Hopefully, by the time you read this article you are aware that this Sunday is “Mother’s Day.” If you aren’t, today is the day to get moving to prepare a special day for your mother, wife, or the special mother in your life.
There is no doubt about it that mothers are special. As a matter of fact, you and I wouldn’t be here if it had not been for our mothers. Sometime ago, a US-based company placed a classified ad for a Director of Operations position and posted it online and in newspapers. Though 2.7 million saw the ad, only 24 people inquired.
The interviews were conducted via webcam, where the interviewer details the requirements and benefits: 135+ hours each week, no breaks, preferred degrees: medicine/ finance/ culinary arts, no vacations with workload increase during the holidays, and no pay. The applicants responded to this job with adjectives such as “insane” and “inhumane.” The interviewer then shared that there are billions who currently hold this position: mothers.
We know from history that around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother’s Day to be celebrated each year to encourage pacifism and disarmament among women. It continued to be held in Boston for about 10 years under her sponsorship, but died out after that.
In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother’s Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. Ann Jarvis had organized “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” to improve health and cleanliness in the area where she lived. Anna Jarvis launched a quest for Mother’s Day to be more widely recognized. Her campaign was later financially supported by John Wanamaker, a clothing merchant from Philadelphia.
In 1908, she was instrumental in arranging a service in the Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church has now become the International Mother’s Day Shrine. It is a tribute to all mothers and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. Mother’s Day has become a day that focuses on recognizing mothers’ and mother figures’ roles.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “No one is poor who had a godly mother.” And I believe he was right.
The influence of a godly mother on her children is beyond what we can estimate. There were once four scholars who were arguing over Bible translations. One said he thought that the King James Version was the best because of its beautiful and eloquent style of speech. Another said he preferred the American Standard Bible for its accurate translation of the original text. A third preferred the New International Version because of its modern language and ease of understanding.
After thinking about it for a moment, the 4th scholar said, “I have always preferred my mother’s translation.”
When the others expressed surprise, saying that they didn’t know that she was a translator, he responded, “Yes, she trans-lated it. She translated it into life, and that’s the best translation I’ve ever seen.”
This Sunday at South Side we will honor our mothers with a special gift. I will also share a message entitled “Godly Mother’s Make A Difference.” Our onsite worship starts at 10:15, and our Children’s Ministry offers children’s classes for all ages. We are continuing to practice social distancing at our services.
If you are unable to attend, our online services will be available at 3 on Facebook and our website.
If you would like to give generously just text the word “help” to 84321 and follow the simple instructions. We would love to have you and your family worship with us! For more information, visit us on our website at www.southsidewch.com
