.O.T.H.E.R. Do you remember it?

M is for the many things she gave me.
O is only that she’s growing old.
T is for the tears she shed to save me.
H is for her heart of purest gold.
E is for her eyes of love-light shining.
R is for right, for right she’ll always be.
Put them all together, it spells Mother. . .
The one who means the whole world to me.







In summary:

M is that marvelous, Mary-like quality of moving beyond appearances and seeing the potential.

O is for openness; knowing whatever is for the highest and best for everyone, everywhere.

T is for toughness to make that decision that it is time to launch them from that comfort nest.

H is for her heart of purest gold . . . her mother’ s treasure.

E is for that energy that is always there to support you.

R is what every mother really wants for mother’s day and every day. . to be remembered.

And let’s do that right now, just close your eyes for a moment. Visualize your mother in your mind’s eye. Tell her how much you appreciate her for all these qualities. If your mother has made her transition, know that there is no time or space in prayer, lovingly tell her all the things you appreciate about her. She’ll hear you. Mother’s have great ears. Take one quality, one special quality, and say, “Mother, this is what I appreciate most about you.” And now, give thanks to God that this person is a part of your life.

“Thank you God, for Mothers, angels full of tenderness and care. Thank you, mother, for the hours of comfort that came just knowing you were there. Mother, your love made our house a home. A place where we all gathered. You faith has lifted up the load and filled our hearts with laughter. Though problems come and problems go, your faith and love in me still grow. Thank God for you dear Mother. You know I love you so. Amen.”

THE MOMMY TEST

I was out walking with my then 4-year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground & started to put it in her mouth. I asked her not to do that. “Why?”

“Because it’s been lying outside & it is dirty & probably has germs.” At this point, she looked at me with total admiration and asked, “Wow! How do you know all this stuff?” Uh, I was thinking quickly, “...all moms know this stuff. Um, it’s on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don’t let you be a Mommy.” We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information “OH...I get it!” she beamed,” So if you flunk, you have to be the Daddy!”
Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!



STORY: I want to close this sharing with a writing called a Mother’s Journey.

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. “Is this the long way?” she asked. The guide said, “Yes & the way is hard. You will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.”

But the young mother was happy & she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children; she fed them, bathed them, taught them to tie their shoes & ride a bike & do their homework & brush their teeth. The sun shone on them & the young mother cried,” Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”

Then the nights came & the storms & the path was sometimes dark. The children shook with fear & cold, & the mother drew them close & covered them with her arms. The children said, “Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near & no harm can come.”

Then morning came & there was a hill ahead, & the children climbed & grew weary, & the mother was weary too. But at all times she said to the children, “A little patience & we are there.” So the children climbed & as they climbed, they learned to weather the storms. With this, she gave them strength to face the world. Year after year, she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all...unconditional love. When they reached the top, they said, “Mother, we could not have done it without you.” The days went on & the weeks & the months & the years & the mother grew old. She became little & bent, but her children were tall & strong, & walked with courage. The mother, when she lay down at night, looked up at the stars & said, “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much & are now passing these traits on to their children.”

When the way became rough for her, they lifted her & gave her their strength, just as she had given them hers. & One day they came to a hill & beyond the hill, they could see a shining road & golden gates flung open. The mother said, “I have reached the end of my journey. Now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity & pride, with their heads held high, & so can their children after them.”

& The children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.”

They stood & watched her as she went on alone & the gates closed after her. They said, “We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence.”

ANGEL OF TENDERNESS

CHORUS: I’m the Angel of Tenderness
Here to be strong.
The Angel of Tenderness
Now I’ll sing you my song.

My strength comes from kindness.
My strength comes from love.
My strength comes from gentleness
From my Father above.

CHORUS

True power comes from
The stillness within
Where God’s love is calling us
To our home in Him.

CHORUS

Walk softly on the earth.
In love play your part.
Treat all life tenderly.
Live from you heart.
I’m the Angel of Tenderness
Here to be strong.
The Angel of Tenderness
Now I’ve sung you my song.
MOTHER OF MINE

Mother of mine you gave to me
All of my life to do as I please
I owe everything I have to you
Mother sweet mother of mine

Mother of mine when I was young
You showed me the right way things had to be done; Without your arms where would I be
Mother sweet mother of mine
CHORUS: Mother you gave me happiness
Much more than words can say
I thank the Lord that He may bless you
Every night and every day

Mother of mine now I am grown
And I can walk straight all on my own
I’d like to give you what you gave to me
Mother sweet mother of mine

CHORUS: Mother you gave me happiness
Much more than words can say
I thank the Lord that He may bless you
Every night and every day

Mother of mine now I am grown
And I can walk straight all on my own
I’d like to give you what you gave to me
Mother sweet mother of mine
Mother sweet mother of mine

MOTHER

Mother, you hold me in the palm of your hand.
Mother, you are the great support.
And your child----- (Your child)
Wanders endless trails. Your child, (Your child)
Trying to pierce the veil. (REPEAT)

I turn and turn and turn to catch a glimpse of you.
I turn and turn and turn to see your beauty.
And the sweet fragrance of your multicolored beauty fills my mind. I must not forget.
It is you always that is shining in the background of my mind. I must not forget. I must not forget.

I know you, but I can’t remember where or when I met you. I see your form, it’s so familiar, but I cannot reason why. I know you, but I cannot keep my gaze fixed firmly on you. You see, my mind has its way, and at the gates it goes to play.

And the sweet fragrance of your multicolored beauty fills my mind. I must not forget.
It is you always that is shining in the background of my mind. I must not forget. I must not forget.
I must not forget. I must not forget.

I turn and turn and turn, to catch a glimpse of you.
I turn and turn and turn to see your beauty.
I turn and turn and turn to catch a glimpse of you.
I turn and turn and turn to see your beauty.
To see your beauty. To see your beauty.
For I am your child!

M – O –T – H – E – R
A Word That Means The World To Me

“M” is for the million things she gave me;
“O” means only that she’s growing old.
“T” is for the tears were shed to save me;
“H” is for her heart of purest gold.
“E” is for her eyes, with love light shining;
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be.

Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER”, a word that means the world to me.

“M” is for the mercy she possesses,
“O” means that I owe her all I own,
“T” is for the tender sweet caresses,
“H” is for her hands that made a home.
“E” means ev’ry thing she’s done to help me,
“R” means real and regular, you see,

Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,” a word that means he world to me.



THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

Do you still gaze in wonder at the stars up in the sky? Do you still dream of soaring as you watch the eagle fly? Can you still see the world for all the good it has to give? When you look at life through the eyes of a child, that’s when you truly live.

Through the eyes of a child, we see what life is truly meant to be. Through the eyes of a child, we see the possibilities, hearts are open, minds are free, then suddenly, life is more worthwhile.

Can you still see the laughter in a Mother’s loving eyes? Can you still see the world for all the good it has to give? When you look at life through the eyes of a child, that’s when you truly live.

Through the eyes of a child, we see what life is truly meant to be. Through the eyes of a child, we see the possibilities, hearts are open, minds are free, then suddenly life is more worthwhile!

Through the eyes of a child, we see what life is truly meant to be. Through the eyes of a child, we see the possibilities, hearts are open, minds are free, then suddenly life is more worthwhile!

When you look at life through the eyes of a child,
That’s when you truly live.

“MOTHER’S INFLUENCE”

I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day;
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved and yielded at my will.

I came again when days were past,
The form I gave it still it bore,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded with my power and art,
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.

I came again when days were gone;
It was a man I looked upon,
He still that early impress bore,

And I could change it never more.