Mother's Day 2023 UPOW
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Mother’s Day 2023
Mother’s Day 2023
Today is a day we remember our Mom’s . Allow me share with you a few interesting facts about Mother’s Day as presented by ALESANDRA DUBIN ‘s article in Good Housekeeping Magazine APR 13, 2020
Mother’s Day started as an anti-war movement.
The poet and author Julia Ward Howe had aimed to promote a Mothers’ Peace Day. For her and the antiwar activists who agreed with her position — including Jarvis’ own mother — the idea of Mother’s Day should spread unity across the globe in the wake of so much trauma following the Civil War in America and Franco-Prussian War in Europe.
“Howe called for women to gather once a year in parlors, churches, or social halls, to listen to sermons, present essays, sing hymns or pray if they wished — all in the name of promoting peace,” West Virginia Wesleyan College historian Katharine Antolini noted, as cited by National Geographic.
These early attempts to create a cohesive peace-focused Mother’s Day eventually receded when another concept took hold.
Mother’s Day officially began as a tribute to one woman.
Anna Reeves Jarvis is most often credited with founding Mother’s Day. After her mother Ann died on May 9, 1905, Jarvis set out to create a day that would honor her and moms as a group. She began the movement in West Virginia, which prides itself on hosting the first official Mother's Day celebration three years later at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Jarvis' idea as a national holiday to be celebrated each second Sunday in May.
Mother’s Day is a $25 billion commercial holiday.
These days, Mother’s Day is a $25 billion holiday in America, with those who celebrate spending about $200 on mom, according to National Retail Federation data published in 2019.
More people buy flowers for Mother’s Day than any other time of year except during the Christmas and Hanukkah season. Gift givers spend more than $5 billion on jewelry alone, and nearly another $5 billion on that special outing. Then there’s $843 million on cards, and $2.6 billion each on flowers and gift certificates, according to the data.
4 - Jarvis died regretting her idea for this very reason.
Commercialism is the exact opposite of what Jarvis would have wanted: In her lifetime, she went after florists’ aggressive marketing, eventually facing arrests for public disturbances, according to CNN. She also railed against first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for interpreting Mother’s Day inclusively as a way to promote the wellbeing of women and children at large. She didn’t even believe in organizations using the occasion as a way to raise funds for charity; she didn’t trust the purity of their efforts and saw them as profiteering off the holiday.
“To have Mother’s Day the burdensome, wasteful, expensive gift day that Christmas and other special days have become, is not our pleasure,” she said in 1920, according to Nat Geo. “If the American people are not willing to protect Mother’s Day from the hordes of money schemers that would overwhelm it with their schemes, then we shall cease having a Mother’s Day — and we know how.”
Jarvis herself never profited from her idea. In 1948, at the age of 84, she died penniless — having used all her money to fight the holiday’s commercialization — in a sanitarium.
5 - The white carnation is the official Mother’s Day flower.
The white carnation became the official flower of the holiday shortly after Jarvis’ own mother died. On May 10, 1908 — three years after that loss — Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in her mother’s honor for that first Mother’s Day celebration, according to Time.
Jarvis compared that flower’s shape and life cycle to a mother’s love. “The carnation does not drop its petals, but hugs them to its heart as it dies, and so too, mothers hug their children to their hearts, their mother love never dying,” she said in a 1927 interview, cited in Nat Geo.
So if you’re buying flowers for mom this year, consider the white carnation — but also pause to consider the holiday's uncommercial origins. After all, it’s not about flowers, or cards, or gift cards, or jewelry — it’s all about love.
It was Late Spring when the phone rang. It was my Brother-in-law. He never called before. He wanted us to know that my Mom wasn’t well. It just didn’t seem right, so Donna and I flew out to Phoenix. I knew when I saw her we had made the right move in showing up. As I saw her lying in the hospital my heart just sank. I knew it wouldn’t be long. I stayed by her side and just held her hand like she held mine when I was much younger. She woke for a brief moment and Mom was there. Her blue eyes danced briefly and smiled as she whispered my name before falling back to sleep. Throughout the rest of the day I held her hand, sang hymns softly to her, told her of God’s love as she once told me. Early the next morning she was welcomed into the arms of Jesus. That was almost 15 years ago but the memory still lingers.
I am sure as I look out here today that my story isn’t unique. Moms are special. As are Mother-in-Laws, despite the jokes that are prevalent. And what can one say about grandmothers. These women are dear and precious
Proverbs 31:30 tells us that
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Turn with me if you will to my Mother’s favorite passage of scripture; 2 Timothy 1:3-8
I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
Verse 7 was her life verse and I would like to share a few thoughts with you;
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Paul is writing to Timothy as the young man ventures into the pastorate. Paul encourages him to rise above his timidity and fully grasp the power of God.
Galatians 5:22 says the fruit of the spirit is Love, joy, peace, Longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, & temperance.
God does not give us fear. He gives us power to overcome the fear. And just how do we overcome fear? Paul tells us three ways;
1. The Power of God within us -
2. The Love of God within us -
3. The Sound Mind that comes thru the renewing of our mind –
Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, (LOVE) by the washing of regeneration, (POWER) and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (SOUND MIND)
Romans 12:2 - - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Paul saw these attributes within Timothy. But he also saw how they were instilled within the young man.
A godly Mother – Eunice
And a godly Grandmother – Lois (ONLY TIME MENTIONED)
The faith that these women, these mothers, lived had such an impact that even Paul recognizes it. What a testament to Mom, that others can see your faith being passed down to your children
I can only think about, as well all are, Pastor Cal, Ms. Valarie, Wendy, Jerry, and the boys, Lucas and Caleb these last few weeks and days and challenges that are facing them. We have all been praying without ceasing. Praying in faith believing that God’s will will be accomplished and that his name will be glorified.
And through this, as young Lucas and Caleb grow, they will hear the stories and know that the faith of their Mother and the faith of their Grandmother sustained them and their family. How their Father and Grandfather stood strong and will be a testament for them to perceiver when times get rough.
Then someone will be like Paul and say, I knew your mother, I knew your grandmother, such godly women of faith, and I can tell it is also in you.
Proverbs 22:6 -
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
When Solomon wrote those words he was not making a promise; he was making a general observation, a principle.
We all know of those who have been raised in godly homes but they chose their own path much to the heartache of the parents. Children are a gift, on loan from God. We do our best to “Train them Up” but ultimately they must decide and answer the question we all must answer when Jesus asks, “Whom say ye that I am?”
The question then arises, What was Timothy afraid of since he was raised by godly women; What would make Paul say God has not given us a spirit of fear?
I think the answer may be found in Acts 16:1
“Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.”
Even though his mother believed, scripture foreshadows that his father was not, even to the point that the dissatisfaction was known in the nearby towns of Lystra and Iconium. And now Paul is commissioning Timothy to be preacher in Ephesus.
Let this be hope to those mothers who do not have a believing husband. Even your testimony can raise up leaders in the Church such as Eunice did with Timothy. Nothing is more powerful than a praying mother or grandmother, AMEN!
There others fears he was facing
1. The challenge of youth – Preaching to those older
2. The challenge of False Teachers – how to confront them
3. The challenge of inexperience – the wisdom when to apply what has been learned
Understanding that the tomato may be eaten
Knowledge is that the tomato is a fruit
Wisdom is not to put the tomato in a fruit salad
Mothers face these same issues and can gain guidance and understanding from their mother just as Eunice learned from Lois.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron:
Titus 2:4 That they may teach the young women to love their husbands
But this is a pretty high profile case and we realize that there are many who work behind the scenes.
A mother was at home alone because her husband was away at war, when the enemy came calling at her front door.
It was during the time of the Judges and Barak was told to do battle but he relented and Deborah took charge but she told him that because of his reluctance he would not get the glory.
The armies of Israel and the Cannanites were in a heated battle and Israel had the upper hand and King Jabin’s army was in disarray and Captain Sisera got separated from his troops and was on the run. In fact the Cannanite army to totally decimated, not a man was left according to Judges 6:16.
He came upon the tent of Heber, a Kenite from the tribe of Asher who were considered neutral by the Cannanites as they had a peace pact with King Jabin. But they were also decendants of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses so friendly with Israel.
But Heber wasn’t home. His wife was. And she had no idea the victory had already been achieved. With a welcoming smile she offered the Captain rest. He asked for water and for protection.
You know what she did? She gave him milk. Not ice cold milk from the refrigerator. Rather it would have been warm milk.
What happens when you are already tired then you drink warm milk?
You get sleepy! and before long the Captain was fast asleep. Jael crept up quietly and with a hammer and a tent stake through the temple, Sisera was dead. Secured to the ground. She turned him over to Barak who was on Sisera’s trail but she met him before he got there and declared the death, thereby denying Barak any glory. The event was celebrated and a woman was immortalized in song by Deborah & you can read the song in Judges Chap 5.
Now why do I tell you this story?
You see, so many women do so many things in secret that they feel that they just are not appreciated. The day-to-day becomes so monotonous and wearisome. No one ever sees. No one ever hears about those secret battles that are being waged. But those battles are real and so is the struggle. Sometimes the anguish inside can seem unbearable but you cry out to God and he hears. The prayers are answered in unbelievable fashion. Sometimes these spiritual battles are so oppressive but the prayers of a persistent woman are the most fruitful.
What Jael did was done inside a closed tent. No one saw her bravery. No one understood the risk she took. She had no idea of the gravity of the situation and what would happen if she failed. But she did what needed to be done in order to secure the victory.
Now I am not saying pick up a tent spike and have at it! Rather understand that what is done in private matters, and God sees and will reward. We all do not have the opportunity to shine in the spot light. But we all can do what God calls us to do. He will never give us a task to do without empowering us to do it. Nor will he gives us a challenge without providing support. All he call us to do is to be faithful and to trust him
I remember as I look back at all the struggles that my mother had and the enormity of the challenges in her life. But she had a good man who supported her beyond belief. I learned so much after the fact that I am just amazed and in awe of the power of prayer not only in my life, but also in our family, and within this body of believers.
The prayer support that has been given to Jerry and Wendy, Pastor Cal and Ms. Valarie has proven God to be faithful and I am certain that they have been touched by your love and compassion.
I know that this has not been the typical Mother’s Day message, but then this has not been a typical Mother’s Day in the life of this beautiful body of believers.
Appreciate the women in your life. Tell Mom you love her. Tell your Grandmother you love her. Tell the mother of your children and grandchildren that you love them. yes, and tell your Mother-in-Law you love her too! God has given them to us for us to love, cherish, and honor. It is the first commandment with a promise
Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.