From the Pulpit: People are God’s gift to us
Friends in the Community,
Greetings to each and every one of you from God our loving Heavenly Father and our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that this article finds all of you well as we make our way into May!
May is an exciting month for many reasons. Schoolchildren look forward to this month because they know they will soon be set free for summer vacation. Every day, when they head to their classes, they are counting down to that final day of formal learning for a few months. They cannot wait to spend their days in freedom and enjoying those sun-filled days of fun activities! Families also look forward to this month because they are looking forward to the “official” beginning of summer, which many people see as Memorial Day weekend. Many families look forward to that first 3-day weekend and being able to take part in camping, hiking, fishing and mini vacations. They are looking forward to spending extra time together and reconnecting with one another. Of course, we cannot forget about all of the graduations that will be taking place during this very special month. Many people that we know and love will be hearing their names and walking across stages all across the country to receive diplomas. For some, this will be followed by looking for jobs and moving out on their own. For others, this may mean taking a step toward more education and relocating to other parts of the country.
May is special because of all these events. However, there is one more day in May that we need to remember as Christians. That day is Mother’s Day. On May 10th, we are going to celebrate Mother’s Day. We get the opportunity to give thanks to God for those very special women that have been placed in our lives to give us life and helped guide us along on life’s way. Oftentimes, when we talk about Mother’s Day, we only talk about those women who are biological mothers and grandmothers. These people are very important, but all of us also have other women in our lives who have made a difference for us. We have had women who have been our teachers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, pastors, and who have had many other vocations. All of these people have impacted our lives in one way or another.
We also know, from the words of Scripture, that Jesus also placed a high value on women. He listened to his mother when he performed his first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast. He took the time to have deep conversations with women such as the woman at the well and Mary. He even seemed to learn something from a woman when she spoke back to him about who is worthy to receive what he came to offer. When Jesus is raised from the dead, the first person he appeared to was a woman.
Jesus’ relationship with women should be a model for us. Yes, our biological mothers are very important, and they play a very special role in our lives. We should thank them on this holiday. But, there are many other women who have been in the right places at the right times for us as well. On May 10th, we should also take the time to thank them for being there for us and for sharing God’s love with us just when we needed it the most whether that was in the doctor’s office, the lawyer’s office, in the church, or some other location. These people are truly God’s gifts to us!
