Basket of Faith: The Protective Love of a Mother
Notes
Transcript
1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
Basket of Faith: The Protective Love of a Mother
GOOD MORNING, CHURCH! TODAY IS A BLESSED DAY AS WE GATHER TO HONOR ONE OF THE MOST SACRED GIFTS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO THIS WORLD: OUR MOTHERS.
FROM THE YOUNGEST MOTHER TO THE SEASONED GRANDMOTHER, YOUR STRENGTH, FAITH, AND LOVE ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR FAMILIES AND THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
ON THIS MOTHER’S DAY, WE WANT TO CELEBRATE YOU, HONOR YOU, AND REFLECT ON THE FAITHFULNESS OF A MOTHER THROUGH THE POWERFUL STORY OF JOCHEBED—THE MOTHER OF MOSES.
JOCHEBED WAS A WOMAN OF FAITH, LIVING UNDER THE HARSH OPPRESSION OF EGYPT, YET HER SPIRIT WAS UNBREAKABLE.
HER FAITH, COURAGE, AND INFLUENCE SET IN MOTION A LEGACY THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE LIBERATION OF AN ENTIRE NATION.
TODAY, WE LOOK AT HER LIFE AND DRAW INSPIRATION FOR OUR OWN JOURNEY AS WE CONTINUE TO NURTURE, PROTECT, AND UPLIFT THE NEXT GENERATION.
IN 2025, WE RECOGNIZE THAT MOTHERS CONTINUE TO CARRY THE WEIGHT OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
MOTHERS ARE THE PILLARS OF FAITH, HOLDING FAMILIES TOGETHER THROUGH ECONOMIC HARDSHIP, SYSTEMIC STRUGGLES, AND DAILY CHALLENGES.
YET, JUST LIKE JOCHEBED, THEIR FAITH STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.
TO SET THE STAGE FOR OUR TEXT THIS MORNING, WHAT WE MUST UNDERSTAND…..THIS WAS A TIME OF OPPRESSION FOR THE ISRAELITES…THE HEBREW PEOPLE….WERE IN THE LAND OF EGYPT AND A NEW KING HAD JUST TAKEN OVER….AND AS HE BEGAN TO ASSESS THE SITUATION……HE REALIZED THAT ALTHOUGH THE HEBREW PEOPLE WERE UNDER THEIR OPPRESSION…THEY OUTNUMBERED THE EGYPTIANS….THE HEBREW PEOPLE WERE ALSO REPRODUCING AND MULTIPLYING IN NUMBER……AND THE KING (THE PHAROAH) KNEW THAT IT DID NOT LOOK GOOD.
YOU SEE IF THE HEBREW PEOPLE REALIZED THEIR STRENGTH IN NUMBERS, THEN THEY COULD TEAM UP WITH OTHER NATIONS AND TAKE OVER THE EGYPTIANS.
AFTER TRYING TO OPRESS THE ISRAELITES EVEN MORE….THE MORE THE ISRAELITES MULTIPLIED.
AND IF I CAN TAKE A QUICK DETOUR…….I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY IN OUR NATION…THE ATTEMPTS TO OPRESS THOSE THAT ARE BLACK AND BROWN IS IN FULL FORCE TODAY.
WE ARE GROWING IN NUMBER AND THERE IS A FEAR THAT BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE WILL OUTNUMBER THE OTHER PERSUASION…….THE ATTEMPTS TO ERASE HISTORY, THE REMOVAL OF RIGHTS, AND PROGRAMS THAT BENEFIT US …..ARE AN ATTEMPT TO OPPRESS. BUT WE MUST CONTINUE TO FIGHT AND STAND UP FOR OUR RIGHTS AND CONTINUE TO TELL OUR HISTORY.
AS THE ISRAELITES INCREASED……AND THE EGYPTIANS INCREASED THEIR OPPRESSION, THE PHARAOH PUT OUT A COMMAND……TO THE NATION….AND TOLD THEM THAT ALL MALES SHALL BE THROWN INTO THE NILE…….AND ALL FEMALES WOULD BE SAVED.
THAT BRINGS US UP TO OUR TEXT THIS MORNING…..
JOCHEBED…WHOS NAME MEANS YAWEH OF GLORY…GAVE BIRTH TO HER SON ….AND WHEN SHE SAW HER BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY….SHE KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL….SOMETHING DIVINE IN HIM.
BUT DESPITE THE THREAT AND THE DECREE THAT WAS GIVEN….SHE RISKED HER LIFE AND HID HIM…..AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE TO TRY AND KEEP HIM IN SECRET FOR THAT PERIOD OF A TIME…..LET’S KEEP IT REAL….NEW BORN BABIES CAN CRY A LOT …..SOMETIMES FOR ONE TO FOUR HOURS THROUGH OUT THE DAY…….AND THAT WOULD BRING ATTENTION TO HER…..AND SHE COULDN’T LET HIM CRY IT OUT…..
ALL MOTHERS IN HERE I’M SURE YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TRYING TO GET YOUR BABY ON A REGULAR SLEEPING SCHEDULE TAKES SEVERAL MONTHS…THEY WAKE UP EVERY COUPLE HOURS….CRYING FOR ATTENTION…
THEY DIDN’T HAVE ALL THE LUXURIES THAT WE HAVE TODAY TO SOOTH BABIES…LIKE PACIFIERS…..BUT HERE WAS A MOTHER THAT WANTED TO DO ALL THAT SHE COULD TO PROTECT AND KEEP HER BABY BOY… AND I BELIEVE THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FIRST POINT…..
WE SEE THE FAITH OF A MOTHER….
THE FAITH OF A MOTHER EXODUS 2:1–2
1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
JOCHEBED’S FAITH WAS TESTED UNDER PHARAOH'S DECREE THAT ALL HEBREW BOYS BE KILLED.
I’M SURE SHE FACED FEAR THAT HER SON WOULD BE DISCOVERED…..BUT SHE DIDN’T ALLOW HER FAITH TO BE OVERCOME BY FEAR……AND TRUSTED THAT GOD WOULD MAKE A WAY FOR HER…..
DESPITE THE THREAT, SHE SAW SOMETHING IN MOSES—SOMETHING DIVINE. SHE HID HIM FOR THREE MONTHS, RISKING HER OWN LIFE.
MANY MOTHERS TODAY…..GO THROUGH STRUGGLES AND GREAT LENGTHS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR CHILDREN HAVE WHAT THEY NEED AND PROTECT THEM FROM HARMS WAY.
MODERN ILLUSTRATION: · IN AN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD OF DETROIT, ANIKA WAS A DEVOTED BLACK MOTHER DETERMINED TO PROVIDE A BETTER FUTURE FOR HER SON, JAMAL.
FACED WITH THE INADEQUACIES OF HIS UNDERFUNDED SCHOOL, ANIKA, LIKE JOCHEBED, MADE A COURAGEOUS DECISION ROOTED IN FAITH.
SHE BEGAN HOMESCHOOLING JAMAL, TRANSFORMING HER SMALL APARTMENT INTO A HAVEN OF LEARNING.
DESPITE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES AND SKEPTICISM, ANIKA'S FAITH WAS HER ANCHOR.
WITH SUPPORT FROM HER CHURCH COMMUNITY, SHE CREATED AN ENRICHING ENVIRONMENT FOR JAMAL, NURTURING HIS ASPIRATIONS TO BECOME AN ENGINEER. THEIR STORY SPREAD, INSPIRING OTHERS AND EMPHASIZING THE POWER OF FAITH, ACTION, AND COMMUNITY IN OVERCOMING SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES.
·ANIKA'S JOURNEY MIRRORS JOCHEBED'S FAITH, SHOWING HOW A MOTHER'S LOVE AND UNWAVERING FAITH CAN LEAD TO TRANSFORMATIVE OUTCOMES, MOTIVATING US TO TRUST IN GOD'S PROVISION AND ACT BOLDLY IN FAITH.
THINK ABOUT THE COUNTLESS STORIES WE HEAR TODAY OF MOTHERS WHO SHIELD THEIR CHILDREN FROM VIOLENCE, WHO PRAY OVER THEM DAILY…
AND WHO SACRIFICE SO THEIR CHILDREN CAN HAVE OPPORTUNITIES THEY NEVER DID.
WHETHER IT’S A MOTHER IN BADIN WHO WORKS TWO JOBS TO PROVIDE OR A MOTHER IN FLINT, MICHIGAN FIGHTING FOR CLEAN WATER, THAT PROTECTIVE SPIRIT LIVES ON.
APPLICATION: THE FAITH OF BLACK MOTHERS THAT SHIELDS AND PROTECTS EVEN WHEN THE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU.
THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT JOCHEBED HID HER SON FOR THREE MONTHS…..AND IT GOT TO A POINT WHERE SHE COULDN’T HIDE HIM ANY LONGER…….SO SHE HAD TO MAKE A BOLD AND COURAGEOUS DECISION…..IN ORDER TO KEEP HER BABY SAFE…..AND PROTECT HER WELL-BEING……
LOOK AT THE TEXT…..IN VERSES…….3 AND 4
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
I BELIEVE THAT WE SEE THE COURAGE OF A MOTHER IN THIS TEXT…….
WHEN SHE COULD HIDE HIM NO LONGER, JOCHEBED MADE AN ARK OF REEDS AND PLACED MOSES ON THE NILE.
IT WAS AN ACT OF SURRENDER—NOT GIVING UP, BUT GIVING OVER TO GOD.
THE BASKET THAT SHE CREATED FROM THE BULRUSHES…..WAS A SYMBOL OF FAITH….A SYMBOL OF RESILIENCE .....A SYMBOL OF HOPE.
IT WAS IN HER WISDOM THAT SHE CRAFTED THIS WATER VESSEL FOR HER SON……..NOT ONLY DID SHE WEAVE IT TOGETHER……BUT SHE WANTED TO ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE WHEN SHE PLACED IT AT THE BANK OF THE NILE…….THAT IT WOULDN’T JUST SINK TO THE BOTTOM……..SO SHE USED SOME ASPHALT…..AND SOME PITCH….. YOUR BIBLE MAY SAY SLIME…..BUT THIS PITCH MADE THE BASKET WATERPROOF…..AND I CAN JUST IMAGINE THE CARE THAT SHE TOOK……TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BASKET HAD NO HOLES…HAD NO WEAK SPOTS ….WHERE WATER COULD SEEP IN…… HIS LITTLE ARK WOULD BE WATERTIGHT.
IT WAS THIS SAME KIND OF PITCH…..THAT GOD INSTRUCTED NOAH TO SEAL THE ARK WITH ON THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE…….SO THAT IT WOULD BE WATERPROOF……..
IN OTHER WORDS……JOCHEBED…..WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT HER BABY WAS SAFE FROM THE ELEMENTS…..SAFE FROM ANIMALS…..SAFE FROM SINKING
ILLUSTRATION: IN THE JIM CROW SOUTH, BLACK MOTHERS WOULD SEND THEIR CHILDREN NORTH OR TO HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES, TRUSTING GOD TO PROTECT THEM AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES.
MODERN ILLUSTRATION: CONSIDER THE MOTHER WHO DRIVES HER CHILD ACROSS STATE LINES TO ESCAPE GANG VIOLENCE, OR THE GRANDMOTHER RAISING HER GRANDCHILDREN BECAUSE THE PARENTS ARE ABSENT. JUST LIKE JOCHEBED, MOTHERS TODAY GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO PROTECT THE LIVES AND FUTURES OF THEIR CHILDREN.
APPLICATION: BLACK MOTHERS HAVE HISTORICALLY PROTECTED THEIR CHILDREN AGAINST INJUSTICE—BUILDING ARKS OF SAFETY IN THEIR OWN WAY.
I WILL NEVER FORGET THE TIME I SAW MY MOTHER STAND UP AND TAKE UP FOR ME WHEN I WAS A YOUNG CHILD. I CAN’T RECALL THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEHIND IT….BUT I DO REMEMBER THE DAY MY MOM PICKED ME AND MY BROTHER UP FROM MY GRANDMOTHER AND AUNT’S APARTMENT WHEN SHE GOT OFF OF WORK. MY AUNT HAD TOLD MY MOTHER ABOUT A NEIGHBOR WHO HAD EITHER ACCUSED ME OF SOMETHING OR SAID SOMETHING ABOUT ME. THAT’S WHEN MY MOTHER TOOK ME AND MY BROTHER AND WENT TO THE LADY’S HOUSE TO CONFRONT HER. ALL I REMEMBER IS MY MOM KNOCKING ON HER DOOR….AND WHEN THE LADY ANSWERED….THEY BEGAN TO EXCHANGE WORDS…AND MY MOM WAS STANDING UP FOR ME. I CAN’T REMEMBER ALL THAT HAPPEN OR WHAT IT WAS EVEN ABOUT…..I JUST REMEMBER SEEING MY MOM…STICK UP FOR ME……AND PROTECT ME FROM WHATEVER THE LADY HAD SAID ABOUT ME. I WILL NEVER FORGET SEEING MY MOM IN PROTECTIVE MODE.
JUST LIKE JOCHEBED…MY MOTHER PROTECTED ME
SO JOCHEBED PUT MOSES’ ARK AT THE BANK OF THE NILE…..THE TEXT SAYS SHE LAID IT IN THE REEDS BY THE RIVER’S BANK…..MEANING SHE DIDN’T PUT IT OUT IN THE WATER WHERE THE CURRENT MAY TAKE IT AWAY……SHE PUT IT IN THE REEDS…..OR THE CATTAILS……THE VERY THING THAT SHE MADE THE ARK OUT OF….SHE WANTED IT TO BE NESTLED BY THE REEDS…AND NOT TAKEN AWAY THE CURRENT OF NILE.
BUT NOT ONLY WAS LITTLE MOSES BEING WATCHED OUT FOR BY HIS MOM……HIS BIG SISTER MIRIAM WAS WATCHING FROM AFAR TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN…
I’M SURE THAT SHE WANTED TO WATCH OUT FOR HER BABY BROTHER AND PROTECT HIM….THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT A BIG SISTER’S LOVE AND CARE FOR HER BABY BROTHER…..I DON’T HAVE A BIG SISTER…..BUT I CAN RECALL WHEN OUR GRAND-DAUGHTER FAITH….SAW HER BABY BROTHER QUADIR FOR THE FIRST TIME …AND THE CARE SHE TOOK WHEN HOLDING HIM. SOMETIMES A BIG SISTER CAN BE LIKE A BONUS MOM….TAKING CARE OF YOUNGER SIBLINGS….BUT I ALSO HAVE HEARD STORIES OF BIG SISTERS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OR GETTING THEIR YOUNGER BROTHER IN TROUBLE….
SO MIRIAM WATCHED HER BROTHER IN HIS ARK……LAID AGAINST THE RIVER BANK OF THE NILE…….AND HERE IS WHERE GOD’S DIVINE PROVIDENCE, PROVISION AND PLAN COME INTO PLAY….
LOOK AT VERSES 5-10
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
I BELIEVE WE SEE THE INFLUENCE OF A MOM IN THESE VERSES……
NOT ONLY DID JOCHEBED….GET TO TAKE CARE OF HER SON….GET TO NURSE HER SON……BUT GOD PROVIDED HER A WAY TO GET PAID IN DOING THE VERY THING SHE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR FREE…..
JOCHEBED’S INFLUENCE DIDN’T STOP AT SURRENDER. THROUGH GOD’S PROVIDENCE, SHE NURSED MOSES AND HE GREW……
GOD USED PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER TO BE AN ALLY FOR MOSES…..THE PROPHET THAT WOULD LATER STAND UP AGAINST PHARAOH….AND TELL HIM….LET MY PEOPLE GO.
THE MAN THAT WOULD BECOME A THREAT AND AN ENEMY TO PHARAOH…..WAS LIVING IN HIS PALACE AS A YOUNG BOY….
YES IT WAS HER BASKET OF FAITH……THAT KEPT HER SON SAFE……
Basket of Courage:
Celebrate Jochebed’s courage to defy Pharaoh’s decree, likening it to the courage we draw from Jesus, who defied the powers of sin and death.
Basket of Wisdom:
Jochebed’s wisdom in crafting the basket symbolizes the divine wisdom offered to us through Jesus, who is our greater wisdom. Invite the congregation to rejoice in the wisdom that guides us through life’s turbulent waters.
Basket of Hope:
Jochebed placed her hope in God as she released Moses into the Nile. Compare her hope to that found in the resurrection of Jesus, which assures us of life beyond death. Call for a celebration of the hope that never fails.
Basket of Protection:
God’s protection carried Moses safely to Pharaoh’s daughter.
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is our ultimate protection from sin.
Basket of Deliverance:
Just as Moses was delivered into a new life, Jesus’ victory on the cross delivers us into eternal life.
Exclaim the joy of salvation, encouraging an outpouring of praise for the deliverance we experience in Christ.
Basket of Love:
Jochebed’s actions were driven by love, mirroring the love of Jesus who laid down His life for us.
Invite the congregation to shout and rejoice, for the love of Christ, which knows no bounds, surrounds us all.
CONCLUSION AND CALL TO ACTION:
TODAY, WE HONOR MOTHERS FROM 35 TO 92 AND BEYOND, WE REMEMBER THAT YOUR FAITH IS A SHELTER, YOUR COURAGE IS AN ARK, AND YOUR INFLUENCE IS A LEGACY. WE CELEBRATE YOU, WE HONOR YOU, AND WE PRAY FOR GOD’S BLESSING UPON YOU. AS YOU CONTINUE TO NURTURE AND PROTECT, KNOW THAT GOD SEES YOUR SACRIFICE, YOUR FAITH, AND YOUR COURAGE.
CELEBRATION OF A MOTHER'S FAITH
AS WE PREPARE TO CLOSE, I WANT US TO TAKE A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE THE FAITH OF MOTHERS. JOCHEBED'S FAITH DID NOT JUST PROTECT MOSES; IT SET THE STAGE FOR LIBERATION. HER DECISION TO TRUST GOD WITH HER SON BROUGHT FORTH A LEADER WHO WOULD DELIVER ISRAEL FROM BONDAGE.
MOTHERS, TODAY WE HONOR YOU FOR YOUR FAITH—FAITH THAT PRAYS OVER CHILDREN EVEN WHEN THE WORLD SEEMS CHAOTIC. FAITH THAT PROTECTS, SHIELDS, AND UPLIFTS. FAITH THAT HOLDS ONTO HOPE WHEN TIMES ARE HARD. WE CELEBRATE THE MOTHERS WHO, LIKE JOCHEBED, CREATE PATHS FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO FLOURISH. WHETHER YOU ARE A MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER, GODMOTHER, OR SPIRITUAL MOTHER, YOUR FAITH IS A FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE.
CLOSING PRAYER:
HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE MOTHERS IN THIS HOUSE TODAY. STRENGTHEN THEM, UPLIFT THEM, AND CONTINUE TO GUIDE THEIR HANDS AS THEY SHAPE THE FUTURE. MAY THEIR FAITH BE UNSHAKABLE, THEIR COURAGE UNYIELDING, AND THEIR INFLUENCE EVERLASTING. IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN.
