Difference between revisions of "Sermon for May 11th, 2014"

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Acts 2:37-47

37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Birthing, Mothering & Raising a Church

I was born on Tuesday May 27th, 1975 at 2:52 in the morning. From time to time throughout my life, my mother has taken great delight at calling me at 2:52 in the morning to wish me a happy birthday. The first time she did this, I think I said something to the effect of, "Mom, I was sleeping. You woke me up." To which she promptly replied, "Hey, you woke me up that first morning...I'm just returning the favor!" These days, I just say, "I love you mom. Thanks for getting up so early to bring me into the world."

Today is Mother's Day. We make a big deal out of this holiday in our culture, and rightly so. But as you wish everyone a happy mother's day today, it's also important to remember and be sensitive to the fact that not all women are mothers. For some, that's by choice, but for others who want children but cannot have them for any number of reasons, today can be a painful reminder. There are also some mothers whose have lost children, and today can be difficult for them as well.

Given this, I think it's helpful to remember that whoever you are, whether you are a mother or not, whether you are male or female, young or old--all of us were brought into this world by way of a mother, and all of us were mothered by someone--whether it was our biological mother, or any number of people along the way who cared for us and raised us in a loving, nurturing, "mothering" sort of way. For those who mothered us, we give thanks to God.

Of course, it's not just people who are birthed, mothered, and raised up. This also happens to communities, movements, and organizations. Thirteen years ago, Amy and I experienced the birth of a new church--Faithbridge Presbyterian Church in Frisco, Texas (a suburb north of Dallas). Our first Sunday at Faithbridge was the day the church was chartered, and over the next decade we helped to "mother" and raise this young church, first as active members, then later when I came on staff as the church's first director of music and youth ministries.

Over the course of a decade we went from meeting every Sunday in an Elementary school (and weekdays in the homes of members), to laying the cornerstone on a new building. Amy and I had the exciting privilege of leading worship on the very first Sunday (Easter Sunday) in that new building, once it was completed. Every year, the church grew in membership, worship attendance, number of programs. Every year, its members grew in their relationship with God and with each other. I grew a lot too. In fact, it was this experience of birthing, mothering, and raising a church that ultimately led me to seminary, and to the decision to serve God as a pastor.

Since it's mother's day, I have to close with my favorite mother's day story:

There were three brothers, who had all done very well for themselves in life. They were also very competitive, and so as mother's day approached, they tried to outdo one another in their generosity to their mother, who was by now quite elderly.

The first brother boasted that for mother's day this year, he had bought their mother a brand new Rolls-Royce limousine, complete with a chauffeur to drive her around wherever she wanted to go. The second brother responded, "Good, because she'll need something to park in one of the four garages of the brand new ten-bedroom victorian-style mansion that I bought her this year for mother's day.

At this, the third brother smiled and said, "I've got both of you beat: You know how more than anything else in the world, our mother loves to read the Bible, but with her eyesight going, she can't see too well anymore? Well, I traveled halfway around the world to buy for her a expensive and rare kind of exotic parrot that has memorized the entire Bible. It took the bird's trainers over thirty years to teach it, but now all you have to do is say the chapter and verse, and the parrot will begin to quote the Bible for you. It cost a fortune, but I'm convinced our mother will absolutely love it.

Well, a few months after mother's day, the brothers got together for dinner with their mother in her new mansion, and naturally, they asked her what she thought of all her gifts. She told the first son, "The limousine is very nice, and I sure do enjoy talking to that nice man who drives it...but really, I don't travel much, I have everything I need right here, so I'm afraid I don't use it that often.

The second son said, "That's right, everything you need is right here in this beautiful house! You like the house, don't you?" His mother replied, "It is certainly a beautiful house...but you know I really spend most of my time in just one or two rooms, and with my poor eyesight, I'm always afraid of getting lost in here!"

Seeing how hard their mother was to please, the third son got a little nervous (especially since he hadn't seen or heard the parrot anywhere around the house). But remembering the minor fortune he had paid to please his mother, he timidly asked her, "And how did you like my gift?" Then his mother got a really big smile on her face and she said, "You always were my most practical son, and you always do know just what I like. The chicken was delicious."

Happy Mother's Day, First Presbyterian Church! Keep it simple,