Sermons
To Every Mom - Mother's Day 2007
The Rev. Beth Ellis
Associate Rector, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
May 13, 2007
It's no wonder that Jesus chose to enter the world as a baby.
He was both human and divine.The divine in him was wise enough to choose what every human needs most.
Had he simply appeared out of the clouds,
He would have missed out on so much.
But instead, he had Mary's tender touch, soft voice, and loving heart
As the example to follow while he grew.
When he attended a wedding in Cana,
He had Mary's faith and firm belief in his miraculous ability.
When he needed to go out on his own,
Mary let him go, though it must have caused her pain.
When he allowed himself to suffer innocently for others, and die, His mother stood by him to the end, though her heart was breaking .
We can learn so much from our mothers, And if we had a good example in our mother, then we are blessed. But even if we were not so blessed, or if we had our mothers only briefly, We have been "mothered" by numerous women. Not every woman has children, but every woman mothers. Aunts, Grandmothers, Godmothers, teachers: "moms" come in so many forms. But their gifts are always the same: selflessly given for our sake. And because of that one fact, mothers are one of the truest icons of Christ. In fact, St. Theresa refers to Jesus as "mother" in her poetry. Mothers, like Christ, offer all of themselves for the sake of their children, And ask only love in return
I have discovered that, like the Peace Corps motto, motherhood is truly "the toughest job you'll ever love." My respect for my own mom, and every other mother, has grown exponentially Since the birth of my daughter. Today, we honor all the women who have mothered us: Those present, and those present with God.
So to every mom, from every child, I offer the following: For every caution you took during pregnancy to insure my healthy development, thank you. For the sweat and pain it took to bring me into this world, thank you. For the sleepless nights and exhausting days, thank you. For the boundaries you set, and the consistent discipline when those boundaries were crossed, thank you. For the food you cooked and the home you cleaned, thank you. For all the jobs you did that taught me to respect women's strength and intelligence, thank you. For the songs you sang, the games you played, and the books you read to me, thank you. For the times you said "yes" and the times you said "no", thank you. For every birthday party, sleep over and play date, thank you. For every boo-boo bandaged and every tear dried, thank you. For every time you cheered me on and believed in me, thank you. For every time I forgot to say thank you, thank you. For calling the messes I made works of art, And for making the refrigerator my gallery, thank you. For the lessons you taught me, over and over again, thank you. For the advice you gave, And for gritting your teeth when I did my own thing, thank you. For the apologies you offered when you made mistakes, That taught me to be accountable for my actions, thank you. For giving me room to try and fail and try again, thank you. For dropping everything and being there when I needed you, thank you. For teaching me to love and trust Jesus, thank you. Above all, for holding me tight when I was young, And when the time came, for letting me go.
Because you gave me each of these wonderful gifts I had what I needed to go out into the world. Because of the lessons you taught me, I am continuing to become the person God means for me to be. Because of the woman you are, I have always had someone to look up to; An example of faith, love and hope
If I can hope anything for my life, Let it be that the way I live reflects the gifts that were given to me. Let it be that I learned the lessons taught to me so well, That they have seeped deeply into my soul. And by the grace of God, from whom all blessings flow, let it be that I will have the wisdom to pass them on to my children, too.
Amen
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