Tale
of Two Mothers
Mother’s Day
Exodus 2:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-7
May 10, 2015
Grace Presbyterian Church
Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller
Happy Mother’s Day First of all, I want to wish each
of you a happy Mother’s Day since even if you’re not a mother, you have or had
a mother. Many thoughts have been written about mothers, but one of the best is
from Erma Bombeck. In her book, "Motherhood - the Second Oldest
Profession" she writes; "I
have always felt that too much time was given before birth, which is spent learning
things like how to breathe in and out with your husband (I had my baby when
they gave you a shot in the hip and you didn’t wake up until the child was
ready to start school), and not enough time is given to how to mother after the
baby is born. Motherhood is an art. And it is naive to send a mother into the
arena for 20 years with a child and expect her to come out on top. Everything
is in the child’s favor. He’s little, he’s cute and he can turn tears on and
off like a faucet.”
Another person said that mothers are
amazing! They can manage serious problems while remaining cheerful, loving and
joyous. They smile when they want to cry out, sing when they want to shed
tears, cry when they are happy, and laugh when they are nervous. They battle
for what they believe in, rebel against injustice, and do not accept no for an
answer when they believe there is a better solution. They love unconditionally.
Their hearts are bruised when a friend dies. They are strong when they think
they have no more energy. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken
heart. However, a mother does have one blind spot - she forgets what she’s
worth.
Ann Jarvis One person who never forget what her
mother was worth was Ann Jarvis. When twelve years old, she heard her mother,
Ann Marie, say that she wished one day a year be dedicated to the celebration
of mothers across the nation.
So in 1914, she spearheaded a campaign
to help persuade U.S. president Woodrow Wilson to set aside the second Sunday
in May as a national day to recognize mothers. She orchestrated a
letter-writing campaign to Wilson, lobbied influential politicians and
clergymen and distributed brochures arguing the importance of a national day
for mothers. However, her greatest regret was that Mother’s Day became so commercialized
with the sale of flowers, candy and cards. Examples of what disturbed her are
such facts that Mother’s Day has become the third largest greeting card
holiday of the year. Hallmark estimates that 150 million Mother’s Day cards
will be sent this year, 50% more than on Father’s Day. It is said that
Americans spend an average of $105 on Mother’s Day gifts. The phone rings more
often on Mother’s day than Father’s day, but more collect calls on Father’s
day. The busiest day of the year at car washes? The Saturday before Mother’s
Day.
Tale of Two Mothers I think Ann Jarvis would have been
delighted with Jochebed and Eunice. Who are they? Two mothers in the Bible who
fulfilled their role of motherhood admirably.
Jochebed was the mother of Moses, Miriam
and Aaron [Exodus 6:20], and Eunice was the mother of Timothy [2 Timothy 1-7].
Jochebed First, let’s look at Jochebed whose
name means “Yahweh is
glory.” Jochebed lived in Egypt where her people were slaves. Yet
she gave birth to a political dynasty. Her first born, Miriam, became a great
prophetess. Her son Aaron became the first High Priest of the Israelite nation.
And her third child, Moses, ended up leading the Israelites to freedom from
over 400 years of Egyptian slavery and then received the Ten Commandments from
God.
Kennedy If living today, Jochebed might be
compared to Rose Kennedy, the matriarch who gave birth to Joseph, a
distinguished Navy Pilot, John, the 35th
President
of the United States, Robert, the Attorney General, and Ted, the long time
Senator from Massachusetts. From 1947 to 2009 when Ted Kennedy died, there was
a 62-year run of Rose Kennedy’s children holding an elective office in
Washington.
Bush Or perhaps Jochebed could be
likened to Dorothy Walker Bush, mother of President George Herbert Walker Bush
and grandmother of President George Walker Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb
Bush.
Birth of Moses It is in the birth of her son, Moses,
that Jochebed’s mothering talents surface. It is a story familiar to us all.
Because Pharaoh felt threatened by the increasing numbers of Israelites being
born, and realized that the Israelites now outnumbered the Egyptians, he issued
an edict that every son born to the Hebrews must be cast into the Nile River.
[Exodus 1:22] After Moses was born, Jochebed kept him hidden from the
authorities for three months. However, when she could hide him no longer, she
carried out a daring plan to save her son. She made a basket out of bulrushes,
waterproofed it, put Moses in the basket and placed it among the reeds at the
edge of the river right where the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe. She then
had her daughter Miriam watch to see what would happen. When Pharaoh’s daughter
found Moses, he was crying and she had pity on him. Miriam stepped forward and
asked if she would like her to get a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for her.
This was agreeable to Pharaoh’s daughter so Miriam ran and brought back
Jochebed who ended up nursing her own son. When older, Moses was returned to
Pharaoh’s daughter who raised him as her son. So Jochebed, in a very creative
way, saved her son from certain death by placing him in the hands of the
daughter of the man who vowed to kill
him.
Lois and Eunice The other mother I’d like to
highlight is that Eunice, who’s name means “Joyous Victory.” Eunice was the mother of Timothy.
Timothy, like many of us, was born into a Christian family. Not only was his
mother, Eunice, a Christian, so was his grandmother, Lois. And since their
husbands were non-believers, the two women played a major role in raising
Timothy in the Christian faith. And according to Paul, the training started
young. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he writes, “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, dwell
in you.” [2 Timothy 1:5] “Continue
in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you
learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred
writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus.” [2 Timothy 3:14-15] Paul called Timothy’s faith which he
had received from his mother and grandmother “sincere.” The Greek word from which this is
translated means real, genuine, and without hypocrisy.
No doubt Lois and Eunice were heeding
these words from Deuteronomy: “You
shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul; and
you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your children, talking of them
when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way and
when you lie down and when you rise.” [Deuteronomy 11:18-19] Thus, Lois and
Eunice taught Timothy the stories of the scriptures and instilled within him
the words of the prophets and the psalmists. It is estimated that Timothy was
fifteen years of age when he left his mother and grandmother to go with Paul
and Silas to preach the gospel. As they said good-bye, I’m sure they were both
proud God was going to use him in such a wonderful way, and also filled with
sadness in his leaving home at such an early age.
Reflections As we look back at the mother of Moses
and the mother of Timothy, we find that they each taught their son the faith of
his parents and grandparents. And each boy grew up to serve God in very special
ways. I know that some of us can relate to this, having been raised in a
Christian home. I can’t remember not hearing about Jesus and God’s love. At the
same time, some of you were not raised in a religious home and never went to
church while growing up. However, because we have accepted Christ into our
hearts, all of us can exert a spiritual influence upon children, either our
own, or our grandchildren, or those in our Sunday School. As we do this, we are
planting seeds of faith in their hearts. I know that some of you had your child
baptized, watched them confirmed, made sure they were in Sunday School every
week, and yet now that they’re grown, they never attend any church. This can be
heartbreaking for you I’m sure.
The Seeds of Faith are Planted All that can be done is to
remember that you planted the seeds of faith. You carried out your
responsibility with your child. But remember, sometimes it takes a while for
the seeds of faith to sprout and bear fruit before your loved ones return to
church. In the meantime, what do you do? You pray for them. It is said that Susannah Wesley, mother of John and
Charles Wesley spent one hour each day praying for her 17 children.
It is said that children who know their mother and father are praying for them
feel the power of God’s Spirit in their lives. As we pray for God’s Spirit to
surround and infuse our children with love, we also must accept the fact that
not everything in our children’s faith journey depends upon us.
Other Christians come along at the
right moment in life and the child suddenly “sees the light” and comes to
Christ. That’s one reason why we have the church. An old African proverb
states, “It takes a
village to raise a child.” Who are members of the village?
Sometimes it’s the extended family. Sometimes it’s a congregation such as ours. When children are baptized, you are
asked: “Do you, the
members of this congregation, and in the name of the whole church universal,
join these parents in the Christian nurture of their children that in due time
they may accept Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior?”
When you answered “we do” you became a village helping the parents raise their
children in the faith.
Not easy living in a Family However, as important as families
are, it's not always easy growing up in one. The story is told of a small girl
looking at a family photograph. She noticed her mom and dad and two brothers,
but didn't see herself. So she asked her mother, "Where am I?"
The mother smiled and replied "Honey,
you weren't born yet." "What does that mean?"
the little girl asked. The mother tried to explain, but the little girl still
didn't understand. The discussion went back and forth for several minutes until
her mother, plainly exasperated, said "You weren't in the picture because you were still in
heaven!" The little girl, equally exasperated, replied "Well, one thing’s for sure, I'm not
there now!"
On-the-Job Training Because
all family members are unique, parenting is basically on-the-job training.
When actor Robert Young was starring in "Father Knows Best,"
his teenage daughter asked him, "Dad,
how come each week on television you solve the most difficult family problems
imaginable, and yet at home you seem so stupid?" Robert
Young laughed and replied, "Well,
honey, at the studio I have good script writers."
Times Change One reason why parenting is
on-the-job training is that our children and youth live in a very different
world than when we were growing up. Seventy years ago, the three top
disciplinary problems in high school were talking out of turn, chewing gum and
running in the hall. The
greatest fears of children were animals, dark rooms, strangers, high places,
and loud voices. Today they're parental divorce, terrorism at school,
being left alone, and bullies on the bus and playground. The need for all of us
to discover a solid sense of identity is vital in a world that is changing so
much, so often.
Mother’s and families can provide a
part of that solid identity. So whether or not our mothers are with us this day
or not, let us always give thanks to God for their positive influence that
helped shape our faith, our morals, and our character. As one person put it, “My mom is a never ending song in my
heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words, but I
always remember the tune.” [Graycie Harmon] Amen.
Exodus 2:1-10 NRSV
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite
woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine
baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a
papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the
child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister
stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river,
while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the
reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He
was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’
children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go
and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s
mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me,
and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it.
When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him
as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the
water.’
2 Timothy 1:1-7 NRSV
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the
sake of the promise of 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 am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear
conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers
night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled
with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your
grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For
this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through
the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but
rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
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