Kempsey Uniting - Looking Up and Going Out in the World

Kempsey Uniting Church

Sunday 17 May 2015

Ascension & Easter No 7

Introduction

The Gospel reading is about Jesus petition to his Father for protection and sanctification of those that sent into the world after his ascension. Our second reading is the testimony of God about Jesus as the Son and confirm within our hearts and Psalm 1 highlights the image of an acceptable person belonging to God.

Bible Readings in the New Living Translation

Psalm – Psalm 1

1Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

⁴ But not the wicked!
    They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
⁵ They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
    Sinners will have no place among the godly.
⁶ For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Gospel Reading - John 17: 6-19

⁶ “I have revealed you^[a] to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, ⁸ for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

⁹ “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. ¹⁰ All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. ¹¹ Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name;^[b] now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. ¹² During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me.^[c] I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

¹³ “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. ¹⁶ They do not belong to this world any more than I do. ¹⁷ Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. ¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. ¹⁹ And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

Second Reading - 1 John 5:9-13

⁹ Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. ¹⁰ All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.

¹¹ And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

¹³ I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

1.     Why Jesus prays for these men (John17:6-19)

We find Jesus reaching the end of his earthly ministry with the pending arrest, trial, death, burial, resurrection and ascension back to God the Father. As Jesus approach his priestly ministry of sacrifice, he intercedes now for the ones that God the Father has placed into his care, to prepared them for the future, into the world to share the Word of God. A time of transition to the birth of a new society and standing out in marked contrast to the world.

Straight away the writer in verse 6 declares that Jesus’ disciples are God’s possession and they came from the world. Jesus instructed them, he revealed God the Father and they have keep God’s word.

The disciples were part of the world before they were called, like us in the world and were enmeshed in its sin and rebellion against God.

The disciples in Jesus company experience all that Jesus have is a gift from God and accepted “the message you gave me” (v8). The sovereign will of God has been unfolded before the disciples through Jesus bring the message from God. God brings people together to share in God’s redemption and restoration.

How did the disciples experience this for themselves? How is it made true in their own lives? In this way: Jesus made the Father known to them and they obeyed the Father’s word to believe in his Son (v.6). They accepted what Jesus said and knew with certainty that he had come from the Father and believed that he had been sent by the Father (v.8).

2.     Praying for protection

The church is bigger than the four walls that house our worship. We find Jesus petitioning his Father to protect the people that he had given to him. Likewise we need to pray for those that are in the world, our brothers and sisters who are sharing in the hope of our faith, the Kingdom of God.

During the week I received an update on the social media from International Christian Concern on May 15 and it was title ‘Encouragement to overcome’. It is an account of Nabil Ibrahim a Christian with his wife and 3 children living in Egypt’s South Sinai. One early morning on January 31, 5 Islamic extremists enter his home, killed Nabil in front of his 3 children and robbed the household; they then disappeared into the dark. This is a tragedy account which faces our brothers and sisters on a daily basis. We may experience break and enter here in Kempsey but a loss of life seldom.

Debra an Author
A mother experience recently captures in The Age newspaper on 28 March under the title, the mother of all experiences. The article list 3 experiences and I share one of them an author of novel The Household Guide to Dying name Debra. Debra is a mother of three children reflects on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last July when Mo, Evie and Otis Maslin dropped out of the Ukrainian sky. This is a tragedy that left a vast hole forever in their family. Debra states that she is ‘not the only person who wondered how their parents would cope.

·        Debra through her experience writes, “I don’t understand when people say parenting didn’t change them. And I don’t get it when I see parents (yes, often men) who lives indeed seem unchanged. Being a mother changed me profoundly. For the first time in my live and ever since, I understood that I had a truly serious and sometimes frightening responsibility: from the time they were babies, I had to protect these people”.

·        A reflection on the parents who lost the three children I have mention, Debra writes, I kept asking myself this as I watched obsessively, the TV coverage. How did they stand there calm and dignified, talking about their beautiful cherished children who were now gone forever? If my children were killed suddenly in such circumstances – I expect I would still limp on through life, but if they were as young as the Maslins, then perhaps like that other mother I would want to kill myself, too.

Debra reflection as a mother in the midst of this terrible tragedy is to hold her own children tight, all of them at once.

In v.9-16 of the Gospel reading set out concerns of Jesus for those staying in the world. This prayer is central “for those you have given me, because they belong to you.” (v.9). Included in the prayer of protection is also extending to those “who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory” (v.10). This is a picture of a new society of believers, a people who belong to God and a property of the Father and the Son.

We are then thrown into a separation of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus will be ascending back to his Father, his task is completed and his disciples are staying in the world. The physical Christ they will not be able to touch with physical contact. Jesus stood guard while he is with them and was able to protect them. Jesus requests his father, “now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are” (v.11b).

We are to be single-minded person together for the advancement of the Gospel like Jesus with his disciples and continue to seek this through God the Father. This is the true essence of “will be united just as are”. It is not a promotion of self but the Gospel of Jesus. The church exists as a society of believers in the world to provide compassion and a voice for the Gospel of Jesus. That is the single-minded message, the good news of the Kingdom of God.

3.     Prayer for sanctification: set apart for mission

We come to the end of the Gospel reading with a prayer of sanctification and being set apart for mission.

·        Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth (v.17)

·        Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world (v.18)

·        And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they be made holy by your truth (v.19)

Jesus is still interceding on behalf of the ones that God the Father has given him and he is petitioning the Father to “make them holy”. There is nothing that we can do; it is through the Father and his word that makes them and us holy. To be holy is a called to be separated, to come into fellowship and no longer participate in the former things but to be set apart for mission into the world. If one thinks coming to Christ is an escape from the world, you are very wrong. The world is the mission field for the disciples and requires action from God the Father, to know the teaching of God through the word.

The sacrifice of Jesus through the death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father and Jesus is giving of himself to enable the disciples to be holy.

As we respond to the call of God, we too can be made holy through the sanctification of Jesus, who has forgiven us and restored us into the relationship with God the Father. This is the final lesson that Jesus prays to the Father that he will continue and uphold them through protection for the mission.

Rev V G Tasker in his commentary suggests that the term ‘sanctify’ is more to mean not only to make holy but ‘to dedicate what is already holy’. There is some credence to what Rev Tasker suggests and remembering Jesus is the Christ and Son of God, Jesus is already set apart for the sacrifice he has accepted. God the Father had called the disciples, to set them apart for the journey with Jesus, to learn from him, the words of God. Jesus is now sending them into the world.

Just as the Father has commission Jesus into the world, so now Jesus is commissioning his disciples into the world. We too, are disciples of Jesus and we have been given our mission in the world.

4.     Whom to believe?

Our second reading from 1 John 5:9-13 that chapter 5, the writer focuses his attention on the person of Jesus as Son of God and giver of life. This God’s testimony about his Son Jesus and the very same theme we have witness in the Gospel reading in John 17. The stage is set; God is in the witness box testifying to the truth about his Son. Who does God have as his witnesses about Jesus as the Son of God?

His witnesses are those who believe the disciples and us in our hearts that God’s testimony is true. There is clearly for and against God, opposition who do not accept the testimony as true but a lie. The choice is given like the disciples of Jesus could accept or deny the claims that Jesus made about being the Son of God.

We come to church because we have a choice to accept the call of God and seek to worship him through singing, prayers, the scriptures being read aloud and a message from his Word.

5.     Evidence for the testimony

The evidence for the testimony is Jesus and how can we know that the earthly Jesus is, indeed, the Christ, the Son of God. The evidence lies within our heart but equally important the disciples of Jesus experience the community, which has heard, seen, looked at and touched the evidence for it-self (1:1-2)

6.     Eternal life

Our reward of acceptance of the evidence of the testimony is what God “has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”(v.11)

It is our relationship with Jesus that brings eternal life. Life is in the Son, and only if you are one with Him will you have eternal life.

Theology does not save.

Attending church does not save.

Bible knowledge does not save.

Good deeds do not save.

Being nice does not save.

There is only one Person, one Name, one Way to salvation – a right relationship with Christ.

(A reflection from New Life Church Narrabri)

In closing with a reflection, a poem on Psalm 1:

Plant me by the rivers, Oh Living God
That I may drink of thee
Plant me by the rivers oh Living God
Make me like an evergreen tree

My delight is in the law and it is my roots
Sunk down deeper ever closer to thee
Lead me to the Rock that is higher that I
Make me like an evergreen tree

Though the landscape turns to desert
And the world turns its back on thee
Night and day I shall come before you
Make me like an evergreen tree

So may I walk in the council of the Godly
Walking ever closer to thee
May I be a vessel for thy good pleasure
Make me like an evergreen tree

Frank McEleny

Kempsey Baptist - Mother's Day

Mother’s Day

Kempsey Baptist Church

Sunday 10 May 2015

Good morning, let us come to God in Prayer.

Creator and maker of us all - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts - grow thou in us and show us your ways and inspire us to live by your truth.  Amen

Bible Readings: Ruth 1:1-22 (New Living Translation)

Elimelech Moves His Family to Moab

1 In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. ² The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.

³ Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. ⁴ The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, ⁵ both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return

⁶ Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. ⁷ With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.

⁸ But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. ⁹ May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.
¹⁰ “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”
¹¹ But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? ¹² No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? ¹³ Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me.”
¹⁴ And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. ¹⁵ “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” ¹⁸ When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
¹⁹ So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.
²⁰ “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara,^[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. ²¹ I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer^[b] and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”
²² So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Prayers for Mothers

O Loving Lord,
You have created mothers in love and blessed them with children.
As they work tirelessly to support their families may they be showered with your blessings?
Give mothers strength to exercise compassion as they live each day under your care.
May those who are joined in your love, support mothers by their fervour of spirit and devotion to prayer.
Amen

We thank you, O Lord, for the gift of Motherhood.
May those blessed with children be granted the gifts of courage, perseverance and good health?
May they face each new day with faith and hope in your abiding love.
May all families find in the strength of your love
The priceless gift of peace
And so bear witness to your glory.
Amen


As Mary was the model of prayer, of love, and of obedience to the will of God, by your grace makes mothers holy and rich with your gifts.
Bind families together in the bonds of peace and safety so that mothers will feel nurtured by love.
May all mothers enjoy good health and spiritual wellbeing to enable them to care for their families?
(Source: Written by Bishop Kevin Manning, Parramatta Diocese).

Today we pause to say thank you to mothers and to shower them with a gift. As I began my search for today, I search the scriptures and especially books of the Bible about womanhood. I selected Ruth as a springboard about Mothers. Today is no more spiritual than any other day but it is a cultural significant day in our community. As part of remembering mothers and motherhood, I will share some experiences as they are exposed to various incidents.

The History of Mother’s Day
Mothers’ Day is a popular practice which originate in America and come to dominate in the general community during the American Civil War when Mrs Anna Reeves Jarvis organised a special day for mothers fighting on both the opposing sides. Mrs Anna Reese Jarvis had been the daughter of a pastor and had taught in a Methodist Sunday school at Grafton, West Virginia.  Jarvis advocated for children’s health and welfare and promoted peace in a community torn by political rivalries. Mrs Jarvis died in 1905. Two years later, Sunday school superintendent of her Grafton congregation Anna to help him arrange a memorial for the woman who had been so influential in that church. This set Anna thinking. It seemed to her that children often do not do enough to show their moms that they appreciate them while they are still alive. The white carnations had been her mom’s favourite flower. Mrs Anna Reese Jarvis is one of three women who wanted to recognize the role of mothers. From that event in 1908 and six years later, Mother’s Day became part of United States observance. On 9 May 1915 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mothers’ Day.

·        These were women that had a strong sense for the pain in the world.  What would they think of the sentimentality of the day they helped create?  They understood pain in the world as only a mother could.  Their sons’ bodies were sacrificed on the altar of war.  Their sons had missing limbs, broken bodies and shattered spirits.  Their sons abused alcohol, wasted their income, their time, and their energy on the promise of an empty bottle. Their daughters lived with terror of domestic violence.  Their sons and daughters died slowly of disease.  They were mothers – not just of the offspring they raised – but of all children.

·        It was in the midst of this pain that they stood.  Out of the ashes of war, out of the shadow of abuse and alcohol, out of the despair of disease, the mothers stood.  They were angry with the state of the world, and wanted a day to recognize the power of mercy and love.  They wanted a day to recognize the power of women – mothers – to make a change in the world.

Here in Australia, Mothers’ Day was first celebrated in 1920 at the Presbyterian Church, Burwood, NSW according to Rev Dr David Beswick – PhD. (social psychology) and retired Uniting Church Minister.
David raise an important question, should the church go along with this kind of community practice? He warns of commercial exploitation which I will mention can occur at Christmas and Easter events, “provided that it is kept in perspective and does not become a burden”.
We are clearly instructed from both the Old & New Testament to honour & care for your mother

·        For God said, ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and ‘whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ Matthew 15:4

·        Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20.15

·        Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister (aunty), Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciples whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own house. John 19:25-27

Biblical Experience of a Mother (Naomi) Ruth 1
Most mothers in the scriptures are confronted by tragedy and in the book of Ruth amongst the section we refer to as the Hebrew judges. We pick up the story of Elimelech with his wife Naomi and two sons Mahlon and Kilion who was faced with a severe famine.  Elimelech moved his family from Bethlehem in the land of Judah to the country of Moab. Did he have permission from the rulers of Judah to migrate to Moab because of hardship? We do not know.
They have relocated to Moab; settle down to a new life. The sons Mahlon and Kilion married Moabite women Orpah and Ruth. Everything was rosy and travelling smoothly, the famine behind them but tragedy will strict the family. First Elimelech dies, which leaves Naomi with her two sons. Then 10 years on the sons dies and that leaves Naomi with two daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth.
The effects of the tragedies that struck Naomi were death on death. Her family is almost gone except for the daughters-in-law. Her kinfolks were in Judah and so she set off the journey home with Orpah and Ruth but when Naomi offered them to return to their mothers. Only Orpah accepted to return and Ruth continue with Naomi. We know the story of Ruth who married Boaz and became great grandparents to King David and to Jesus heritage. Out of tragedy came the line for the Messiah the redeemer for humanity.
Naomi understood that her security and care would come from her kinsfolk in Judah. Despite the difficulties experienced and the blessing enjoyed, Naomi remain faithful to her God.

My Experiences
Mother’s Day brings many memories, both good and bad. My first 15 years was spent in either Church or State run children welfare homes which I believe that God predestine for my life but I also experience my biological parent’s interaction at various times through schedule visit. In this time I experienced five house-mothers who had motherhood responsibility on my growing up through guidance, protection in providing a guardian role.
When I reach 15 years old, I entered community life living with foster parents, who were blue collar working family, which both work. A new experience for me experience in adjusting and adaption to a foster mother and father. They provided a new social experience with less regulate lifestyle.
While this adjustment was taking place, I had regular contact through letter writing with my biological mother’s mother and my father’s sister. My biological family has always been around and I felt blessed by God that I had 2 families which provided motherhood over my life.

Other Mothers’ Experiences

Rose in Northern Uganda
As a member of TEAR Australia, I will share a story about Rose in Northern Uganda with a partner organisation, the Pentecostal Assembly of God Kabermaido Mission Development Program.
Rose is an illiterate grandmother who has raised 10 children and has 24 grandchildren. Because of her mothering skills, she wanted to learn how to be a more productive member in society and church. She joined the development program and she had to learn was the sacrifice of time. Rose states that before joining the Functional Adult Literacy classes that she did not know to take care of her family’s health, general family’ hygiene. The training has helped her to influence her family through the literacy learning. Rose is now not only influencing her family but has become a church leader and work for peace in the community.
As a mother she has learnt that there are other mothers also struggling and as a group through planning together they could collect money and buy goats. Her confidence grew in speaking to other people. Learn how to plant fruit trees and sell the fruit in the marketplace. What we take for granted is the toilet and a bathroom, over there she learnt about constructing a latrine, use a rake to keep the latrine clean and a bath shelter.
Her husband was supportive of her learning new skills and they are more a team through the development program. Her relationship with her husband has improved; they planned together as a team.
Rose has gone on to learn about income generation and group’s dynamics. Throughout her learning, Rose central focus has been her family and to pass on the knowledge she has gained.

Debra an Author
Another mother experience recently captures in The Age newspaper on 28 March under the title, the mother of all experiences. The article list 3 experiences and I share one of them an author of novel The Household Guide to Dying name Debra. Debra is a mother of three children reflects on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last July when Mo, Evie and Otis Maslin dropped out of the Ukrainian sky. This is a tragedy that left a vast hole forever in their family. Debra states that she is ‘not the only person who wondered how their parents would cope.

·        Debra through her experience writes, “I don’t understand when people say parenting didn’t change them. And I don’t get it when I see parents (yes, often men) who lives indeed seem unchanged. Being a mother changed me profoundly. For the first time in my live and ever since, I understood that I had a truly serious and sometimes frightening responsibility: from the time they were babies, I had to protect these people”.

·        A reflection on the parents who lost the three children I have mention, Debra writes, I kept asking myself this as I watched obsessively, the TV coverage. How did they stand there calm and dignified, talking about their beautiful cherished children who were now gone forever? If my children were killed suddenly in such circumstances – I expect I would still limp on through life, but if they were as young as the Maslins, then perhaps like that other mother I would want to kill myself, too.

Debra reflection as a mother in the midst of this terrible tragedy is to hold her own children tight, all of them at once.

A reflection from an orphan
There was a boy born in the Arabian Desert about 1400 years ago. Let’s call him Mo. Even before Mo was born, his father Abdullah died; so, he never met his father. The only parent Mo knew was his mother, Aminah.  Sadly, her husband’s sudden death threw Aminah into a severe depression. The only light left in her eyes was for her little Mo.
Mo mother died when he was 6 year old and now he is an orphan. He was bounced around between other relatives as his family fell on even harsher times and eventually ended up with his uncle Abu Talib. The extended family took care of him under the tradition of the society which now had to provide both motherhood and fatherhood.
His uncle took him in as a son, instructed him in the family business and taught him etiquette and integrity. Mo sensed that he was called to be radical and revolutionary agent in his society. His uncle protected Mo, like a mother bird. He encourages him to be courageous when he was afraid and to stand up for the weak and vulnerable.
Let us remember also that many of those who mother us are not our biological mothers, they don’t even have to be women. I for one fall into that category as a child I was raised up in institutional care until I was 15 years old.
The orphan child Mo in this story was Mohammad whose motherhood was experience to him by his uncle Abu as his comforter, protector and friend.

On Facebook update from a friend, Elizabeth watching Jack her son 8 years old compete in his first cross country run. He finished in to top half running almost all the way. It was an awesome effort for his first long distance run.

Conclusion
As we remember our mothers today and I pray the experiences mothers endure like Naomi in the book of Ruth, the tragedies of death and the blessing that flowed. Our own experiences and the traditions we have come to accept within our society. The struggle of an illiterate grandmother Rose for a better tomorrow through the help of a development program, which help not only for herself but to her family and community in Northern Uganda. A mother Debra who is an author, which came to terms around the tragedy of flight MH17 where 3 children were lost. Also hearing about a child Mohammed, who became an orphan through the death of his parents and lived with his uncle. His uncle was the substitute mother in his life.
In closing the book Ruth teaches us some basic lessons of relationship with God.

1.     Earthly Spirituality: Because of Naomi relationship with God, Ruth had learned enough to say “Your God will be my God.”  In the ordinary, everyday events of life and relate in the light of the love of God and what we believe. This is commonly referred to the word and deed (action) of our faith. We need to look at our faith through practical eyes and ask ourselves how what we believe should impact how we live. Today we have tended to keep them separate and not joined at the hip.

2.     Obedience: In our practice we tended to add conditions and clauses why not but Ruth obedience to Naomi instruction highlights the pattern of obedience, “All that you tell me I will do.” This should be our model of faith in our life.

3.     Love your neighbour: Boaz looked at a foreign woman whose people (Moabites) were sworn enemies of Israel, and he said, she is my neighbour. Boaz showed it through simple acts of kindness.

Mothers quite often demonstrate earthly spirituality, obedience and love your neighbours in the family unit and strive to protect but as man, today we honour our mothers.
Remember the words of William Wordsworth, “The best portion of a good man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what doest the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Let me pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for designing families. Thanks for the care and devotion of our mothers, despite their imperfections. We are grateful for the many ways your love and goodness has been shown to us through our mother and mother figures. Help each mum and those who have mothering roles today to feel appreciated and loved, and to grow in their relationship with you. We asked though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.