The Lutheran Hour
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"A Family Feast"
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Text: 1 Peter 5:6-9
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! At a time when the Christian home and Christian children are coming under increasing attack, there is good news. This Mother’s Day we rejoice that the victorious Savior assures us that we are not alone. In the fight against sin and Satan, we have a Divine Protector, the heaven-sent Redeemer. In the fight against roaring and rampaging Satan, Christian mothers depend upon the conquering Christ.
The Sunday school teacher was beginning her class for six 4-year-olds. The class unexpectedly increased in size with the arrival of an unfamiliar boy. The teacher told the boy her name, and then asked him his. “Robert.” Robert was his name. Robert gave no last name, and as the teacher was going to record his attendance, she wanted to write down his entire name. She asked him. He didn’t say anything. Now, when you’re teaching 4-year-olds, you have to be creative, and this teacher was. She asked, “Robert, what’s your father’s name?” He replied, “Daddy.” Not to be put off, she asked, “What’s your mother’s name?” “Mommy.” Knowing this was getting her nowhere fast, the teacher tried one last time, using a question she was sure would work. “Robert, what does your daddy call your mommy?” Robert lowered his voice and said, “Hi, hot stuff.”
That, I imagine, is just as good a way as any to begin a message on this day when our nation honors, and we speak to, those women whom God has allowed to be His first and finest examples of reflected love to little ones. Most certainly we speak to those women who are biological mothers, but we also are addressing those women who may never have physically given birth, but who have been given the singular gift of being able to love someone else’s child. We’re talking to those women who teach a class; who work with youth; who help distribute Girl Scout cookies; or work in a pediatric wing of a hospital. This Mother’s Day 2005, we’re talking about, and to, some very special ladies.
Have you ever seen one of these special ladies? They, like all superheroes, manage to keep themselves pretty well disguised. To the casual observer, they seem to be just like anyone else. They’re not. Mothers are special; Christian mothers, even more so. A loving mother using only two eyes, manages to see all the things that escape the rest of us. Sitting at the kitchen table helping her second-grader with his homework, she can see in the living room, her 3-year-old trying to stuff a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into the VCR. She can see who gave the pound of butter to the dog; she can see who needs an extra hug at bedtime; and most incredibly, she can see accidents which have not yet happened.
Mom has two arms, but those arms have the unique ability to burp the baby, prepare tomorrow’s lunches, balance the checkbook, talk on the phone, and write down the license plate number of that unknown car which has driven by the house three times today. Mothers have brains like everyone else. That’s what you would might think, until you get to see Mom swing into action. Moms can hear your thoughts–and they know when you’re giving them lip, even when your lips aren’t moving. They know when you haven’t scrubbed your face, even when you wet the washrag. They know who started the argument, and who pushed whom first. Moms know. I don’t know how they know, but they know.
The only shortcoming that Moms seem to have is that they lie a lot. They can be up all night, changing the bed sheets and pajamas of two children who have the flu, but still say they “slept just fine.” When there are six members in the family and only five ice-cream bars, they say that in recent months they’ve developed an allergy to dairy products. They say that they’re glad to have all 36 members of hubby’s family show up for Thanksgiving dinner, and “No, nobody needs to bring anything.” Moms, liars that they are, say they don’t mind their birthday being forgotten, or getting a new waffle iron for a 25th anniversary. Moms have a whole list of excuses why their children are too busy to call them on Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. “After all, my children are very busy, and they do have lives of their own.” That’s a hard lie for them to pull off, but Moms say it with a tone that says you’d better not challenge them, their children or their children’s motivations. Moms tell all those lies because they can’t help themselves. That’s just the way mothers are wired.
Now, all of the things I have said about mothers are true. They are true for the mother in Calcutta and Cleveland, the mother who resides in Moscow, Manhattan, Missouri, Montana, or the Maldives. It is as true for mothers today, as it was for mothers 2,000 years ago. Some things don’t change, and mothers are one of them. Mothers are special. No one can argue it; no one can deny or debate it. But as special as mothers are, I would like to spend a few moments talking to you about an exceptional subspecies of the maternal. I want to talk to you about “the Christian mother.”
Christian mothers are unique. They are exceptional, not because of any personal quality they naturally possess, or because of any extraordinary gene they’ve inherited. Christian mothers are unique because they know Jesus. Knowing Jesus, relying on Jesus, being empowered by Jesus means that Christian mothers see the world differently; they react differently; they behave differently; they hope differently. Every aspect of their life is changed because they know and rely upon Jesus and they believe His holy Word.
Let me tell you what I mean. The Bible says, “Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” While most people believe that the world is intrinsically good, and are surprised and shocked when something bad or tragic happens to them and their family, Christian mothers see things differently. Christian mothers know that sin is still around, Satan is still stalking the streets and death still stops for young and old. Christian mothers know that the devil and his demons find delight in running down, bringing down, and tearing apart their babies, their toddlers, their teens, their high-schoolers, and college aged children.
Look at this world. In some countries, 6 and 7-year-old children are being forced to join guerrilla groups and are being trained as soldiers – soldiers who are being taught to kill without regret and murder without remorse. In some countries, 6 and 7-year-old children are being forced to become prostitutes for some person’s perversion; others are kidnapped to feed the insatiable market for child pornography. This is not by accident. This is not a rare occurrence. This is the work of our enemy, the devil, who prowls around looking for souls to devour. And don’t think, not for a minute, that the devil has been caged and declawed in the neighborhood where you live. I don’t care how upscale, how secure, how many people have signed up to watch your block, your streets are still being stalked by Satan.
The old parental worry of a child running into the street and being hit by a car, is now joined with the fear of having that child enticed into the car of some sick psychopath. The concern of having your child accidentally swallow some poison is married to the new anxiety of a drug dealer putting a dangerous substance into your child’s hands. There was a time, and it wasn’t so long ago, when parents were shocked to hear a filthy expression come out of their child’s mouth. Mom and Dad would demand to know: “Where did you hear that word?” Today, a better question would be, “Where won’t children hear those words?”
Should I continue with this disgraceful and damnable list of degradation? Should I talk about the child who innocently does a homework assignment on his home computer and finds himself bombarded by a barrage of human sexual perversion? Should I talk about children forced into gangs? Should I talk about movies which, behind the mask of humor, appeal to that which is squalid and sordid, depraved and decadent? Should I talk about institutions of higher knowledge where the Lord is ignored, and religion is relegated to the role of an outdated philosophy, fit only for those who are personally ignorant and mentally inadequate? The devil is stalking your streets; he is looking for souls to devour, and Christian mothers know their children can become easy victims.
Christian mothers know that in this world where evil is not an accident, they are on the very front lines of the battle being waged for their children’s souls. Make no mistake about it, they have been given a daunting task. To stand physically, mentally, and spiritually between their children and the devil himself, is the most important charge the Lord will ever give them. It is the greatest assignment they will ever receive. As they look into the crib which contains the small soul which has been entrusted to their care, they are forced to humbly acknowledge not even their love, as strong as it is, is enough to confront and conquer the devil. Watching their children at play, these women know that although they watch, they cannot always see; although they are willing to devote their lives to these children, they will not always be there. Left to themselves, theirs is a hopeless job.
Indeed, it would be a hopeless job, if those mothers had to stand alone. But Christian mothers know they do not stand alone, hopeless and inept. They know that Jesus who was born as a Baby to save their babies; who gave His entire life to ransom the souls of their children, and all of humanity will not, during the most dire and dreadful days, leave them without His divine power. Christian mothers know that when they are helpless; when they have done all they can; when they feel themselves at a loss; Jesus is just beginning to do His work. They know that He who gave His life upon the cross to win the souls of every sinner, will be with them and with their children. He will pick their children up in His arms and bless them. He will hold them tight, and He will never let them go.
Christian mothers know that when they can hear the roar of Satan coming close to their door, they need to be aware that that door might be unlocked. Without Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, Satan can have ready access into their lives. When they can feel his hot breath, especially at those moments they need to depend upon Jesus, and then, with Jesus in their hearts, they know they are not alone. Jesus has promised to be there, and so He is. Jesus, the only Person who loves their children more than they do, is there. Jesus, the Son of God, who promised He would never leave us or forsake us is there. And because Jesus is there, Christian mothers find they have been given power beyond their own; strength beyond their own, wisdom, direction, confidence, and hope. Because Jesus is there holding them up, they are, as Scripture instructs, able to stand firm in the faith. And these Christian mothers resist the devil. With a bravery that belies their size or their years, they look evil in the face and say, “By the power of the Holy Spirit, and with the strength of Jesus Christ in their heart, you shall not have my child. You cannot make any claim upon this baby for whom Jesus Christ suffered and died.” Has not Jesus promised that nothing in all creation, not height, nor depth, nor darkness, nor principalities or powers will be able to separate us from the love of God? In God-given faith, these mothers cling to that promise, and they find peace.
Christian families find peace, not because they have no problems, not because the devil and sin ignore us. That is hardly the case. We and our families and our children are often the special targets of these spiritual predators. We have peace, because we have Jesus. Jesus is the Victor who was born into this world to save us; who lived His life to save us; who in order to buy our forgiveness, was unjustly tried, condemned, and crucified. We have peace because we have a Savior who rose on the third day, and with the conquering of death, shows that He has won the hard and final victories.
Still, although Christ has won the victory for us, within our homes, skirmishes still continue. There are still battles being fought. Which is why this Mother’s Day, we take the time to say a word of encouragement to Christian mothers. God bless you, because although you are willing to suffer for your child, even lay down your life for that child, you are humbled by the knowledge that that is exactly what Jesus has done for you, for your husband, for your child, all of your children upon Calvary’s cross. You know that although you may drive your children to a dozen locations every day, the first trip you need to make is to bring your child to his Savior. There you teach him God’s commands so that he may be a responsible citizen of the church, community, and country. You tell him that he can take everything to his Savior in prayer, knowing that Jesus will never be too busy, too tired, too over-committed to hear the petitions of his young heart. You let him know that no matter how badly schoolmates may behave, Jesus will continue to be his friend. Your let your child know that there is no sin he can commit; no error he can make which will be too large for Jesus to erase.
Yes, today we give thanks for Christian mothers who offer their children quality time, quantity time, personal time, individual time, but know that the most important time they can give is to help their children know the Savior; the Savior who will reunite the family in heaven where there is no time. We rejoice in Christian mothers who prepare home cooked meals, pot-luck meals, leftover meals, fast-food meals, but think these are poor meals unless their children’s souls have been fed with the Word of God.
“Mothers, do your children know Jesus?” Not so long ago I was told about a 3-and-a-half year old girl who was taken to the doctor’s office with an earache. The doctor looked in her nose, and with a smooth medical banter asked, “Who’s in there, Bugs Bunny?” Not feeling the best, the little girl answered with a simple, “No.” The doctor looked in her mouth and asked, “Who’s in there? Sponge Bob?” Again he got “no.” When he looked into her ears, he asked, “And who’s in here? Do I see Mickey Mouse?” You know her reply. Lastly he put his stethoscope over her heart and asked, “I know who’s in here – it’s Barney.” The youngster said, “No, Barney is on my jacket, Jesus is in my heart.”
Where did that little girl get that information? How did she know Jesus was in her heart? Long before she could walk, before she could talk, her mother had taught her about the love of Jesus. Mothers of the world, can your child say, “Jesus is in my heart”? If not, today is God’s day to allow the Holy Spirit to make that change in your family, in your children, in your own heart.
Years ago, a little girl was sitting on her mother’s lap. Not so long before, she had learned to talk, and she was still in that exploring stage. At this moment the mother was helping her daughter to gently explore her face. “Where is Mommy’s nose?” she would ask, and the little girl would touch Mommy’s nose. “Where are Mommy’s ears; her eyes; her hair?” Each time the daughter’s touch would answer Mommy’s question. After a while, when they had run out of parts, the little girl said, “Mommy, can I see your heart?” That was a tough one. Mommy replied, “I don’t know if I can show you my heart, but you can look into my eyes, and see if there is anything there.” The daughter looked. She got up right close – her eyes only inches from mother’s. She looked and then she looked again – searching, seeking. Finally, she said, “Mommy, I can see your heart. I see a little girl in there, and it’s me.”
Mothers, I know that love for your children is in your heart. But is Jesus there, too? Nobody questions your love, your loyalty, your willingness to sacrifice. What we want is for you to have more than these great maternal gifts. We want you, your household, and your children, to have God’s greatest gift of grace – the Savior in your heart-a Savior who will be there to rely upon as your children are raised. If you would like to meet such a Savior, we at The Lutheran Hour can help. Call us. We would like to introduce you to Him, and to other mothers who already know Him. Banded together, Christian mothers can continue to make a difference, not just in their own households, but in the world. Please, call us at the number we will give before the end of this broadcast.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for May 8, 2005
Topic: The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? (Part 1)ANNOUNCER: The Da Vinci Code, Fact or Fiction? That will be the subject of our discussion for the next few minutes as we talk with Dr. Paul Maier. I’m Mark Eischer. One of the most popular and controversial novels these days is Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. It’s spent more than a hundred weeks on the bestseller lists, and Ron Howard and Tom Hanks are now making it into a major motion picture. But it’s Dan Brown’s handling of historical fact that has raised concerns among historians, including Dr. Paul Maier. Dr. Maier is a distinguished historian, theologian, and author whose historical novels include Pontias Pilate; The Flames of Rome; A Skeleton in God’s Closet; and its recent follow-up, More Than a Skeleton. Dr. Maier recently collaborated with Hank Hanegraaff on a critique of Dan Brown’s novel titled, The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? And Dr. Maier joins us by phone from his office in Michigan. Dr. Maier, good morning.
MAIER: Good morning to you, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Now, for those who have not read Dan Brown’s book, briefly, what is this so-called Da Vinci Code?
MAIER: Well, Dan Brown claims that if truth were told, Jesus married Mary Magdalene, and they had the offspring named Sarah. She intermarried with a Merovingian dynasty in France. There are people who are continually keeping the secret of that marriage alive through a group called the Priory of Sion, and that they included such grand masters as Leonardo Da Vinci himself, who supposedly shows that secret in this painting of the Last Supper. Dan Brown claims that the figure to the right of Jesus is not the apostle John, but Mary Magdalene, and so forth. Some of the great grand masters include Botticelli and Sir Isaac Newton and others. Now, the whole plot is based on a fraud, because the Priory of Sion was not founded in 1099 to keep this great secret going, as Brown claims. But it was founded in 1956 A.D. in the city of Paris, and was built on a fraud because the secret dossiers that were deposited in the French National Bibliotheque Nationale were planted there by a Frenchman named Plantard, which I think is appropriate. In any case, the whole thing is a hoax. He was indicted for fraud, and evidently nobody heard about that on this side of the Atlantic, and for some reason, this falsification of history is gaining just too much prominence.
ANNOUNCER: So, in other words, you’re saying that a real event that took place in 1956 has provided the false premise for Brown’s entire re-reading or re-shaping of history?
MAIER: That’s right. Now you know, whenever I object to The Da Vinci Code, Mark, people say, “Well, chill out – it’s fiction after all, isn’t it.” Here’s the point – when you’re doing credible fiction, you have your foreground characters, your principle characters are fictional, of course. Do anything you want with them. Invent them – just do whatever you want, that’s fine. But the background in which these fictional characters move, should in fact be accurate for the purpose of credibility. For example, if someone were writing a novel about World War II of which there have been hundreds, the Allies still win the war and the Nazis lose, OK? Dan Brown has falsified both the foreground and the background. If Dan Brown, for example, were using the same rules to write a history of World War II, he would have Hitler winning and putting Roosevelt on trial in Washington, D.C. It’s a complete mangling of history is what takes place in the background whenever Dan Brown talks about Christ, or the church that He founded. And I’m furious at this for two reasons. One – I don’t mind attacks on the Christian faith, because I love to defend the faith, but if they are absolutely ill conceived and faultily premised attacks on the faith – that gets me angry. But I’m even more furious as a professor of ancient history here at the university, because I don’t like the facts the past screwed up, and Dan Brown does this regularly.
ANNOUNCER: And we’ve been talking with Dr. Paul Maier, co-author of The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? Join us next week for more of our discussion. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.