Sidney UMC - Pentecost Sunday - 05/23/21 - Sermon - “Pentecost 2.0!"

                                     Sunday 05/23/21 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:                  “Pentecost 2.0!” 

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b                                         

New Testament Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Gospel Lesson: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

          On this day almost two-thousand years ago something incredible and amazing happened. On this day, the day of Pentecost, the Christian Church was born, and all of us here today, are part of that great legacy of faith in Jesus Christ.

          Pentecost Sunday can be a little confusing for some people, because some might ask, “how can this be the birthday of the Christian Church, if Pentecost Sunday happens after the resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus Christ?” Specifically, “Were not the disciples and the early Christian Converts part of the Christian Church up until this point?” The answer is, is that the disciples and the early converts to Christianity had faith in Christ, but until this day, Jesus was teaching, preaching, loving, healing, and forgiving. The three years of Jesus’ earthly ministry was the foundation that would become the Christian Church. You see, until last Sunday on Ascension Sunday, Jesus was still appearing among his disciples and many after his resurrection from the dead, on Easter Sunday.

          During Jesus’s three-year ministry on earth, his crucifixion, his resurrection, his post-resurrection appearances, and his ascension, everything that would become the Christian Church was still being created. Essentially, while the disciples and others were doing some ministry, Jesus was there. Since Jesus was there, he was church, and there was no reason to construct a bible or church buildings. This is because they had Jesus. The four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were not written while Jesus was still here on earth, as his life, death, resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, and his Ascension had not all happened yet. Last Sunday though, we celebrated Ascension Sunday. Jesus tells his disciples to remain in Jerusalem, and that the “Advocate” or the Holy Spirit will soon come and fill them. When the “Advocate” or the Holy Spirit comes to fill them, then they will be ready, truly ready to begin the church. Even though Jesus will not physically be there, he is and will always be the head of the Christian Church.

          So again, all throughout Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry people are becoming followers of his, the disciples follow him, and many will come to believe. Yet, there is not an official Christian Church, as Jesus was still there. The reason then that Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Christian Church, is because on this day, the “Advocate” or the Holy Spirit finally shows up in full measure. The Holy Spirit is all throughout the Bible, and various people are filled or touched by the Spirit of God. When Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection, he breathes the Holy Spirit on them. Many of us feel and or have felt God’s presence, as we gradually grow closer to him and become more like him, but today is powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Today the Holy Spirit pours out so greatly that is results in the creation of the Christian Church.

          Jesus has ascended, he has asked his disciples to wait for the “Advocate” or the “Holy Spirit,” and this morning, the Holy Spirit shows up. Today and beyond, the disciples go forth preaching, loving, healing, forgiving, and bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ. The disciples are now entrusted with the ministry of the church, and they go forth preaching, teaching, loving, healing, and forgiving, exactly the way that Jesus taught them to do.

          In fact, the Book of Jude says in 1:3:

“³ Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jd. 1:3, NRSV).

          The disciples, the first saints, go forth this day and to preach the gospel and to live the gospel that Jesus taught them all to preach and to live.

          Nearly two-thousand years later, this church, and thousands of churches the world over are the legacy, the continued chain of faith in Jesus Christ. We are part of that legacy, part of that line of heroes, as we all stand on the shoulders of giants.

          Over the centuries, it became the tradition of many churches on Pentecost Sunday to have Red adorning the church, and in more recent years, us wearing red, as to symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ.

          In our reading from Psalm 104 for this morning, once again, it says in 104:30:

“³⁰ When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground” (Ps. 104:30, NRSV).

          In this verse, the Psalmist is saying that where the Spirit of God is, there is life. When God sends forth His Spirit, life is created, and all life come from God. God’s Spirit creates, and renews, which is exactly what happens on Pentecost this day.

          So, let us look once again at our Book of Acts reading for this morning that tells us the story of the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit, on this the day of Pentecost. Once again, our reading from Acts 2 for this morning says:

“2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:1-4, NRSV).

 

          So, the disciples are in that Upper Room. This could have been the same Upper Room that Jesus had the Last Supper in. In this Upper Room on the day of Pentecost, the “Advocate” or the Holy Spirit of God shows up in a might way, just as Jesus said He would. When the Holy Spirit shows up, it sounds like a rush of violent wind. I can imagine windows flying open, and then on each disciple are tongues, as of fire. This fire is resting upon each disciple, and they speak in tongues.

          Below this Upper Room, where the Holy Fire or the Holy Spirit of God blows through with tongues of fire, and the disciples speak in tongues, stand thousands of people watching and listening. These people, in Jerusalem, are there from all over the Roman Empire and from all over the known world for the holiday of Pentecost, or “known as the "Feast of Weeks" and the "Feast of 50 days" in rabbinic tradition (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost).

Believers of all different races, ethnicities, countries, and languages have assembled in the Holy City of Zion, or Jerusalem. The disciples, and probably Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene, and maybe others, are in Jerusalem, as they are Jews by birth and culture. Jesus told them to stay put in Jerusalem until the “Advocate” or the Holy Spirit shows up, and this morning, this is exactly what happened.

          Some of us have had neighbors or people nearby where we were or are staying that have been loud. Sometimes I have known people that have even had to call the police because of the noise. Amidst all that was going on in Jerusalem this morning, the disciples were loud enough that many people below the Upper Room heard them. Since the Holy Spirit spoke through them in different tongues, the listeners below heard about the glory and the greatness of God in all different languages. Everyone could hear the message in their native language.

          In fact, in reading on in our reading from the Book of Acts for this morning, it says once again of this holiday or festival of Pentecost:

“⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:5-12, NRSV).

 

           As you can see, when the “Advocate” or the Holy Spirit shows up this morning, many see and hear, and many hear in their own native language. The listeners below are certainly confused, and in part because the disciples and potentially others in the Upper Room did not know how to speak all of the various languages that were spoken. Yet, the Holy Spirit spoke through these people with these various languages. This definitely then, got everyone’s attention.

          Some though, as the Book of Acts says, accused the disciples of being drunk, as Acts 2:13 says once again:

“¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine”                              (Acts 2:13, NRSV).

          How could these Galileans, these disciples of Jesus be speaking all of these different languages? Maybe it was a miracle? Or a trick? Or maybe they were really drunk? For those that say there is nothing funny in the bible, the next part of our Book Acts reading for this morning, turns this idea on its head! Picking up in Acts 2:14 it says:

“¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning” (Acts 2:14-15, NRSV). 

          So, the Apostle Peter addresses the crowd, below the Upper Room on Pentecost, and then quickly dispels the rumors that he and disciples are drunk. In fact, Peter says that they cannot be drunk, as it is only nine o’clock in the morning. It makes me wonder, if the Holy Spirit showed up at 2:00 pm, or 6:00 pm, would Peter say, “You know this a prime drinking time friends, but we are not drunk”. I often think of the various places in America that still have blue laws. In fact, in the research that I have done, alcohol can only be sold on Sundays in Delaware County between the hours of 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

          This is kind of funny to me. What message are we sending the general public? Are we saying, “Go to church, worship the Lord, then get drunk after?” I sure hope not! Further, maybe this Pentecost Sunday Book Acts scripture is part of the reason why people cannot buy alcohol before 12:00 pm. On Sunday. I could see someone saying many years ago here in Delaware County, “Well the Apostle Peter said in Acts 2 that no one is drunk at nine O’clock in the morning, and the church does not let out until about 11:15 am-11:30 am. Also, people need to have time to get lunch at the Track Side Diner. So, let us just say that they cany buy their beer at 12:00 pm”. Funny how the world works is it not!

          After Peter finishes explaining to a massive crowd in Jerusalem that he and the disciples are not drunk, he preaches sermon that blows the doors of the hinges. This sermon would make Rev. Billy Graham look like amateur. Peter quotes the prophet Joel, and after our scripture reading for this morning ends, Peter preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In fact, Peter says in Acts 2:36:

 

³⁶ Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified”                                     (Acts 2:36, NRSV).

          After this the Book of Acts then says:

 

“³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” ⁴⁰ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:37-42, NRSV).

 

          On this day, the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the “Advocate” shows up in a powerful and a mighty way. The disciples start speaking in tongues, and tongues of fire rest upon them. Then Peter preaches the first sermon ever preached in the Christian Church. So powerful is his sermon, that about 3,000 people repented, were baptized, accepted Christ, and followed the gospel teachings of Jesus’ disciples.

          On this birthday of the Christian Church, nearly two-thousand years ago, the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit, and now are fully ready to build the church here on earth. Peter preaches a sermon full of fire and power. This is a great day in the life of our faith, and today, May 23, 2021, I would argue that we need another Pentecost.

          Do not get me wrong, I think we have had many outpourings of the Holy Spirit throughout the centuries, but if we ever needed a revival, a renewal of mind, body, and spirit, I believe now is the time! We need revival, we need “Pentecost 2.0!” We have a culture and a world that is broken, and we need revival. We need to turn from sin and darkness, turn to Christ, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and equipped to transform our communities and the world.

          Jesus reminded the disciples that the day of Pentecost would come, once again in our gospel of John reading from this morning. Once again, Jesus said:

“²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷ You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning”          (Jn. 15:26-27, NRSV).

          Jesus then tells the disciples that when he Ascends into Heaven that he will send the Holy Spirit, or the “Advocate” so that they may be filled, confident, and ready to build the church of the Lord Jesus Christ here on earth.

          Nearly two-thousand years later, in our Western Culture, in the United States, so many Christian Churches are closing and are in decline. The power of the Christian Church is and has always been the Lord Jesus Christ. We need a revival, we need a “Pentecost 2.0!” and may is start with us! May it start with us here and now. Let us call upon the Holy Spirit to renew us, and to renew the church, for the world needs the lifesaving gospel of Jesus Christ now more than ever. Happy Pentecost, this day of the Holy Fire. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Ascension Sunday/Seventh Sunday of Easter - 05/16/21 - Sermon - “What Do We Do Know Church?"

                                    Sunday 05/16/21 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:                  “What Do We Do Now Church?”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 47                                       

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

Gospel Lesson: Luke 24:44-53

          For some of us, or maybe many of us, we had that family member or that friend that tied our family or our group together. That person that we rallied around at holidays, dinners, and events. This person was the glue that held the family or the group together. Then suddenly, or maybe after an illness, this person died or moved away.

          Maybe for awhile your group of friends stayed connected, or your family members kept meeting. Soon though, the group of friends or the family gatherings seemed to begin to break down. Have any of you ever experience anything like this before in your life? A person, whether family or friend was at the very center of the group, and when they died, or perhaps moved, that group collapsed?

          When a group identity is so tied to one person that without that one person being physically present, the group collapses, and this is not a good thing. Sometimes businesses, churches, clubs, and organizations quickly decline when that centralizing strong leader leaves. When that person died, retires, or moves, the organization is never the same again. Have any of you ever worked somewhere, been part of church, or been part of organization that suffered after the centralizing leader was gone?

          It is interesting how this reality happens sometimes and does not happen in other times. Sometimes that centralizing friend of family member dies or moves, and the group comes together. Out of that group new leaders and new strength emerges, and sometimes when the leader is gone, so is the group. Another way to put it is this, do we have strength on our own, or is our strength connected solely to the physical presence of another leader? Meaning, we are strong and capable, but so long as the centralizing leader or family member is there in the flesh?

          Maybe it was your mother, your grandmother, your father, your grandfather, or one of your old bosses. When that person was gone, you were lost, and you felt your leadership and your strength diminish.

          This morning is not only the Seventh Sunday of Easter, but it is also Ascension Sunday. On Thursday of this past week, the church celebrated Ascension Day, as we celebrated Jesus Ascending into heaven. Jesus Ascends into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, until he returns to earth in glory. Since we do not often have church on Thursday though, some people call this Sunday Ascension Sunday. Essentially, we are celebrating the Ascension of Christ today.

           After Jesus is Ascended in our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, we hear again the last verse of this gospel reading, and the last verse of the gospel of Luke itself, that says:

“And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.^” (Lk. 24:53, NRSV).

          So, Jesus, that centralizing person that kept the group together is now physically and bodily gone. Jesus was physically dead in the tomb from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. When he was resurrected, his disciples and hundreds of others saw him resurrected, and this morning was the last appearance of the resurrected Christ.

          I have also wondered before, why did the gospel of Luke end once again with:

“And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.^” (Lk. 24:53, NRSV)?

Was it because the Ascension of Jesus into heaven that the disciples just witnessed was miraculous and powerful? Jesus tells his disciples that they do not fully understand what is going on just yet, but when the Advocate or the Holy Spirit shows up, Jesus said, then they will fully grasp Jesus, his gospel, and everything else that he taught them. This day in the life of church, Pentecost Sunday, is next Sunday. Next Sunday, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit will show up, and the disciples will be filled, fully equipped, and ready to go forward with the church. In next Sunday being the birthday of the Christian Church, the disciples, next Sunday, on the day of Pentecost will go forth teaching the gospel that Jesus taught and gave them. So, wear read, to symbolize the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

          To be fair, the disciples are certainly doing better today than they did on Good Friday, because when Jesus was crucified, all but one of the disciples scattered and hid. This morning though, the disciples are feeling good after Jesus Ascended into heaven, yet they now know that the earthly work of the church now rests on their shoulders. Even though our gospel lesson ends for this morning with the disciples excited and praising, I can imagine that at times they really missed Jesus being with them physically and bodily. Jesus is always with us spiritually if we but call upon him, but there is a difference between someone being with you spiritually and physically or bodily in person. I would also argue that there is difference between sitting in church with your friends and brothers and sisters in Christ physically and bodily, versus watching the worship service on a screen.

          Strong leaders have gifts, graces, and a calling to unite a group of people together, but strong leaders should also be training the group to be leaders themselves. Jesus effectively trained and equipped his disciples, because after the day of Pentecost next Sunday, his disciples do not scatter, but instead they go forth preaching the gospel and building the church.

          If you have or had that strong uniting family member, friend, pastor, or boss, how come if something happens to them, then the whole thing just become unraveled? As a pastor part of my role is to discover, to develop, and to deploy Christ following transformational leaders. Churches for example, like to hire a pastor as the leader, but in turn, part of a pastor’s duty is to train leaders. Churches like this, should be strong not simply based on the pastor or the priest, but because of the strength and the witness of the disciples within the church. After Jesus ascended into heaven, within no time his disciples turned into incredible leaders in the early church.

          Jesus Ascends when he does, in part I believe, because he knew that his disciples were ready to lead. We have leaders in the church that have and continue to emerge. You do not have to wait for me to tell you to lead, as you can lead whenever you want. The strength of the church has always been centered in and around Christ, but Christ has called us all to do and to carry out the work of the church. Other pastors, leaders, bishops, and teachers have helped equip me to be more like our ultimate leader Jesus Christ. I this way, I am called in part to do the same in developing leaders.

          In our reading from Psalm 47 for this morning again, it says in 47:8 once again:

“⁸ God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.” (Ps. 47:8, NRSV)

          Jesus Ascends, it is exciting, but maybe at times a little scary to. For those of us that started with a bike with training wheels, it might have been a little scary when the training wheels came off. Yet, we made it, and now we can teach others to do the same. This is what it means to be part of an unbroken chain of Christians that have existed for 2,000 years. For we stand on the shoulders of giants, and we stand in a line of heroes. This is the faith of our ancestors, the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and the power of God.

          In the reading from the Book of Ephesians for this morning, it says once again in 1:15-17:

“¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,” (Eph. 1:15-17, NRSV).

          In this scripture, the Apostle Paul is telling the church in Ephesus, where likely none of them ever meet Jesus in the flesh on earth, that he has heard that they have faith in Christ. The Apostle Paul who also did not know Jesus during his earthly ministry, believes in Jesus, and so does the church in Ephesus. They were told the good news of Jesus Christ, and they came to believe through the power of the Holy Spirit. They surrendered to Jesus, knowing that he was with them spiritually. There faith was not rooted in ever walking with Jesus physically and bodily during his three-year ministry on earth, but rather experiencing Jesus, learning about Jesus, and accepting him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

          I have never met Jesus Christ physically or bodily on earth. I know him and experience him spiritually though, I feel his presence, and I grow closer to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The eternal leader of the Christian Church and the whole world, Jesus Christ has not been on earth physically or bodily for almost two-thousand years. While he will return one day in glory physically and bodily, we can still know him, and we can still serve him each and every day.

          Jesus’ original twelve disciples had the luxury and the privilege to walk with him physically and bodily for three years. They heard what he said, they saw what he did, and they knew that his tomb was empty on Easter morning. Further, these original 12-disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection, and they saw him again this morning, before he Ascended into heaven. These disciples will then go on to build the Christian Church upon Jesus Christ, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and upon the hope of Jesus Christ. Nearly two-thousand years later we are products this unbroken chain in Jesus Christ.

          Let us look once again at our gospel of Luke reading for this morning. Once again, Jesus says in our gospel of Luke reading:

“⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶ and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Lk. 24:44-49, NRSV).

 

          Jesus saying being “clothed with power from on high,” or being filled with the Holy Spirit, will happen next Sunday on Pentecost. Jesus of course, before he Ascends into heaven reminds the disciples once again, exactly who he is. He reminds them that he was prophesized, that he died for our sins, that he rose again, and that we are to proclaim the good news of his gospel far and wide. This gospel, Jesus Christ himself is the hope of the world, and we are called to live and preach that always and everywhere. Nearly two-thousand years later, the Christian faith is the largest faith in the world.

          In recent decades however, the Christian Church in the United States, Canada, and much of Western Europe has been in steep decline. So many churches in part rely on strong and centralizing pastors or priests to make their church or their faith groups strong. In fact, some of these churches or faith groups think their success or their failure hinges on their pastor or priest.

          “If only we could get back pastor so and so back,” some might say. Yet, our role, my role when I was lay person before becoming a pastor, was to be a leader in the church. I was called to live and preach the gospel. You see, the strength in the church is primarily in Jesus Christ, but the strength that we draw from him, is strength for us all. The witness and the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ rests not solely in the pastor or the priest, but in all of us. When we all embrace our gifts, our graces, and take the leadership that we are all called to have through Christ in the church, then maybe, just maybe, if we lose a centralizing leader then we can say what the last verse of Luke says. Once again, Luke 24:53 says:

“And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.^” (Lk. 24:53, NRSV).

          The strength of the Christian Church, and of churches like this one, rest not solely in just who is behind the pulpit, but in all of you, through Jesus Christ. You are all witness to the power and the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is your church, and the strength of this church lies in the power of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Beyond this, the power of this church lies in you, and I am here, in part, to discover, develop, and deploy Christ following transformational leaders. I am a coach, a teacher, a shepherd, a preacher, and an administrator, but all of you are the church. So as Jesus Ascends, the question that I asked regarding our gospel of Luke reading for this morning is, “What Do We Do Now Church?” Amen.

Sidney UMC - Mother's Day/Sixth Sunday of Easter - 05/09/21 - Sermon - “Moms and Love"

Sunday 05/09/21 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:                  “Moms and Love”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 98                                     

New Testament Scripture: 1 John 5:1-6

Gospel Lesson: John 15:9-17

           Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, grandmothers, and all women, as all women have or are still the mother of someone, or something. Some women are mothers to animals, or to nieces and nephews, to chia pets, to their children, etc. Today we honor all women and the fact most women are mothers in some or in many capacities.

          As I was thinking about and praying about what to preach on on this Mother’s Day, and this the Sixth Sunday of the Season of Easter, I looked at this morning’s scripture readings. Since our gospel lesson for this morning, once again talks about love, I decided to call my sermon title for this morning “Moms and Love”.

          I am blessed to have a mother and a stepmother, and to still have one living grandmother. I also have many adopted mothers and grandmothers. My mother Susan is someone who in my own life has shown me and continues to show me great love. This love was and is compassion, caring, but at times corrective and stern. Love cares, teaches, and corrects.

          In our gospel of John lesson for this morning, it says once again:

“⁹ As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (Jn. 15:9-10, NRSV). 

          God is the source of all life, light, and of course love. God is love. On this Mother’s Day, we are invited to show our mothers, our grandmothers, and the important women in our lives the love that they have or continue to show us.

          Some of you might say, “But Pastor Paul, I didn’t really have a good mother”. This could be the case for some of you, and if this is the case, think of those women that you know or knew that loved you like a mother. This morning let us think about and remember those women in our lives that have done so much for us. Take some time today thanking and or remembering all those mothers and motherly women that have been or are still in our lives today.

          Jesus continues in our gospel of John reading for this morning says:

“¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you”                         (Jn. 15:12-14, NRSV).

          Jesus then commands his disciples to go forth doing, living, and teaching, as he had taught them. Jesus then ends this gospel of John reading saying:

“¹⁷ I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another”                 (Jn. 15:17, NRSV).

          When I listen to the words of Jesus for this morning, I think of his love for his disciples and for us, and I think of his instructions for each of us to love each other in the same way. When I think of people in my own life who have loved me like Jesus, there are many such people, but certainly my mom is at the top of the list. Maybe for some of you, your mother or other women in your life showed you what the love of God through Jesus Christ looked like or looks like. Maybe some of us came to know Jesus Christ through our mothers or through the women in our lives.

          As I was thinking about and praying about this sermon, I thought about how in many movies, television shows, or in real life, how when people are suffering greatly, they cry out for their mothers. In fact, in the limited research I have done, many men in particular will cry for there mother’s as they are dying. This could be in the hospital, on the battlefield, or somewhere else (https://www.russellmoore.com/2019/05/08/why-do-dying-men-call-for-mama/). This is not to say that some men might not cry for there fathers, but many men according the to the limited research I have done cry out for their mothers. How many of you when you are really sick or really scared, deep down, still want your mother? If your answer to this is yes, then what does this show you about the love of God through Jesus Christ?

          Further, if this is true for you, what does this also show you about the love of a mother for her children, and the connection of children to their mother. As a pastor, I have been in hospital rooms or in homes when a mother breathes her last. I have seen the faces of the people in the room losing this person on earth that they loved so much. In fact, one dear woman that I visited, who dying in a hospital room, was worried about birthday gifts, remembering to do things for the family, etc. She was not worried about her death, rather she was worried about who was going to do the things for her family when she left this earth. Dads matter to, but this is Mother’s Day. In fact, we will celebrate Father’s Day next month on Sunday June 20^th.

          How many of us grew up going to church on Sunday? For many of us, not all of us, if we grew up going to church, it was likely because mom or grandma brought us or made us go. Maybe it was dad or grandpa, but for many of us it was mom or grandma. Mother’s play such a vital roll in our lives, whether they are our own mother, or the women that have mothered us.

          In our scripture reading for this morning 1 John, it says once again:

“5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³ For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,” (1 Jn. 5:1-3, NRSV).

          This scripture is of course comparing God the Father to Jesus, and that we are to love God and obey his commandments. Yet, I can also see in this scripture the love between a parent and a child. That we are to love the parent, and the parent is to love us. We are to obey and listen to the parent, learn from them, and be loved by them.

          For all these reasons then, today we celebrate on this the Sixth Sunday of the Season of Easter, Mother’s Day. As I said a few minutes ago, I would challenge all of us today, to remember, or to reach out to your mother and those women in your lives that have and maybe continue to mean so much to you. In fact, I remember learning in seminary, and maybe it has changed, that one of the fastest growing Sundays in America for church attendance is Mother’s Day. You see when some people ask mom or grandma what they want for Mother’s Day, some of them just say, “come to church with me”. Have you ever noticed that sometimes on Mother’s Day, the children or grandchildren of the mother will sometimes be with them in church, and that they often then take their mom or grandma out to lunch after church?

          To know God is to know love, and for many of us, to know our moms, our grandmas, and some of the women in our lives, is to know God’s love. This is why Mother’s Day matters so much. Further, the sacrifices that some mothers, grandmothers, and some of the women in our lives have made for us, is nothing short of remarkable. We can never repay them, but we can love them and remember them.

          So just for some fun, and to further show the importance of mothers, grandmothers, and the important of the women in our lives, I want to share with you some fun facts about mothers. Here they are:

There are 2 billion mothers in the World (82.5 million in the U.S.)

First-time Moms: Average age of new moms is 25, vs. 21 in 1970

Kids: Modern moms average 2 kids (1950s: 3.5 kids; 1700s: 7-10 kids)

4.3 babies are born each second

72% of moms with children over 1 year old work                                           (about the same as childless women), vs. 39% in 1976

55% of moms with a child under 1 year old work, vs. 31% in 1976

Moms with a full-time job spend 13 hours working at the office or at home on family chores

 

Diaper Changes for babies: 7,300 by baby's 2nd birthday

Diaper Changing Speed: Moms take 2 minutes, 5 seconds (adds up to 3 40-hour work weeks each year!) , vs. 1 minute, 36 seconds for dads

Giving Attention: Preschooler requires mom's attention once every 4 minutes or 210 times / day

Taking Care: Preschooler moms spend 2.7 hrs / day on primary childcare, vs. 1.2 hours for dads

 

Chores: Women average 2.2 hrs / day, vs. 1.3 hrs / day for men

Laundry: 88% is done by moms, totaling 330 loads of laundry & 5,300 articles of clothing each year

Least Favorite Chore: Vacuuming the stairs

Moms: Reading is the most common activity, followed by talking on the phone, meditating, watching TV, drinking coffee, eating and balancing the checkbook

Most Kids: Mrs. Vassilyev of Russia gave birth to 69 children between 1725 and 1765

Oldest Mom: Rosanna Dalla Corte gave birth to a baby boy when she was 63 years old in Italy in 1994

Heaviest Newborn: Signora Carmelina Fedele gave birth to a 22 lb 8 oz boy in Italy in 1955

1st Mother's Day: May 10, 1908; Founded by Anna Jarvis; made a national holiday in 1914 by President Wilson

Busiest Phone Day: 68% of people plan to call Mom on Mother's Day, totaling 122.5 million phone calls

Card Giving: 50% of households give Mother's Day cards, totaling some 152 million cards

Most popular birth month: July

Most popular birthday: Tuesday

Most popular birthday: October 5

30 Pounds: Average weight gain during pregnancy

Baby Gender Gap: 105 boys born for every 100 girls

First Year Baby Costs: $7,000 of baby items before 1st birthday

Cost of Raising a Child: Middle-income families spend $242,070 to raise a kid to 18 (not incl. college!)

Most Popular Names of 21st Century
Baby Girls: Emily, Madison, Hannah
Baby Boys: Jacob, Michael, Joshua

Research suggests that moms who give birth later in life, live longer

Having kids may make you smarter (http://www.happyworker.com/supermom/facts)

Once again in our gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus tells us to love one another, as God the Father loves him, and as Jesus loves us. Jesus tells us to keep his commandments and abide in his love, so that Christ’s joy will be in us. In fact, Jesus says that our joy in him will be make complete. Jesus then commands his disciples to live, love, teach, heal, and care for all people, the way that he has cared for them. Jesus tells us to love on another.

          For many of us, our mothers, grandmothers, and other women in our lives have loved us the way that Jesus taught his disciples to love each other. Maybe, just maybe then, this is why so many dying men cry out for their mothers. Happy Mother’s Day and amen.