Sidney UMC - Mother's Day/4th Sunday of Easter - 05/08/22 - Sermon - “Moms And All Women!"

Sunday 05/08/22 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:        “Moms And All Women!”                                                

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 23                                         

New Testament Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17

Gospel Lesson: John 10:22-30

          Today, once again, is Mother’s Day. So happy Mother’s Day to all women, as all women are mothers to someone or something. Some women raise and care for children, some mothers care for animals, other children, or something else. Some women care for plants or other things. All women, in their own right, are mothers to someone or something.

          This is why my sermon title for this morning is called, “Moms And All Women!” Being a mom though, I can imagine, is not always an easy job. Kids do not always listen, and sometimes are not always thankful. Some of us have heard the famous phrase from our mothers, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of this world!”

          In truth, everyday should be Mother’s Day, but I am glad that we have this day every year in the church calendar and the secular calendar. I do not know if this is still true, but when I was in seminary, we were told that Mother’s Day was quickly becoming one of the most attended church Sundays every year. Why? Well, when mom and grandma were asked what they wanted for Mother’s Day, many would say, “I don’t want anything, but can you come to church with me?” Then mom or grandma would get taken to lunch after church.

          For many of us in fact, we might be in church right now, in part or completely, because of the women in our lives. Many of our grandmothers and mothers took us to church, and sometimes dragged us. I was one such child that sometimes did not want to go to church. Many of can say though that we are who are, have the faith we have, and were taught what we were, in large part because of our mothers, grandmothers, and or other women in our lives.

          You know when I spent four years in seminary, I learned all kinds of things. I read books from some of the great historical saints of the church, I read books from some the best theologians and Christians minds to ever walk this earth over the past two-thousand years. With all of this great learning though, I still learned an incredible amount about the Christian faith from my mother. In fact, I still do.

          The founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley, who was an incredible pastor and theologian said this of his mother Susanna Wesley:

“I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England” (https://quotefancy.com/quote/1464473/John-Wesley-I-learned-more-about-Christianity-from-my-mother-than-from-all-the).

          John Wesley, a man who attend the University of Oxford in England, one of the best universities in the world. One of the sharpest and best Christian minds in history, but he learned more about Christianity from his mother than all the best religious experts of his own country.

          Maybe some of us do not or did not have mothers that were loving, holy, and kind, or maybe we do or did. I am sure though, either way, that there are or were some women in your life that loved and cared for you. This reality, this sharing of faith, this making us better, is what women like John Wesley’s mother Susanna did.

          For many of us, our mothers, our grandmothers, and others, were or are people that were sources of encouragement, strength, faith, hope, and love. These were or are people that had or still have an incredible impact on our lives. It is interesting that when soldiers are on the battlefield, suffering in pain, or when maybe we are struggling that some many want their mother. The love of a mother, a grandmother, and the sacrifices they make, is what we are honoring this morning.

          It is so timely this morning that we have been given our reading from Psalm 23. Many of us know this Psalm, as I read it at just about every funeral I officiate. It is a Psalm about God being with us in the hardest and the most difficult of times in our lives. For some of us, in addition to God, our mothers and our grandmothers where with us in those times. For as the Psalm 23:4 says once again:

⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me (Ps. 23:4, NRSV).

          Now this verse from Psalm 23, and Psalm 23 itself is, once again, talking about God being with us in our darkest moments, but for many of us our mothers, grandmothers, or some other women in our lives were there for us when we were walking through the valleys of our lives. The founder of Methodist Movement, John Wesley, learned more about God from his mother than from all the Christian theologians or experts in all of England.

          In our reading for this morning from the Book of Revelation 7:9-17, we once again have the beautiful scene of the great heavenly multitude gathered before our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. This scene is full of countless people that love Jesus. Once again, our reading from Revelation for this morning begins in 7:9 saying:

⁹ After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:9-10, NRSV).

          All of God’s people standing before the risen Christ, enthroned as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. All of the followers of Christ gathered, robed in white, the color of purity and holiness. I sometimes where a robe, as this is what it historically represents. In this scene, the countless multitude of the followers of Jesus Christ are waving palm branches, just as many did on that first Palm Sunday.

          Further, the scripture continues, picking up in Revelation 7:11 saying, once again:

¹¹ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” ¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:11-14, NRSV).

          What a scene of unity, of the love of Christ, and the mercy of God. Maybe your mother or grandmother read these words to you. Maybe your mother, your grandmother, or other women in your life showed you love and grace like this. For as John Wesley said:

“I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England” (https://quotefancy.com/quote/1464473/John-Wesley-I-learned-more-about-Christianity-from-my-mother-than-from-all-the).

            This beautiful and visual narrative of Jesus Christ on his throne, ends for this morning with Revelation 7:15-17 saying, once again:

¹⁵ For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. ¹⁶ They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

          I know about the love of Jesus, I know about scriptures like this, because of people like my mother. I would not be standing here today literally, or as a pastor without my mother. Fathers and grandfathers are very important to, and I will talk a lot about them on Father’s Day. Today though is mother’s day. As our Book of Revelation reading ends this morning with God wiping away every tear from our eyes, maybe our mothers and grandmothers do or did things like this for us too.

          I also find our gospel of John 10:22-30 reading for this morning interesting, as I think it is just so appropriate for Mother’s Day. You see, Jesus had a problem with some people doubting him or just plain not listening to him. I am sure that no mothers or grandmothers here have ever had kids or grandkids that do not listen to you. I am sure that you have never had to talk to them over and over before they “get it.” Yes, I am being a little sarcastic!

          With this said, let us look at our gospel of John reading for this morning once again, picking up starting in John 10:22. It says:

²² At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴ So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶ but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep (Jn. 10:22-26, NRSV).

          So, the religious leaders are questioning Jesus, and they are asking him if he is in fact the Messiah, the savior. If he, is they say, then just tell them plainly? Jesus then said, that he had told them, but that they do not believe him. How many mothers or grandmothers have had to tell us something over and over? They tell us over and over, but it is just not sinking in.

          This morning, Jesus is telling the religious leaders that he has told them over and over, but they are not listening. Maybe your mother or grandmother did or still does tell you over and over, and we just do not listen. In fact, our gospel of John lesson concludes this morning with Jesus saying picking up in John 10:27:

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one”                      (Jn. 10:27-30, NRSV). 

          When I think of the devotion that Christ has for us, for his flock, I sometimes think of the devotion that mothers and grandmothers have for so many. Sometimes mom or grandma are the very glue that holds our family together. Jesus loves us all, and nobody can change this. The love of a mother or a grandmother for their children, is also an amazing thing. It is so powerful in fact, that soldiers in pain on the battlefield often cry out for there mother, we often want our moms or our grandmothers when we are struggling. Once again, the founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley said of his own mother:

“I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England” (https://quotefancy.com/quote/1464473/John-Wesley-I-learned-more-about-Christianity-from-my-mother-than-from-all-the).

            Today we honor mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, great great grandmothers, and all women. We would not be the people we are today without them, and we should show them our love and our devotion today and always. So, who do we honor today? “Moms And All Women!” Amen.