Mother's Day and Ascension Sunday - 2013

The church, Paul instructs us in Galatians, is the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, and she is the Mother of us all.  Life comes to the world through Jesus Christ and He is proclaimed by means of the life and words of the church.  United to Christ, His bride is fruitful, and the world is being dominated, grace-dominated by her offspring.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you then.  To mothers who are the life-givers and nurturers of us all, we give you special honor today in our nation – and you all should – it is a good holiday.  In a culture that treats your calling as something less than glorious, God says that your role, and your work, often mundane and behind the scene, is what is shaping the world to come in far more profound ways than any legislation, any military force, any state welfare system ever could.  But we also honor mothers for what they symbolize and declare in their roles – the life-giving and nurturing nature of the church.  And so all of us gather to honor our Mother each Lord’s Day as well.

This day is also Ascension Sunday – the Sunday after Ascension Day which was this last Thursday, 40 days following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  His ascension guarantees that mothers who are in Christ are ruling the world with Him and are discipling future rulers for Him.  Ascension Day declares that a Man, the Man, the God-Man, has been installed and is ruling heaven and earth with His rod and staff.  All nations and all mothers are placed on notice:  in all that you do, whether in word or deed, do it all to the glory of God – for at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow – both yours, and your little ones, and the nation in which you live – and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.  This is what mothers are called to live and proclaim to their children and in doing so they will bestow the greatest gift of wisdom ever – God is your Father through Jesus Christ.  Believe – and live.