The Rev. Thomas Nibbe
Sunday, May 9, 2021 @ 11:00 a.m.MOTHER’S DAY
On this very special day we acknowledge the role our mothers have had in our lives. Our moms have loved us and shown us how to love ourselves and others. Our mothers are those who have prepared us to take this life on and do the work we do and to do it up right. Our momsare not necessarily the women who have given birth to us, but all those special, unique and distinctive ladies who have greatly impacted our lives.
9:45 a.m. — Holy Cross Bible Study: the Third Chapter of Ezekiel11:00 a.m. — Sacred Worship in the Holy Cross Sanctuary
Would you pray with me?
[Special thoughts and prayers for Brandon and Lea with a new baby in thehousehold, for Diane Ruiz, for Anna Carias, for Anthony’s back, for Ben,for Priscilla still in recovery after surgery and rehab, for Hanni’s daughter,for all those with physical difficulty and emotional turmoil in their lives, forthose who suffer with covid-19 and those who have lost loved ones duringthe pandemic…]
Thank you, Gracious and Loving God, for the blessing of mothers in our lives.
As Abraham Lincoln once said, all that we are and everything we hope to be, we owe to our dear mothers. May all the ladies we know who’ve meant so much to us — who share in this message today — be blessed in this sincereexpression of our love. May they know our sincere expression of appreciation.May they have a day of happiness and rejoicing. We pray this simple prayerin Jesus’ name.
Amen.
the attributes regarding motherhood…
“…a mother is a person, who seeing there are only four piecesof pie for five people, promptly announces she never really caredfor pie…” Anonymous
“…mothers are like ‘dab’ rapid-fuse adhesive — even when they’re gone,
they’re still holding the family together…” Anonymous
“…by the time a woman realizes her mother was right — she has a daughter who thinks she’s wrong…” Anonymous
“…if at first you don’t succeed…try doing it the way Mom told you to do it in the beginning…”Anonymous
“…behind every great kid there is a mother who is pretty sure she is screwing it up…” Anonymous
“…all that I am and all that I ever hope to be…I owe to my mother…”
Abraham Lincoln
“…a definition of motherhood…learning about strengths you did not know you had…Linda Wooten
“…no man is poor who has a Godly mother…” Abraham Lincoln
“…motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person’s everything…” Anonymous
“…all I am I owe to my mother…”George Washington
the Scriptures
“…while Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit came
on all who heard the message…the circumcised believers who hadcome with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit hadbeen poured out even on the Gentiles…for they heard them speakingin tongues and praising God…” (Acts 10:44-48)
“…the Lord Almighty is with us…the God of Jacob is our refuge…”Psalm 46:11 [King David]
“…for everyone born of God overcomes the world…this is the victorythat has overcome the world…even our faith…” (1 John 5:4)
“…without faith is it impossible to please God…” (Hebrews 11:6a)
“…greater love has no one than this…that he [she] lay down his [her]for his [her] friends…everything I have learned from my Father I havemade known to you…” [Jesus] (John 15:13)
“…the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation
of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word…” (Hebrews 1:3)
the message
This is a message for those who are truly seeking “the straight story”,the bottom line, that is, the essence of what a life of faith is all about…this is for the specific person the Lord has been speaking to my heartabout…the person who senses some “element within” causing someconsiderable disturbance. What is it? Something being stirred deep within. Something speaking in what seems to be a foreign, but attractivemessage lacking words. It seems to be something needing clarification.It is a strange, but friendly voice.
It is the Holy Spirit knocking on your door.
What is your relationship to the thought of having a personal relationshipwith the Creator of the Universe? It may sound too big for the likes of”flesh and bones” creatures like you and me…
…but the bold invitation of the Scriptures suggest just that…
Yes, there are the trappings of religion. I suppose we all havethem. Trappings are not the essence of faith. Sometimes faith and religion are almost opposite each other…but true spirituality is about a personal relationship with God. I would like you to note a powerful passage in Hebrews 3:1b…
“…fix your thoughts on Jesus…”
Can you imagine an eternal deity, that is, God, as human being also? What difference would that make in terms of living your life, day by day, being totally genuine with yourself, and yet, being spiritual at the same time? It reminds me of a joke riddle that I heard somemonths ago. What do you call a 6’8″ dude with a switch-blade knife?The answer to that riddle is…”You call him, ‘Sir!'” There is something”creatively intimidating” about an awesome human being standing beforeyou requiring your attention. Would you be as responsive to somebodywho gave you a Bible and asked you to read it? Often, a person wouldtake the Bible politely, set it aside, and not read it. If the person who isseeking your attention and response is the Lord Jesus Christ, you reallywould pay attention. A real live person with an urgent message for you is a lot more effective than a well-written book, meant to help you out, that you end up never reading…even though it would save your life.
This is the precise reason that the Lord Jesus Christ as a person, not onlythe exact representation of Almighty God, but God in human flesh, is so impressive. You really need to respond to him. You can’t brush him off.As you read this message, He’s reaching out to you. He is calling you from the shadows of ignorance and despair into the light of His Good News.
Could you discern some kind of reward, some kind of premium or advantage in dedicating your life to that God-Man and his proposition meantto transform your life and cause you to come powerfully alive as never before?
That “calling forth” is not so much the imposition of an old worn-out religious life, that out-of-fashion religious routine to restrict your life, if you have perceived it that way, or being miserable straightening out some of those back-alley ways, that up to now have seemed to, despite good intentions, continue to plagueyour daily life. The wrinkles of life are ironed-out by a new genuine relationshipwith your companion and friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I’d encourage you at this point, if you have never turned your life overto God in Christ Jesus…that you go ahead and do that…just say…
“Lord Jesus, I turn from my own way, and in repentance, I freely chooseto follow you. I know you died on the cross of Calvary for my sins, and I thank you, that you did so, so that I might be freed from my bondage tosin, shame, guilt, and regret in my life. I acknowledge that yourose from the dead on the third day, and therefore, paved the way for mydestiny to inherit eternal life. Thank you, Jesus. I receive you as mypersonal Lord and Savior. Amen.”
I want to share something in the message for today that may transformyour life…and cause your floral arrangement to blossom forth…
As we read the passage from Acts, it seemed unlikely that those who had,
just then, simply heard Peter’s preaching became immediately initiated intoa life of faith in Jesus, and were exhibiting the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This is the power of God’s Word in the preaching of the Gospel!
That which churns within us is the work of the Spirit. When we hear thepreaching of the Word, the Holy Spirit works within us, and without all otherkinds of encouragement and inspiration, we hear the truth of the Gospeland we come to “life”…that is…the saving grace of God through Jesus.
I would like to invite you this Mother’s Day to receive God’s forgiveness inChrist Jesus and the assurance of Everlasting Life. If your heart has beensearching for something, and you don’t know what it could be, it is the HolySpirit calling you to come home to God. Accept Jesus as your personal Lordand Savior. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit like those Gentiles of old.
Blessings to you on this special day…Let mom know you love her…In my case, thank you, birth mother, for the gift of life…Thank you, adoptive mom, a new, wonderful home and family…Thank you, Dad, for being mom and dad, upon mom’s passing…Thank you, Aunt Hilda, for caring for me summers and holidaysafter my adoptive mom passed…we were destined to be together…
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