Mothers Day 2018

1. This is a permanent job.

2. The successful applicant must be prepared to work hard.

3. The workplace is often a challenging and chaotic environment.

4. Applicants must possess excellent communication and organizational skills

and be willing to work variable hours,

which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

5. Extensive chauffeuring duties also required, but your travel expenses will not usually be reimbursed.

6. Some overnight travel will be required,

including trips to camping sites on rainy weekends,

and countless sports tournaments in faraway places.

7. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs £5.

8. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.

9. Must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are genuine, and not just someone crying wolf or playing.

10. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zips.

11. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

12. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

13. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

14. HEALTH AND SAFETY: Must be able to handle the assembly and product safety testing of hundreds of toys and battery operated devices.

15. ATTITUDE AND DEMEANOUR: Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

16. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance, laundering and janitorial work throughout the place of employment.

17. PROMOTION PROSPECTS: None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

18. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, because no other form of employment is totally relevant, but On-the-job in-service training is offered on a continually exhausting basis.

19. WAGES AND BONUSES: None; job satisfaction is what you hopefully receive.

20. OUTLAYS: You pay every bill for your child at least until turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left.

The strangest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you should enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

21. BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no bonuses are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

22. TENURE: For the rest of your life.

Honoring mothers

Everything that God has created should tell us something about Him

This includes relationships

God has created us as relational beings

Looking at the animal world

Relationships are varied and complex

Some animals mate for life—geese

Many animals may not have one partner for life, but they exist in herds or other social structures.

Other animals are solitary—come together to mate and then separate

Animals can show emotions to a certain extent--

showing affection for each other or for humans

An elephant mourning over the death of her baby

They know how to care for their young

Cat moving her babies because they were discovered

Animal relationships show the creativity of God,

But animal behavior to a large extent is programmed—instinct

They will always act for the most part one way

But still, animals show us something about God and we can worship Him

Human relationships are even more complex and show us even more about who God is

After all, the Bible says that He created man in His own image

Animals were just spoken into existence—amazing enough!

But mankind was created in His own image

Notice the possessive word here: His own image

There is something incredibly special here.

We see in our human relationships:

Choice

love, intimacy, communication (to a level far beyond that of the animal world)

And when we think about our human relationships, probably certain things stand out, depending on if we are talking about fathers, mothers, siblings, grandparents

Today we are honoring mothers

Maybe there are those here who did not know their mothers?

There are a lot of words that could describe the relationship we have to our mothers

For me, that word is “Comfort”.

There was a time in life when my dad had been laid off from his position at school

He took up work driving an oil truck—he fell off, injured his back, was laid up

my mother went back to work as an R.N.—working night shift—sleep for most of the day

hanging around the stairway leading from the dining room up to their bedroom waiting on her to come down

I needed her to comfort me

I don’t believe that I am alone in my experience of needing my mother to comfort me

I think especially for a child, his mothers arms/lap is a place where he finds comfort.

When all is wrong with the world, a child will go to his mother

Certainly there are exceptions to this

Even as an adult, there is comfort in talking to my mother and having her sympathize with my problems and recognize my pain.

Looking at my own children, I see the same thing in them

Looking at the children in this congregation, i see it in them as well

When there is hurt or pain

When a child is scared or uncertain

When a child just needs to feel someone holding him or her, they run to their mothers

Our mothers are the ones who bore us and nurtured us.

Our human relationships should exemplify the relationship we have with God

As we honor mothers today i want us to think about our God of comfort

Remarkable passage in Isaah 66

We need to understand the life and times of Isaiah.

From the first chapter, we understand that he was a prophet in Judah during the time of the Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah

King Uzziah

Enjoyed one of the longest reigns of any of the kings—52 years (only King Manasseh reigned longer, 55 years)

militarily was strong

Served the Lord but did not lead the people in serving the lord

Got proud and tried to offer incense, a job for the priests. Got leprosy

King Jotham

Did better than Uzziah—again, we don’t read that he lead the people in worshipping the Lord

Ahaz

Very evil

Defeated by the Syrians and by Israel

The more trouble he had, the more unfaithful to the Lord he became

He even shut up the temple and set up alters in the street instead

Hezekiah

A good king

First thing he did was open up the Temple and celebrate the Passover with the people

He also struggled with pride but later repented

Isaiah prophesied about the coming judgement of God on the people because of their continued rebellion and constant turning away

But I love this book because mixed in with the messages of judgement are promises of return and comfort.

and it shows us who our God is:

sin and rebellion must be dealt with, but there is restoration and comfort to follow

Isaiah 66:7–14 ESV

7 “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the Lord; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God. 10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; 11 that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.” 12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

As so often he does, the prophet Isaiah expresses the words of God in a poetic form, using poetic and vivid imagery.

Isaiah 66 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.” Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. “The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies! “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the Lord; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God. “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.” For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies. “For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many. “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord. “For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord. “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord. “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Isaaia 66

Isaiah 66

Judah returning from her captivity would be like a child being born

Being nursed by its mother until it is completely filled, and then growing and being carried by it’s mother on her hip and being bounced on her knees

God would be like a mother to them, bringing comfort

Comfort: be in a state or condition of finding a measure of relief from sorrow and distress, and so be consoled or encouraged

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Bible is

The Bible is full of messages of comfort

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Especially in the prophet

Jeremiah 31:3 ESV

3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Isaiah 61:1–2 ESV

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

Jeremiah 31:13 ESV

13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

In the OT,

Isaiah 40:1–2 ESV

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah 40:

Jeremiah 31:13 ESV

13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Zechariah 1:17 ESV

17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’ ”

The OT contains such a theme of God comforting those in trouble that Paul calls him “the Father of Mercies and the God of all comfort”

So we see in the OT, that God takes on the ministry of comfort

In the NT, in the age of the church, the ministry of comfort falls to us as believers.

2 Corinthians 1:3–7 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Here Paul identifies God as “The God of all comfort”

This is in keeping with how God worked in his people in days of old

But now there is a shift of responsibility..the ministry becomes that of believers

Philippians 2:1–2 ESV

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

This is in accordance with the concept that whatever we receive from Christ,

Whatever benefits and blessing we receive from him, it is for the edification of the Body

This is a concept that is under attack from people like Joel Osteen who writes books like

Your Best Life Now

Become a Better You

You Can, You will

The Power of I Am (that’s me, not God)

This is for the sake of YOU living a better life, for the purpose of being a better YOU.

There is some truth in knowing who God is created you to be.

But it should be for the purpose of increasing our wonder of Him

And for blessing and benefiting the Body of Christ.

Have you experienced Comfort?

Paul gives us this dichotomy in 2 Cor.

“As we share abundantly in Christ’s suffering, so through Christ we also share abundantly in His comfort too”

Suffering, why? So that we can experience His comfort

2007—preparing to do TE with MAF

gall bladder surgery, off work for two weeks

God really sick and missed more work

Broken foot and ankle—bills and lost wages

Car repair bills

We were discouraged and needed comfort—away from family

Body of Christ stepped in

Then you now have a ministry: That is to comfort others

How do I comfort others? There’s no formula

Sometimes it’s a letter or email

Sometimes it’s just sitting and putting your arm around their shoulders, not really saying anything

Sometimes it’s sitting and allowing that person to talk about the pain they are experiencing

Whatever it is, for those of us who have experienced affliction…I would imagine that is all of us

Whatever it is, the ministry is now yours

So this mother’s day, let’s think about our God, the God of comfort

And let’s embrace the ministry that he has given us and let’s think about how we can comfort each other.