"Mary and Mothers Day "
By Michael Browder Ph.D.
May 9, 2010

Acts 1:14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Our scripture today, from the lectionary, is significant in that it mentions Mary, the mother of Jesus. Jesus’ mother is a fitting topic for Mothers Day. And so, today I want to take a close look at the scriptures really study the Bible to see where Mary is mentioned. I believe that God is teaching us through her life.

We see in Acts 1:14 that Mary was with the Apostles, meeting with them, between the Ascension of Jesus into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Remember that, in the Bible, Mary is a symbol of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, because God’s Spirit entered her in the birth of Jesus. The message for us here is that God is seeking to fill each of us with the Holy Spirit. Also, the fact that Mary continued to meet with the community of the disciples shows the importance of the church for nurturing us in faith. The church helps us to grow spiritually. We need to be with God’s people, if we want to grow in faith.

The next scripture I want to look at is John 19:26-27

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

This is one of the most powerful Mothers Day scriptures in the Bible. Here is Jesus on the cross, dying. And he sees his mother there. Of course, being a mother, she is in agony to see her child in such pain. And Jesus, not thinking of his own pain, his heart goes out to his mother. He wonders what will happen to her. Seeing his most loved disciple (John) standing there with her, Jesus asks John to look after Mary, and take care of her, as if she were his own mother. And he asks Mary to love John like her own son. We know from other historical records that John was faithful to this request. Here is a message from God for us today: If Jesus, who was dying on the cross, could take time to honor his mother, how much more should we honor our mothers today.

Elsewhere in the Gospel, we find Mary’s influence at some critical points in Jesus’ life. Perhaps the best example of this occurs when Jesus performs his first miracle: turning the water into wine. In John Chapter 2, they were attending a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Mary came up to Jesus and said, “They have run out of wine.” Jesus answered, “What’s that got to do with you and me?” But, you see, Mary knew that Jesus was ready to perform his first miracle. Isn’t that interesting? Jesus didn’t know he was ready yet But his mother knew. Mothers are like that.

So many times our mothers have believed in us more than we have believed in ourselves. In this case, Mary had so much faith! She just said to the wine stewards, “Do whatever he tells you.” She had faith that Jesus would perform a miracle. And, of course, the rest is history. Jesus went on to a career full of performing miracles. But his mother got him started. The lesson for us: Christ is looking to do some amazing things in our lives, yours and mine, but, like Mary, we need to be people of faith and trust.

A good mother cherishes her child, and the special moments in that child’s life. Very often there are things that happen to us, when we are too young to remember, that our mother will tell us about later in life. In this regard, I always think about the story of Jesus’ birth: The manger, the shepherds, the wise men, and the angels. So many marvelous and unforgettable moments. And I love that verse from Luke 2:19: “Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.” Isn’t this a great image of a mother? Treasuring the special things of her baby’s birth, and storing them in her heart forever. And have you considered this? Where do you suppose Luke got his information about Jesus’ birth? Mary is the only possible person who could have told him. I am sure she told him with love, just like a mother sharing stories along with baby pictures. We may not have photographs, but the Christmas story is the greatest story that was ever told. And we can thank Jesus’ mother for that.

Well, I think that, in the life of every mother and child, there are bound to be difficult moments. We see this also in the lives of Mary and Jesus. Do you remember that moment in Luke 8 where Jesus’ mother Mary, and his brothers, came to see him? There was too big a crowd to get in, so the disciples told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are outside waiting to see you.” And Jesus answered with those haunting words, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And then he pointed to his disciples and said, “The ones who do the will of my father in heaven are my real mother and brothers.” These words seem harsh to me. Perhaps they don’t have to be taken that way, but they seem harsh.

Still, I think this illustrates something that takes place in the life of nearly every mother and every child. There comes a time when a child wants to move beyond the identity of the mother. Today this process often starts around the age of Middle School. I think girls start the process earlier than boys. The child starts wanting an identity of her own, separate from the mother. Suddenly this child doesn’t want anything to do with the mother. Here is this child, that the mother has brought into this world. In the case of a girl, she may have been her mother’s best buddy. Now she doesn’t want to be seen anywhere near her mother. Mothers, this is a hard time to go through. Still, there is hope. We have seen in the Bible that Jesus and Mary worked through this time and became close again. Most children get over this phase and get close to their mother again. In the next phase, they become alienated from their father, but that’s a subject for another day.

Chronologically, I have mostly been working backwards through Mary’s life, as we know it from the Bible. Now I want to go back to where we first meet her in Chapter 1 of Luke’s Gospel. Mary was a young girl engaged to Joseph. Suddenly, one day, the angel Gabriel appeared to her. I think this experience, in itself, would be more than I could take. But there’s more. Gabriel tells her that she is expecting a baby! Now Mary, being a virgin, was rather taken back by that news. And then finally, Gabriel said that this baby was going to be the Messiah and the savior of the world. Wow! That was some announcement. All this to an innocent young girl. Many think she was in her early teens.

What would you have done if you were in her shoes? I think I would have screamed, or fainted, or panicked somehow. That is why I find Mary’s reaction so remarkable. She calmly says, “I am God’s servant. Let it be unto me according to thy word.” What a profound reaction! What a powerful statement of faith!

“Do what you want with me God. My primary goal in life is to serve you.”

This is why Mary was chosen to be the mother of God’s son. She is the kind of person God is looking for. She sets an example for us as to who God wants us to be. Dear sisters and brothers, here is what the Lord wants for us. He is seeking to fill us with his Holy Spirit and transform our lives. And there is nothing he longs for more than to hear us say: “God, I am here to serve you. Let it be unto me according to thy word.” Once you speak those words, your life will never be the same. Mary’s was not. And her example to us speaks volumes.

Let us pray: We thank you, O God, for the witness from the Bible today about the Life of Mary. We know that you are still calling each of us, seeking to transform our lives and fill us with your spirit. Help me to respond with all of my heart, just as Mary responded: “Lord, I commit myself to serve you. Let it be unto me according to thy word. Take me and use me for your purposes, dear Savior. Not my will, but thy will be done. Amen.”

This week’s story: A woman telephoned a friend and asked how she was feeling. “Terrible,” came the reply over the phone, “my head’s splitting and my back and legs are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are simply driving me crazy.” Very sympathetically, the caller said, “Listen, go and lie down. I’ll come over right away and cook lunch for you, clean up the house, and take care of the children while you get some rest. By the way, how is Sam?” “Sam?” the exhausted wife gasped, “Who is Sam?” “My heavens!” exclaimed the first woman, “I must have dialed the wrong number.” There was a long pause. The young mother asked hopefully, “Are you still coming over?”