Mother's Day Mysticism

The fruitful life comes from a spiritual/mystical connection to God and each other.

“I give you these commands that you may love one another.” This is the purpose; this is the goal; this is the intent; Loving each other.

So does that we mean we build a campfire and sing Kum Ba Yah!? Does that mean we donate more to our favorite charities or to the Church? Does that mean we send cards to those we are thinking of? What does it mean to love one another?

In the United States Military the highest Award is the Medal of Honor. It is given for actions during combat to people who take action, at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved the risk of life.

What does it take for a person to risk their own life to save another?

The United States Military sees this act as being so special that the recipients of the Medal of Honor are placed on an honor roll for life, receive a better pay even in retirement, their children get automatic U.S service academies among other things. www.gruntsmilitary.com/moh.shtml

What is it that causes people like the members of the Fire Department of New York to rush into a building at great risk to their own live to save the lives of strangers.

Is it love?

We often think of Love as that emotional reaction that we have for those whom we have affection for. The word “ Love “is reserved for those who treat us well and those we like particularly well.

There is no doubt that There is love between a mother and a child. That kind of Love is powerful. That kind of love is self-sacrificing. The love a mother has for her children is constant whether or not her children return that love. Jesus said that no one has greater love than the one that lays down ones life for a friend. There have been times when a mother has indeed lost her life to save and protect her children. But there are many ways in which we lay down our lives for each other. Tell me who thinks it is a great for weeks on end to wake up every two hours for a half an hour or so and go back to bed? Medical professionals say we need 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night for good health. Who would willingly choose to tend to the daily health and hygiene of someone who is completely ungrateful for your efforts. Who would go to practices and competitions of a sport that one has no original interest in and where the athletes are not even close to being at a professional level in their skill? Who chooses to stay up late worrying about someone's decisions and life circumstance.

I tell you mothers lay down their lives everyday for their children. there is no medal of Honor for moms, but there is Mother's Day. (Now the transcript of this sermon is posted every Sunday to my web page and I know that my mother reads it every week so: Happy Mother's Day Mom!)

But what about those soldiers that sacrifice themselves? Some might say that there is a deep connection with those whom you have shared great adversity with and it is similar to a family relationship and so there is an emotional need to protect those that we love...perhaps.

But what about those fire fighters? Rarely do they know the people that they are rescuing. Some might say that it is their Job, that being a fire fighter attracts those who are willing and able to do such things. Maybe so.

What about the stranger that jumps onto the train tracks to help someone who has fallen? What about the perfect strangers who risk their lives to save another? I believe in this case and in the case of the firefighters and in the case of the soldiers and indeed in the case of mothers that there is a connection that goes beyond human understanding that exists between all of us. That in the moment of self-sacrifice there is a recognition that you and I are no different. That in saving you I am saving myself. That in caring for you I am also caring for myself. Not in a selfish way but in a way that God intended. The second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.

The Gospel lesson for today is a continuation of what we read last week in which Jesus said he is the vine and we are the branches. He tells us to abide in him just as he abides in the father. This is a beautiful image of the Oneness of creation. When we can see that through Jesus Christ we are connected to Almighty God and thereby are connected to each other the divisions and barriers that we create between ourselves can begin to dissolve. Jesus doesn't discount the possibility of disunity and brokenness. Remember he said that the branches that don't produced fruit are removed from the vine and even the branches that to produce fruit are pruned. Not everyone will have this understanding. Some will be blinded from the fact that we are all one in God. The natural way of behaving when we think that we are all on our own is to do everything that is best for me. It is a reasonable way to act given the information available. But that is where we come in. When we love unconditionally. When we demonstrate God's great love, it wakes something up in the life of the spiritually blind. I causes them to search for a reason why you are being so kind and generous.

The problem comes when the can actually find a reason. “Oh, they just want my money.” “They just feel guilty for what they have done and are trying to make up for it.” or “they are doing this for show so they look good.” there are tons of reasons that people can do kind things that are outside of the oneness of God and God's people and I am probably guilty of most of them at least some of the time. But the thing is we keep on loving. We keep on loving God and we keep on loving our neighbors because that is what God commands us to do.

However he doesn't command us as his servants. He gives us these words as a friend. He desires for us to have all that we need. God has held nothing back. If we choose not to love there is no punishment in store. But if we choose not to love then we have separated ourselves from that beautiful life that God promises. The life in which God produces fruit in us; the life in which we have all that we need; the life in which we begin to understand that there is no difference between you and I and that by laying down my life for you, whether it is literally dieing to save your life or sacrificing some of my comfort so that you may be released to serve God and produce fruit in the way that you are called to do so, I am actually gaining life for myself.

Jesus said that if you lose your life for his sake you will gain it for eternal life. God chose us for this life. We did not choose God. If God did not but in is a deep knowledge that we are all connected and are all one in Him we would be nothing but selfishly motivated individuals trying to grab a bigger and bigger portion of the pie.

So How is it with you on this Mother's Day? If you have a mother, thank her today for laying down her life for you. If your mother has gone on and has received the promises of God and is living in eternity, then thank God for her.