This Sunday will be a special day in the life of our church as we celebrate Mother’s Day at ABC. I think this year’s Mother’s Day will be especially significant because many did not get to see or celebrate their moms on this day last year. I believe many will make up for lost time, and our church will be filled with mothers, grandmothers, and even great grandmothers worshipping alongside their loved ones and celebrating God’s blessing of motherhood. We have big plans this weekend to honor our moms at ABC through a photo tribute, a special video, a poem, and a message from God’s Word about the power of motherhood. Every mom in attendance will also walk away with a box of delicious chocolate truffles, courtesy of our ABC food services team.
Through all of this, I pray that our moms will be blessed this weekend, and our church will see that ABC loves mothers and values the unique role that God has entrusted to them. We should do this because Jesus himself treasured his mom. When Jesus was on the cross and approaching his final breath, the scriptures record seven different statements that he made at Calvary. I find it interesting that one of these final statements revolved around His devotion to His mother. Jesus looked at his dear friend, John, and his faithful mother, Mary, and said “’Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, you mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27). Some commentators believe Joseph likely passed away by this time, so Jesus is clearly concerned about his mother’s welfare after He dies. So even though He is bearing the weight of all the sin of the world on his shoulders, Jesus still made it a high priority to honor and care for his mom
At ABC we are committed to honor and care for the mothers in our city We do this through relationships, ministries, and support systems that we have built into this community of faith. For instance, we are launching a new fully licensed 4-day preschool, “Little Lights Preschool,” this fall to minister to young children, but also to minister to moms. We are partnering with moms this summer through our on-campus Vacation Bible School, as well as through dozens of activities and events for kids this summer. We have a dynamic Women’s Ministry, with bible studies, special events, and Godly women that are devoted to love, encourage, and pray for moms in our city. Our hope is that all mothers will not only feel loved on Mother’s Day, but also feel valued and encouraged all year long at ABC.
One way we also support mothers in our city is through the Trotter House. Some of you are very familiar with one of church members, Lori DeVillez. Lori has the honor of serving as the Executive Director and Founder of Trotter House. She has devoted her lifetime to investing into the lives of moms who are in a pregnancy crisis. This weekend, I’ve invited Lori to share her heart for mothers and give an update on how God is moving in the lives of moms through her ministry. We will also have several Trotter House tables in the Great Hall that will display many ways in which you can partner with their ministry, so you can also make an impact on moms who are in desperate need.
I hope you are as excited to worship this weekend as I am! Take some time to personally invite a mother to be a part of the celebration at ABC. I look forward to seeing what God is going to do through this special Mother’s Day weekend.
www.jonathanspencer.org 