It was this past year that I learned something interesting.  The woman who first came up with and advocated for Mother’s Day, came to detest it.  The reason – it’d become too commercial.  Every flower and card and chocolate company were using this special day to hawk their goods and it disturbed the woman who first came up with the idea and sold the President on making it a national holiday.  Moms, just like that one, want the best for people, it’s wired into their nature. 

  2nd Timothy is especially touching to me.  It is because it’s written as Paul lives under the shadow of his impending demise.  You see, Paul knew, shackled in Roman chains, that his end was near.  In those precious moments prior to his crucifixion, Paul writes to his junior brother in Christ, Timothy.  It’s clear that, in this letter, Paul hopes to convince Timothy to continue fighting the good fight and keeping the faith.  Knowing it’s likely to be the last one sent, Paul breaks out all the fireworks required to give his letter maximum impact. 

  Often lost in our reading of the Bible is just what an amazingly persuasive writer Paul, by means of the Holy Spirit, was.  And here, in this one, as he aims to keep Timothy on the right track until they too gather again in the Coming Kingdom, he uses some great strategy, right in the opening.  Listen and hear if you can understand what I’m talking about.  “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God according to the promise of the  life that is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child:  Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.   As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.  I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.  Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy  calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus, before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  Like I said, Paul was bringing out all his best ammo to make an impact so, right at the very beginning, do you see what he did there?  He points Timothy back to his mother and his grandmother’s faith.

  Now, like most of us who’ve been blessed with really good mothers, this is a fine place to start, isn’t it?  I mean, after all, if someone really wants to motivate you, sometimes they’ll say things like “C’mon, make your mama proud” or, when rebuking you, someone might say “Did your mom really raise you like that?”  Invoking our mothers is weighty stuff because, as many of us know, our mothers represent for us our earliest exposure to provision, protection and forgiveness and the best Mothers do so all in a humble and self-sacrificing manner. 

  In a whole lot of ways, the love of God in Christ becomes more understandable as we witness the love of our mothers.  Now that isn’t to make the claim that God can be reduced entirely to the roles and functions of a mother.  Nor are mothers perfect, although our own may be close to it.  At the same time, I think you’ll agree that in some regards, the love of God is more comprehendible in light of good mothering. 

  The significance of having a good mother came into sharp relief as the women of a church I once served listened to one of the inmates who’d been through Kairos while he was incarcerated.  Jimmy talked about growing up without a mother.  You see, the streets had claimed the life of his mother while Jimmy was still in diapers.  He remarked how difficult it was to understand love without a loving mother.  Like when people were trying to do good things for him, he was suspicious, not accepting.  Jimmy linked that all to the lack of a functioning mother.  And so, I do recognize that not every one of us has had a good mother.  But, the words of Scripture assure us, we ALL have a good and wonderful God.  This morning I’m going to talk about that great God by using mothers as a window into His divine and Holy goodness.