Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mothers Day!

 

This Sunday we are celebrating Mother’s Day!  This is a day that you will want to join mom in worship as we consider the topic of Moms To Remember! Come with a favorite memory of your mom and be ready to share it quickly during worship.
 
    Throughout scripture moms play significant roles.  From Eve – described as the mother of all humanity to Mary, the mother of Jesus women play powerful parts in our lives of faith.  Have you ever heard of Hannah, Elizabeth, Abigail or Bathsheba?  How about Naomi, Sarah, Rachel or Leah?  Time after time there are names of women who played huge roles in the development of our faith story.

 Come forward to our century and think of the mothers you know.  My own mother was instrumental in the development of my faith and in my becoming a pastor.   Who are the women of faith who have shaped your life?  I want to encourage you this Sunday to be here to worship with your mom of choice!

Want to read more about special moms in scripture?  Check out these scriptures:

Exodus 2:1-10Exodus 2:1-10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Moses Is Born ^{2 1} A man from the Levi tribe married a woman from the same tribe, ² ; . and she later had a baby boy. He was a beautiful child, and she kept him inside for three months. ³ But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar. She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River. ⁴ The baby's older sister e older sister: Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. stood off at a distance to see what would happen to him. ⁵ About that time one of the king's f the king's: See the note at . daughters came down to take a bath in the river, while her servant women walked along the river bank. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent one of the young women to pull it out of the water. ⁶ When the king's daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby and felt sorry for him because he was crying. She said, “This must be one of the Hebrew babies.” ⁷ At once the baby's older sister came up and asked, “Do you want me to get a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby for you?” ⁸ “Yes,” the king's daughter answered. So the girl brought the baby's mother, ⁹ and the king's daughter told her, “Take care of this child, and I will pay you.” The baby's mother carried him home and took care of him. ¹⁰ . And when he was old enough, she took him to the king's daughter, who adopted him. She named him Moses g Moses: In Hebrew “Moses” sounds like “pull out.” because she said, “I pulled him out of the water.”

WP-Bible plugin     1 Samuel 1:1-2:211 Samuel 1:1-2:21
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
¹ Hannah Asks the Lord for a Child ¹ Elkanah lived in Ramah, a Ramah: The Hebrew has “Ramathaim,” a longer form of “Ramah” . a town in the hill country of Ephraim. His great-great-grandfather was Zuph, so Elkanah was a member of the Zuph clan of the Ephraim tribe. Elkanah's father was Jeroham, his grandfather was Elihu, and his great-grandfather was Tohu. ² Elkanah had two wives, b two wives: Having more than one wife was allowed in those times. Hannah and Peninnah. Although Peninnah had children, Hannah did not have any. ³ Once a year Elkanah traveled from his hometown to Shiloh, where he worshiped the Lord All-Powerful and offered sacrifices. Eli was the Lord's priest there, and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas served with him as priests. c Eli ... priests: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, served the Lord as priests.” ⁴ Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave some of the meat d meat: For some sacrifices, like this one, only part of the meat was burned. Some was given to the priest, and the rest was eaten by the family and guests of the worshiper . to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters. ⁵ But he gave Hannah even more, because he loved Hannah very much, even though the Lord had kept her from having children of her own. ⁶ Peninnah liked to make Hannah feel miserable about not having any children, ⁷ especially when the family went to the house of the Lord e house of the Lord: Another name for the place of worship at Shiloh, which still may have been the sacred tent at this time. each year. One day, Elkanah was there offering a sacrifice, when Hannah began crying and refused to eat. ⁸ So Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why do you feel so bad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?” ⁹ When the sacrifice had been offered, and they had eaten the meal, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli was sitting in his chair near the door to the place of worship. ¹⁰ Hannah was brokenhearted and was crying as she prayed, ¹¹ . “Lord All-Powerful, I am your servant, but I am so miserable! Please let me have a son. I will give him to you for as long as he lives, and his hair will never be cut.” f his hair ... cut: Never cutting the child's hair would be a sign that he would belong to the Lord . ¹²-¹³ Hannah prayed silently to the Lord for a long time. But her lips were moving, and Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ “How long are you going to stay drunk?” he asked. “Sober up!” ¹⁵-¹⁶ “Sir, please don't think I'm no good!” Hannah answered. “I'm not drunk, and I haven't been drinking. But I do feel miserable and terribly upset. I've been praying all this time, telling the Lord about my problems.” ¹⁷ Eli replied, “You may go home now and stop worrying. I'm sure the God of Israel will answer your prayer.” ¹⁸ “Sir, thank you for being so kind to me,” Hannah said. Then she left, and after eating something, she felt much better. Samuel Is Born ¹⁹ Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning and worshiped the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Later the Lord blessed Elkanah and Hannah ²⁰ with a son. She named him Samuel because she had asked the Lord for him. g him: In Hebrew “Samuel” sounds something like “Someone from God” or “The name of God” or “His name is God.” Hannah Gives Samuel to the Lord ²¹ The next time Elkanah and his family went to offer their yearly sacrifice, he took along a gift that he had promised to give to the Lord. ²² But Hannah stayed home, because she had told Elkanah, “Samuel and I won't go until he's old enough for me to stop nursing him. Then I'll give him to the Lord, and he can stay there at Shiloh for the rest of his life.” ²³ “You know what's best,” Elkanah said. “Stay here until it's time to stop nursing him. I'm sure the Lord will help you do what you have promised.” h the Lord... promised: The Dead Sea Scrolls and two ancient translations; the Standard Hebrew Text “the Lord will do what he said.” Hannah did not go to Shiloh until she stopped nursing Samuel. ²⁴-²⁵ When it was the time of year to go to Shiloh again, Hannah and Elkanah i When it was the time of year to go to Shiloh again, Hannah and Elkanah: The Dead Sea Scrolls and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text “she.” took Samuel to the Lord's house. They brought along a three-year-old bull, j a three-year-old bull: The Dead Sea Scrolls and two ancient translations; the Standard Hebrew Text “three bulls.” a twenty-pound sack of flour, and a clay jar full of wine. Hannah and Elkanah offered the bull as a sacrifice, then brought the little boy to Eli. ²⁶ “Sir,” Hannah said, “a few years ago I stood here beside you and asked the Lord ²⁷ to give me a child. Here he is! The Lord gave me just what I asked for. ²⁸ Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will be the Lord's servant for as long as he lives.” Hannah Prays Elkanah k Elkanah: Or “They” or “Samuel.” worshiped the Lord there at Shiloh, and ^{2 1} . Hannah prayed: You make me strong and happy, Lord. You rescued me. Now I can be glad and laugh at my enemies. ² No other god l god: The Hebrew text has “holy one,” a term for supernatural beings or gods. is like you. We're safer with you than on a high mountain. m mountain: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse ². ³ I can tell those proud people, “Stop your boasting! Nothing is hidden from the Lord, and he judges what we do.” ⁴ Our Lord, you break the bows of warriors, but you give strength to everyone who stumbles. ⁵ People who once had plenty to eat must now hire themselves out for only a piece of bread. But you give the hungry more than enough to eat. A woman did not have a child, and you gave her seven, but a woman who had many was left with none. ⁶ Ws ; . You take away life, and you give life. You send people down to the world of the dead and bring them back again. ⁷ Our Lord, you are the one who makes us rich or poor. You put some in high positions and bring disgrace on others. ⁸ You lift the poor and homeless out of the garbage dump and give them places of honor in royal palaces. You set the world on foundations, and they belong to you. ⁹ You protect your loyal people, but everyone who is evil will die in darkness. We cannot win a victory by our own strength. ¹⁰ Our Lord, those who attack you will be broken in pieces when you fight back with thunder from heaven. You will judge the whole earth and give power and strength to your chosen king. Samuel Stays with Eli ¹¹ Elkanah and Hannah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed to help Eli serve the Lord. Eli's Sons ¹²-¹³ Eli's sons were priests, but they were dishonest and refused to obey the Lord. So, while people were boiling the meat from their sacrifices, these priests would send over a servant with a large, three-pronged fork. ¹⁴ The servant would stick the fork into the cooking pot, and whatever meat came out on the fork was taken back to the priests. That is how these two priests treated every Israelite who came to offer sacrifices in Shiloh. ¹⁵ Sometimes, when people were offering sacrifices, the servant would come over, even before the fat had been cut off and sacrificed to the Lord. n sacrificed to the Lord: The fat belonged to the Lord and was supposed to be burned as a sacrifice before the rest of the animal was cooked and eaten . Then the servant would tell them, “The priest doesn't want his meat boiled! Give him some raw meat that he can roast!” ¹⁶ Usually the people answered, “Take what you want. But first, let us sacrifice the fat to the Lord.” “No,” the servant would reply. “If you don't give it to me now, I'll take it by force.” ¹⁷ Eli's sons did not show any respect for the sacrifices that the people offered. This was a terrible sin, and it made the Lord very angry. Hannah Visits Samuel ¹⁸ The boy Samuel served the Lord and wore a special linen garment o a special linen garment: Either a loin cloth or a jacket or a vest worn only by priests. ¹⁹ and the clothes p clothes: The Hebrew word means a sleeveless coat or robe that was worn by priests. Samuel was a small child, but his mother made him clothes just like those worn by priests. his mother made for him. She would bring new clothes every year, when she and her husband came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh. ²⁰ Eli would always bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “Samuel was born in answer to your prayers. Now you have given him to the Lord. I pray that the Lord will bless you with more children to take his place.” After Eli had blessed them, Elkanah and Hannah would return home. ²¹ The Lord was kind to Hannah, and she had three more sons and two daughters. But Samuel grew up at the Lord's house in Shiloh.

WP-Bible plugin     Proverbs 31:10-31Proverbs 31:10-31
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
In Praise of a Good Wife ¹⁰ A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! ¹¹ Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down. ¹² She is good to him every day of her life, ¹³ and with her own hands she gladly makes clothes. ¹⁴ She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea. ¹⁵ She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants. g and ... servants: Or “and to tell her servants what to do.” ¹⁶ She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard, ¹⁷ and she always works hard. ¹⁸ She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night. ¹⁹ She spins her own cloth, ²⁰ and she helps the poor and the needy. ²¹ Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn't worry when it snows. ²² She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful. ²³ Her husband is a well-known and respected leader in the city. ²⁴ She makes clothes to sell to the shop owners. ²⁵ She is strong and graceful, h She ... graceful: Or “The clothes she makes are attractive and of good quality.” as well as cheerful about the future. ²⁶ Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful. ²⁷ She takes good care of her family and is never lazy. ²⁸ Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says, ²⁹ “There are many good women, but you are the best!” ³⁰ Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised. ³¹ Show her respect— praise her in public for what she has done.

WP-Bible plugin     Luke 1:26-38Luke 1:26-38
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
An Angel Tells about the Birth of Jesus ²⁶ One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee ²⁷ . with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. ²⁸ The angel greeted Mary and said, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ Mary was confused by the angel's words and wondered what they meant. ³⁰ Then the angel told Mary, “Don't be afraid! God is pleased with you, ³¹ . and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. ³² ; . He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. ³³ He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.” ³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen? I am not married!” ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. ³⁶ Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. ³⁷ . Nothing is impossible for God!” ³⁸ Mary said, “I am the Lord's servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her.

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See you soon on the journey,

Pastor David

Jn 3:16Jn 3:16
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

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