MOTHER'S DAY

                                                                   MOTHER'S DAY

    Where have all the flowers gone? Why are there just empty chairs? Today is Mother's Day, a special day for families to gather together and

show their respect and appreciation for their mother. Oh! I see! There, in that house, a large group of people gathered at a table straining with the burden of a feast. But, in this house, there's just a woman sitting alone, gazing out the window. Now I see a family in that up- scale restaurant digging into turkey dinners. There's a lot of laughter and joy. Wait! I hear crying! There's a young woman and her daughter in a bare bones apartment. They're eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The little girl is trying to comfort her mother. "Why are you crying, mommy? Do you hurt?" she asks.

    "No, darling," she answers wiping her eyes. "I'm crying tears of joy because I have you with me," the young mothers responds. "It's a big, cold world out there, and we're blessed to be together." The two of them

are the only family members. The mother's only close relative still living

is an older brother she hasn't seen in several years. The little girl's father

left them alone so long ago she doesn't remember him. This Mother's Day

is especially bleak because the neighbor who baby sat moved away, and

there is no one to baby sit while mother works. Of course that's not a

problem because mother lost her minimum wage job just in time for her

special day.

   

    The scene shifts, and we see a dozen people laughing and eating a

sumptuous combination of food around a large table. The elderly woman

buzzing around the table is obviously enjoying her role as the matriarch

of the family, making certain everyone will be stuffed. She has been at work for hours preparing this feast, and won't realize how tired she is until everyone is finished eating. It is a labor of love. Her husband,  children and grand children are the source of contentment and the joy of family.

    Nearby in a church basement, an older lady sits at one of several tables with other people being served a Mother's Day dinner. These  people aren't accompanied by anyone because they don't have family and live alone. They can only remember when family used to be there. As in real life, these brief sketches of the holiday dinner illustrate the wide disparity mothers face. Women in many countries may experience hardships and discrimination. But, in America, things are different, right? If you believe this, you are either a bigot or have your head buried in the sand.

    If America is a Christian nation, people should be following the very clear directions given us by Jesus Christ. Do you watch television, read

newspapers, or listen to the radio? Male political leaders at all levels make women a target for disrespect and slander. What's even more deplorable, many church pastors not only fail to correct this shameful

diatribe; they accept this verbal abuse without commenting about it from the pulpit. That, friends, is a cardinal sin of omission. When you agree with sin, you are sinning. Way too many pastors go way back to Genesis to claim men ONLY may be leaders. It's in the bible, and right there in the very first book. That is the foundation for the Jewish and Christian churches. A bit later in the bible we come to the experience of Moses when God, Himself, gave Moses the Law. Every Christian must understand what the word LAW means. The Jewish people were Chosen to serve as God's priests. They accepted the mission and lived under that Law.

    These Chosen people, like all humans, have the seed of sin, and fell away from God's direction over the span of several generations. It seemed

mankind could not keep God's commandments, and repeatedly had to go through a correctional period. God created mankind with a free will, and mankind can't stay clean. That seed of evil keeps winning, and things get worse and worse. God gave us a perfect correctional example when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give us precise and clear directions. Christ ushered in the period of GRACE, because mankind could not keep from breaking the Law. 

    NOW, GET THIS STRAIGHT, CHRISTIANS! If you are a Christian, you no

longer are under the Law. You serve under the Grace of God which  consists of Christ's directions in Matt. 22:34-40, and the full four books of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That does not mean the Old Testament is discarded; it does not mean the Epistles are of no value. Everything in the bible is profitable, we are told. Christ tells us in John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him,'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.'" There are no exceptions. We cannot change God's Word. Since to really be of Christian FAITH, we MUST follow His directions.  In Matt. 22: 34-40, He tells us the most important requirement to be one of His own is to honor and serve the Lord and to love your neighbor. He didn't say to love only your white neighbor or your Christian neighbor.

    Christ's regard and treatment of women is another clear direction that

indicts men. He forgave believing women who had committed adultery.

Jewish leaders wanted to kill them. The adulterous men didn't face judgment. They conveniently forgot the role of women in not only preserving their faith such as Rahab who saved the lives of Israel's spies, but also was in Christ's lineage. They had no regard for Mary, the mother of Christ, nor Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Even the disciples did not give women proper respect until church planting began. It's always been all about men. It was church leaders and men who put Christ on the Cross. The disciples were no where to be found when He went to the Cross. The women were there, and they were prepared to take care of His body after He died. His death led to the disciples becoming real men serving God. The women already had FAITH, and were serving Him.

    But what about the directive in Genesis that place Adam as the leader,

and Eve as the helpmate? Fast forward to Jesus. A woman was chosen by

God to be the mother of His Son. No human man was good enough to be the sire. Christ's disciples gave Christians the guidelines on the rightful place of women in society. Christian men seem to choose to use Ephesians  22:22-24 as the total rule for a relationship. If you continue to read verses 25-31, you will see that it is necessary to spend more words to direct men in how to treat their wives. Verse 32 speaks of a great mystery about the bonding of people with Christ in the church. Man is to be the leader in the human relationship only if he can fulfill the qualifications in the preceding verses. If he cannot, the woman may demonstrate the role required of a leader. There were strong women leaders, even in Israel's history. Check it out in the Old Testament.

    Men not only claim a pass directly to leadership, they try to lead as  though they are a king. Many then act just as God described in 1 Samuel.

Some American leaders, including the church, are using their positions to pass and/or support laws to control many facets of a woman's life. They go to the length of proposing criminal punishment or death. These people

claim to be Christians, and church leaders say NOTHING to correct this stream of slander and physical threat of violence. It's "Happy Mother's Day" to their wives, but for the remainder of women, it's let's control all the worthless sluts and whores. They claim the only thing women have to offer is that they're female.

    Guess what, you fake Christian men, a woman was God's choice to be the mother of His Son. He could choose any human man, but all fell short.

There are sinners among both men and women, but women have not used

men in such a demeaning and hurtful manner. If you make a list of the worst world leaders of all time, you will have a list of men of all colors and nationalities. So, go on American men, give your wife flowers and treat her to a great dinner out, she deserves it and lots more. But, the best Mother's Day gift you could give her is fair and loving treatment of all the

women in America and the world.  Women, take heart, real Christian men

may yet take up arms to give you the respect you deserve. Don't hold your breath, because they are busy enjoying their bully pulpit. There are those of us who see the light, and we wish you a Happy Mother's Day.

Rev. Walbear