NOTE FROM PASTOR J R FOR MAY 11, 2014
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! This week I offer my tribute to all our Mothers and those who serve or have served lovingly in maternal roles.
\On Wednesday of this week, the NBA chose Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunders Basketball team as their league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). The acceptance speech he gave brought millions to tears including me, as he told how the real MVP was his Mom. (If you haven’t seen it, google it or you tube it … it’s worth seeing!)
Let me just admit that part of my being so moved to tears was quite frankly “I’m a Mama’s Boy!” Always have and always will be … even though this will be the 24th year I’ve faced Mother’s Day without my precious Mom, James Ella Reid Finney. I use to dread Mother’s Day because it seems so sad knowing my Mom is no longer here with me. Yet, over the years, I’ve discovered that yes she is still with me; in my memories of her, in the lessons she taught me along the way, and in the unconditional love she freely gave me. In that regards for me at least, Mamma’s love was like God’s love. All of which now causes me to treat Mother’s Day as a wonderful day of remembrance.
While no other could ever take her place, there have been those serving in a maternal way toward me that has made a significant impact on my life. Their actions toward me often kept the memories of my Mom very much alive for me. There was the 17 years following Mamma’s death, that “Granny Nannie Mae Hairston,” Mom’s sister and my favorite Aunt, was Mamma to me until her death in January 2007. Of course, for the last 14 years, there has been Mama Dorothy Swims, Covenant’s Church Mother, who has been Mamma to me during my Pastorate at Covenant. And there has been others also along the way that have nurtured and loved me in a maternal way that has been an important part of my life. To all of those, my Moms and those I’ve leaned on for maternal type support; thanks, for I and eternally grateful.
I guess you could say I’ve one Mother, but many Moms. All of them have provided important life lessons along the way. As I read the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew and the genealogy of Jesus, there were plenty of men in those 42 generations. There were also 5 women mentioned there. One of course was the Mary, who we all know; but there were 4 others that were part of Jesus’ ancestors. They all provided lessons we can learn from Jesus’ Moms.
Join us in worship this Mother’s Day Sunday, as I will be preaching on “Lessons From Jesus’ Moms.” The sermon is based on Romans 5:6-10 (LB) and Luke 1:38-50 (NKJV)
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