REVered - Mother's Day 2008

Each of our three Mother’s Day services at FBC this weekend started off with a bang - as is our tradition - with “Baby Dedications!”  We don’t baptize babies at FBC – we embrace “believer’s baptism” – but we do offer parents an opportunity to stand before the church and read a letter they’ve written to their child, expressing their desire to raise them in a godly manner.  We had ten families participate this weekend. 

You should have seen the kids – all dressed up for the special occasion.  Several couples had out of town family members and guests in attendance.  There were dozens of video cameras.  The letters were powerful, as they all shared a common theme – “we want to raise these children in a way that honors the Lord.”

After the letters, I offered a prayer on behalf of all the families and the congregation expresses their encouragement and blessing by applauding  these courageous parents.  After the service is over, I head back to our Fireside Room where the families are waiting to have a photo taken with me, as the “dedicating pastor.”  I love these moments of contact with young families and their precious children.  Typically, they express gratitude and appreciation for how the church ministers to their kids.

I preached a sermon from Genesis 18 and 21, focusing on the story of Sarah, “the Mother of Israel.”  I called it “A Laughing 89 Year-Old Woman.”  At the end of the service, I asked all of the women to stand (not just the Moms) and asked all the men to join me as we prayed for the women of our church family.  I hope the women felt honored.  Sometimes our church is mis-perceived as a “male dominant” church that devalues women.  I tried to correct that misperception today.  I actually believe FBC honors women and that our male leaders feel a sense of responsibility to protect the women in our family.

And of course, while all of this was happening today, just under the surface I kept thinking about my own mom – she died in 2004 after a massive stroke at 80 years of age.  I referred to her today as I started the sermon, reflecting on my main memories of her.  At the top of the list is her sense of humor.  She loved to laugh.  I loved to see my Mom laugh.  In addition to missing her nurturing love, and her powerful prayers, I still miss her laughter.  One of my last memories is of her laughing at me eating cotton candy in Michigan!

 My Mom and Me

I also thought of Jan’s mom, who is living in Marshall, Michigan at age 80!  I’ve blogged about her here, so I won’t be repetitive.  Allow me to just mention that her sense of humor has always been one of her major traits.  She makes me laugh, too.  She always has.  I guess the reality of a laughing mom and a laughing mother–in-law fits well with the research article I quoted today that asserts that women laugh more than men.  My informal research also supports this assertion.

 Jan and Her Mom

Today I missed both my mom – Julia, and my mother-in-law - Margie, but my heart is grateful for the legacy of faith and laughter that they both contributed to Jan and me.  By the way, many of you don’t know this, but Jan also has an awesome sense of humor.  She makes me laugh all the time.  What a gift!  Laughing was a main theme of my sermonic application today.  I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by women who were big “laugh-ers!”

To all the Moms in my audience, Happy Mother’s Day! 

I hope you had some great laughs today.  And I hope you will laugh the “laughter of faith,” as you rest in the glorious truth that God is working in our lives and in our world in ways that will eventually make us all laugh!

Comments

[Steve-O]

I'm thankful for my Godly mother also and we had a special day celebrating with her yesterday. However, the part of your blog that made me laugh out loud was that you were eating cotton candy! Pastor Bill & cotton candy? Still can't picture that in my head!

[Anna Thorne]

I really appreciate how FBC places the focus on Mother's Day--well of course it is always God, but on Mother's Day FBC focuses on all women, with an extra thank you to the moms. Everyone, whether male or female, parent or not, can apply the sermon to their own lives in some way. The church I attend here in Emporia is usually really good, but yesterday's sermon was basically "How to Parent Your Kids"--the way he preached it, it really had no application for anyone except moms and dads. There are a lot of students (and other non-parents) who attend that church, and unless each person made the application for him/herself that these "how-to"'s could be used with any of the kids in their lives, it wasn't directed to anyone but moms and dads. Usually I really like the church, but yesterday I felt excluded and kept wondering how much longer....so an extra thanks to you and everyone else at FBC for making moms feel extra special, yet still making everyone else feel special!!

[greg]

Have always admired the way you honor your parents and Jan's as well ... a great example to all ... glad to know the weekend went well!