God of the Women

Today is Mother's Day. I confess I have some difficulty celebrating this day. Please don't get me wrong, I love my mother as I know there are others who feel the same way. However, I am often dismayed at the fact that so many women are excluded on this day. In the past when I have preached a Mother's Day service, I am often mindful and sensitive towards the many women who may feel like second class citizens because they have not given birth to a child. There may be many reasons for this such as never having had the opportunity to marry or infertility issues. There are those who have lost children to miscarriage, still birth, or sadly homicide. Remember Newtown and Sandy Hook? How might these women and men (Father's Day is coming) be feeling today? Then there are the stepmothers who never had the experience of being biologically connected to a child. Finally there are those whose mothers are deceased or children who are estranged from their mothers. I often make it a point to honor all women on Mother's Day which I believe is God's heart. Today at our church service, we sang a hymn that I had never heard before. It was an honor roll of godly women who were used by the Lord to His glory. I am including it here as it was a very powerful reminder to me of how much women have contributed to the kingdom of God. It is sung to the tune "Be Thou My Vision."

God of the Women

SLANE (10.10.9.10) ("Be Thou My Vision")

God of the women who answered your call,
Trusting your promises, giving their all,
Women like Sarah and Hannah and Ruth —
Give us their courage to live in your truth.

God of the women who walked Jesus' Way,
Giving their resources, learning to pray,
Mary, Joanna, Susanna, and more —
May we give freely as they did before.

God of the women long put to the test,
Left out of stories, forgotten, oppressed,
Quietly asking: "Who smiled at my birth?" —
In Jesus' dying you show us our worth.

God of the women who ran from the tomb,
Prayed with the others in that upper room,
Then felt your Spirit on Pentecost Day —
May we so gladly proclaim you today.

O God of Phoebe and ministers all,
May we be joyful in answering your call.
Give us the strength of your Spirit so near
That we may share in your ministry here.

Tune: Traditional Irish melody; harmony by David Evans, 1927 ("Be Thou My Vision")
Text: Copyright © 1998 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.

I pray that you will remember whether you are a mother or not just how valuable you are to God!

Blessings In Christ,

Pastor Sheree