Pastors traditionally like Mothers' Day because we think that many mothers might twist their family members' arms to get them to go to church. I do hope that still happens in some homes. (I'm hearing more and more often of kids who get their mothers to go to church on Mothers' Day.)
I was one of those kids forced to go to church by my Mom. She had come to faith in Jesus when I was six years old. For the rest of her life, she loved Jesus and loved church too. I remember a time when, after one of my birthdays (which is always near Mothers' Day), she said to me, "Greg, I think you're now old enough to make your own decision about whether to go to church or not."
"Good," I said. "I'm not going."
She said, "Get dressed. You ARE going!"
And, of course, I complained, "But you said you think I'm old enough to make my own decision."
Not missing a beat, she replied, "You'll be old enough to make your own decision when you're mature enough to make the right one!"
You can imagine that I wasn't very happy with her then. But now, years later, I'm so glad she kept me going to church. Things happen in my life when I show up at church. For some reason, the deepest encounters with God seem to have happened when I went to church on those days when I didn't feel like it.
This weekend, we celebrate Mothers' Day 2013. We'll be looking at the first miracle experienced in the church as recorded in Acts 3. I asked my daughter, Heather, who has three children (ages 1, 3, and 5) if this is a good topic for Mothers' Day. She said, "Absolutely! Moms need miracles every day. It's a miracle that I survive every day!" (And Heather made me promise to tell you that I wore a bag over my head to church that day my Mom made me go to church—and carried a sign that read, "My mom lied to me!")
I hope that we all will experience a bit more of our miracle-working God in church this week—especially for those who are moms.
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor