Happy Mother’s Day

May 7, 2022 – Ron Green

Happy Mother’s Day 🌹 

Jesus loved His mother. As Jesus was suffering on the cross He was worried about His mom and who was going to take care of her after He was gone. He made plans for her provision. He put one of His disciples in charge of taking care of her. What our Savior did was teach us that we are to provide and take care of our parents as much as we can. When you serve others you are serving Christ and showing your love for the Father.

Mother’s Day is a time of recognizing and honoring the mothers in your life: birth mothers, step-mothers, mother-in-laws, grandmothers, spiritual mothers.  Yet, how many people will simply stop there?  How many people will take into consideration all that the Lord says about honoring our mothers? What does the Bible say about the consequences of not honoring our mothers?

The Role of Mothers

What are we honoring?  Mothers are the child bearers and usually the primary caregivers, and because they have contact with their children over a long growing period, they have an extraordinary effect on their children.  This is especially true if she is the solo parent.  Fathers are usually not as available as mothers for many reasons; work, career, financial obligations, outside interests, lack of interest all together, to mention a few.  So, mothers, have a tremendous impact on their children.

Mother’s Day—called Mothering Day in the U.K.—can be traced back to ancient pagan practices, but it has gone through a lot of changes and names to get to what we know today. The history of Mother’s Day can be traced back to celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. During the 1600s, the early Christians in England celebrated a day to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. By a religious order, the holiday was later expanded to include all mothers. Mother’s Day occurs in the U.S. once a year on the second Sunday of May, while Mothering Day in the U.K. is celebrated the fourth Sunday of Lent. Traditional ways to celebrate Mother’s Day are to take mothers out to dinner and/or honor them with cards, flowers, or candy. Biblically, honoring mothers (and fathers) is commanded by God in both the Old and New Testaments.

“Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16 NLT

“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise:” Ephesians 6:2 NLT

The Bible does not command us to dedicate a special day to honor our mothers, nor is there anything in the Bible to condemn it. So the question is whether, considering the pagan roots of the holiday, Christians should celebrate Mother’s Day. The key is found in Romans 14:5-8: “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” 

As Christians, we should be fully convinced that we are doing what God wants us to do. If we choose to celebrate Mother’s Day and we see nothing wrong with it, then we should celebrate with a clear conscience. If, however, celebrating is against one’s conscience, then celebrating is not appropriate. On the other hand, if one does not celebrate Mother’s Day or any other holiday for reasons of conscience, that is fine, as long as he/she does not become prideful, looking down on those who do celebrate. As with all issues not specifically addressed in Scripture, we have the freedom to celebrate or not celebrate Mother’s Day, according to personal preference.

What Does The Bible Say About Mothers Day?

The Bible consistently asks followers to honor and love their mothers.  Examples of this can be seen in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother,” and Leviticus 19:3, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father.”

While Mother’s Day is a relative new holiday in modern history, versions of similar holidays have existed through the centuries. The Bible does not directly address the holiday of a Mother’s Day in its verses, but often addresses the celebration of motherhood and mothers. 

 – Chaplain Ron