Sermon Snippets - Mother's Day Edition

I've often heard parents and leaders quote 3 John 1:4 when describing their children and/or followers:

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

Well, in honor of my mom and the upcoming Mother's Day, I'd like to flip that around. I have no greater joy than to know that my mom has taught and guided me in the truth. My father died when I was 11, so I primarily grew up in a single-parent home. My mom gave me a great example of what it looks like to walk with God and seek Him.

Godly mothers deserve so much praise and admiration and we need to honor them on Sunday. It has come to my attention though that moms can often feel deflated or discouraged by sermons that are meant to extol biblical motherhood. Sometimes the message conveyed implicitly sets up unrealistic expectations. Sometimes the message fosters guilt, not encouragement within the heart of mothers.

My first attempt at a Mother's Day sermon will attempt to avoid these pitfalls by focusing on the wonderful impact a godly mother can have when she simply seeks to honor and glorify God.

Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2 is one such mother. Her personal relationship with the Lord of Hosts teaches us profound truths about who God is. And there's no greater joy than to reflect on an example such as hers, to see godliness shine brightly from this mother, this woman of God.