Sermon, "Motherly Advice", by Pastor Ruth L. Foss, Suncook United Methodist Church, May 8, 2011

Pastor Ruth Foss
May 8, 2011
Mothers Day
Suncook UMC
2 Timothy 1:3-7 NIV Bible
Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV Bible
Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7a

Motherly Advice

Good morning and Happy Mother’s Day. This is the day that has been set aside, as President Woodrow Wilson said on May 9, 1914 when Congress declared the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. President Wilson said that this day has been set aside as a time for "public expression of our love and reverence for the mother's of our country." You know. . . when I think of Mothers Day, I am also reminded about those women in my life who have been like a mother to me; those women who have helped me along my life’s journey with their sound advice and love. To me, this day is one that I like to think about “the women who have been and are in my life.”

Don’t get me wrong, mothers should be honored not just this day but every day. But, there those women who come into our lives that need to be celebrated too. . . those women who have shown us faith, have shown us love and helped us along the way. I think we all may have had people in our lives like that. And to those women I would like to say, “Thank you for being in my life and giving me that ‘motherly advice’ that I have needed to grow into who I am.”

In the bible we hear many stories about mothers and what they did out of love for their children. We hear about Moses’ mother, Jocebed, who saved him from Pharaoh and put hi, in a basket out in the water so that he would not be killed by pharaoh’s men and about how his sister, Miriam, told the pharaoh’s daughter that she would find someone to help raise Moses. . . as a matter of fact it was Moses’ own mother that she got to take care of Moses. We heard about Timothy’s grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice, that taught Timothy about their faith in Jesus Christ and he in turn grew in faith. We hear about Mary who allowed God to use her, became that maidservant of God, and brought forth the Savior of the world. These are just to name a couple of stories in the bible.

So what do these women have in common, what makes a woman of faith, a woman who helps us along the way? Well Proverbs 31:10-31 tells us a little about a woman of this caliber. . . a woman of faith. . . it is a woman that I have “struggled with” from time to time but. . . I’m working on it. . . Listen to what Proverbs has to say. . . and I reading from the ESV Bible this morning. . .

This woman teaches about work ethics, about how to treat others. She teaches us about how to use wisdom (not the wisdom of this world but the wisdom of God). She doesn’t dress herself in the ways of the world but in strength and kindness. Not only does she care for those within her house but also for the poor and needy. . . the stranger amongst us. . . even her husband is blessed by her actions not only in the home but also “within the gates of the city.” (can you see why she and I may struggle at times)

A mothers influence. . . a woman of faiths influence. . . you never know what can happen. Lives can be changed, for the good. Abraham Lincoln said, "No one is poor who had a godly mother." He went on to say, "I remember my mother's prayers, and they have followed me; they have clung to me all my life. All that I am and hope to be I owe to my angel mother." So in closing I want to say again, “Thank you to my mom, all mom’s in the world and those women of faith that really do make a difference in our lives. . . ”

Amen?!

May 16, 2011
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV Bible)
2 Timothy 1:3-7 (NIV Bible)
Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7a
Worship Theme: “The Women In Our Lives”
and sermon: “Motherly Advice
by Pastor Ruth Foss
https://twitter.com/PastorRuthFoss
http://www.facebook.com/pastorruthfoss
http://www.ahandmaidenofthelord.blogspot.com
http://pastorruth.posterous.com/
A Handmaiden of the Lord
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
http://www.suncookumc.org
http://facebook.com/groups/136632035559/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suncook-United-Methodist-Church/102221356487965
Suncook, NH
May 8, 2011
Mother’s Day
Third Sunday of Easter


All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,970+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.