Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson was written by Erma Bombeck

An angel pleaded with God not to work so hard. “God," said the angel gently, "Come to bed."

"I can't," said God, "I'm so close to creating something so close to Myself."

The angel circled the model of a mother slowly and said with a sigh, "It is too soft."

"But tough!" said God excitedly. "You can't imagine what this mother can do or endure."

Finally bending over and running her finger across the cheek, the angel pronounced, "There's a leak. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"It is not a leak," said God, "It is a tear."

"What is it for?" asked the angel.

God answered, "It is for joy, sadness, loneliness, pain, disappointment and pride.
"
"You are a Genius," the angel replied.

God looked somber and said to the angel, "I didn't put it there."

SECOND LESSON

The first lesson is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 39 through 56

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of God comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by God.”

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is God’s name.
God’s mercy is for those who are in awe
from generation to generation.
God has shown strength with his arm;
and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
God has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich
away empty.
God has helped the servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and the descendants of Israel forever.”
And Mary remained with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned to her home.

This Week's Sermon

Date: May 10, 2009--Mothers' Day

Title: A Mother's Love

Message Delivered By: Rev. Joe Mc Murray

Under the heading of “the kind of son only a mother could love,” I’m reminded on this Mother’s Day of the famous Bubba Briggs, who was born and raised and continues to live right here in the South.

Bubba worked for a telecommunications company that had branches all over the country. He was a nice enough man, but always seemed to be trying to impress people. He as known as a name-dropper, always trying to impress people with many famous people he said he met and knew. Most people thought it was funny, and they were sure he was just making it up.

But one day, Bubba was bragging to his friend, Mac, as he’d done so many times, and said, "Yeah, it’s really great to have traveled across the world and meet all the people I know. That’s the beauty of my job. I meet all these famous people. I’m really a lucky guy. "

Well, Mac was tired of Bubba’s boasting and decided to call his bluff, "So, Bubba, last year you said you were out in LA on some job. Did you meet some famous people then?"

"Well, let’s see ...” said Bubba, “Yes, last summer was the time I spent having dinner and drinks with Tom Cruise. He treated me like we were old friends. In fact, I’m supposed to meet up with him again when he comes to the east coast for his next picture. And here—I can prove it." Bubba dug out a photo album, and sure enough, there was a picture of Tom and Katie and Bubba, and the photo was signed, “To my good friend, Bubba! It’s good to have a friend like you!”

Mac was skeptical. “Aw, c’mon, that’s just a fan photo. Anyone can get a photo like that by writing to the studio.” But Bubba insisted that he was friends with Tom Cruise, and Mac dismissed it.

"I told you, I know lots of people,” Bubba said.

“Alright,” said Mac, “I bet you don’t know former President Clinton.”

"Bill Clinton?" Bubba asked, "Of course I know Bill Clinton. In fact, I’m going up to New York this weekend and if he’s there, I’ll take you with me and you can meet him.”

Mac laughed at the prospect, but was intent on ending Bubba’s nonsense. Bubba made a few phone calls, and the trip seemed to be on. So he agreed to go.

As they arrived at the airport, Bubba hired a cab and they were taken directly to President Clinton’s office. They went into the building and the attendant at the desk said, “Hey, Bubba, President Clinton is waiting for you upstairs.”

Dumbfounded, they rode up to the penthouse, the elevator opened, and there was Bill Clinton talking on the phone. “I’ve gotta go, Hillary,” Bill said, “Bubba’s here.” They greeted each other like old friends. Bubba introduced Mac, but he could hardly speak.

As they headed back to the airport, Mac thought, “Wait a minute! You grew up in Arkansas and probably worked on Clinton’s campaign for governor! But no matter how much Bubba protested, Mac refused to believe Bubba rubbed elbows with all these glamorous people. “Next thing you know,” said Mac, “you’ll be telling me you know the Pope!”

"As a matter of fact," said Bubba, “I do know the Pope. My folks were from Germany, and when we went back for a family reunion, we met the Ratzinger family. Since he became Pope, he said if I was ever in the neighborhood, I should stop by the Vatican.”

Well now Mac had enough! “That’s it!” he said. “I don’t believe you ever met the Pope, and I’ll bet you the cost of a trip to Rome that you don’t! And if I’m right, you have to agree to come back here and tell everyone you’re just a big fraud and you’ve been lying all along about all these people!”

As they were already on their way to the airport, they booked a flight to Rome. They arrived late early the next morning, and went right to St. Peter’s Square. It was so crowded, Bubba said, "It’s too crowded for both of us to get through. I know the Swiss guard up there, so let me see if I can get to the Pope that way. If I make it, I’ll wave to you from the Pope’s balcony, and you can come up and join us.”
Mac watched as Bubba disappeared into the crowd. Mac stood patiently, amazed at the throngs of people, but suddenly heard a huge cheer. People were looking and pointing up to the papal apartment. A huge red linen banner was displayed over the side of the Pope’s balcony. The doors were opening and the Pope was going to come out! Like the rest of the crowd, Mac was very excited. He wished Bubba could see this.

Suddenly, Bubba emerged out of the Pope’s chambers and out onto the balcony, and waved to the crowd. He searched and searched for Mac, but his eyes were drawn to a commotion below. Suddenly, he recognized Mac who was lying on the ground and being tended to by paramedics.

Bubba rushed back down and into the crowd until he reached Mac’s side. “Mac, Mac are you alright,” asked Bubba. “What happened?”

Mac looked up at Bubba and said, "I don’t know. I was fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony. Then the man next to me said, ‘Who the heck is that guy on the balcony with Bubba?’"
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Will you pray with me? God, open our hearts to you and let us accept all
that you have for us. May my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.
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There is some dispute about who first coined the phrase, “Behind every great man there is a great woman.” At first glance, it appears it might have been a feminist phrase used in the early 1980s.

But the phrase appeared in an article from the Port Arthur News in Texas in 1946, about a football player who was responding after receiving the “most courageous athlete award.” The article said: "As he received his trophy, the plucky quarterback unfolded the story of how he 'came back'. He said, 'They say behind every great man there's a woman. While I'm not a great man, there's a great woman behind me.'"

The words “plucky” and “come back” indicate to me this was not a terribly young man. In all likelihood, he was referring to a spouse or soul mate, though certainly an inspiring female figure that helped him recover his health and reclaim his reputation as a strong athlete.
And I would suggest that though this man may not have been referring to her, chances are it was his mother who first bestowed him with the character and stamina to rise once again in victory.

This is true for many men and women today. We have but to look further behind and further behind those who have shaped our lives. In my own life, though both my parents raised me with the best tools they had and in the best way they could, it was my mother who took on the responsibility to mold me and shape me into the person I am today. It was she, even in her own limited ways, who gave me an ultimate sense of purpose, who imbued me with passion for life, and who instilled in me a desire to develop into a person of principle.

And no matter what we believe about Jesus, the human boy Jesus did not accumulate his knowledge and sensitivity or devotion to God in a vacuum. He did not develop his deep love of humanity and his respect for human life by what he read and studied alone. He did not come to be compassionate, fully understanding of the plight of the poor while reviling any authority that had no basic foundation in love without the training and encouragement and example of his parents, most particularly his mother.

Jesus embodied all that was good, articulated all that was righteous, and taught every fundamental crucial to the overall message of the unconditional love of God. It was his experience in life that taught him most of what he transformed into his ministry. But behind this great man, there was a great woman. His mother, Mary.

Mary sensed the importance of the child she carried in her womb as she said, “Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” But I doubt she could know the challenges that lay before her and that lay before her son. She learned early on not to try to protect him from life but to release him to life. There were times she even called on him to use the gifts he’d been given when he was slow to take up the task at hand. She knew how to mother him; she knew how to love him; she even knew how to let him go.

Will the mothers who are here in the sanctuary today please stand so we can recognize you. Please be seated.

We know who you are. We know where you live. We know what feeds you. We know what delights you. We know what makes you cry. And we know what tears your heart in two.

We know who you are because we were first a part of you. You gave us life, you provided the vessel in which we grew, developed and received nourishment. You gave unselfishly, even before we were born. And you continued to give unselfishly well after we were grown and of the age where we could bear children ourselves. We can never stop knowing you because to do that, we would have to stop knowing ourselves.

We know where you live. You live in our hearts. There is a cavity in our hearts that is reserved just for you. Whether our relationships with you have been loving and kind, difficult and challenging, on again/off again, consistent or uneven, we will always reserve that place for you within us. There is nothing that can ever fill that place in our hearts but you.

We know what feeds you, because it was you who fed us when we were hungry. You fed us as infants when it was inconvenient and you did not feel like feeding us. And you fed us as we grew up, even if we took the food out of your own mouths. It was you who clothed us when we outgrew or ruined what you had already so carefully provided. It was you who knew when it was time for us to rest—not just for the draconian purpose of instilling regulation and discipline in our lives—but because you knew we’d need every moment of rest which would be transformed in seemingly boundless energy the next day. We knew that how we developed and grew in your eyes, and the people we would become in your estimation, would always sustain you.

We know what delights you. You moved us toward developing our sensitivity, understanding and humor. You laughed with us and sang with us. You danced with us and dreamed with us. You comforted us, but prepared us as best as you could given how willing we were to listen. We knew how to make you smile, how to make you laugh, and how to make you forget your troubles—sometimes the very troubles we caused. But no matter what we did, it didn’t impact your love for us.

We know what makes you cry. We watched your tears when we fell down for the first time, or broke a bone in our arm, or chipped a tooth. We watched as you held the emotion for all of us, as well as the strength for all of us. Your empathy, compassion and understanding for the plight of humanity shaped our own understanding of how life really works, what’s important enough to hold onto and what’s not important enough not to let go of. Your tears always brought our tears to the surface.

And we know what tears your heart in two. Though we will never know for sure how many times your heart has been broken, we know that it is more times than we can count. Yet you never show it for fear of breaking our hearts. That was the unselfish part of you—the stoic part of you—the strength of you—and the essence of you. We could never have been prepared for our own hearts to break if yours had not broken first. We would never have been able to survive a broken heart if you had not survived your own heart breaking time and time and time again. You laid emotions bare so that we could learn about life for ourselves. And we have. And we have survived.

We know it was you who instilled in us the strength and stamina to stand up for what we believe in and to become the full persons God created us to be. We also know that at some point, it was our responsibility to put together all you taught us, to go out on our own, and fend for ourselves in this difficult world.

Erma Bombeck suggested that even in God’s wisdom about all things, there was something greater than occurred naturally that even God did not anticipate.

There was this flaw in the model of motherhood. It was the place of empathy; the place that stored pain. It was the place where uncommon understanding lived, even though it could not be explained. It was the place where the bonds of deep human relationship were developed and explored; where love would be stretched to its furthest limits; where unconditional love modeled after the very love of God was manufactured and stored.

We would be nothing without that place. We would be nothing without you behind us from start to finish. We have some idea of what it took. And we are grateful. May it be so. Amen.