Mothers of the Church

SERMON TITLE:   “Mothers of the Church”
SERMON TEXT:    Romans 16:1-16
PREACHER:           Rev. Kim James
OCCASION:           May 8, 2022 (Mother’s Day and UWF Sunday)
 
 
INTRODUCTION
 
                The big news of this past week was the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft decision on overturning Roe vs. Wade.  No matter what you think about that, you might be interested to know that 60% of U.S. women who get abortions are already mothers to one or more children.  Whether you approve of abortion or not, you can probably understand that those women who are also typically poor have quite often resorted to abortion because they don’t want to further jeopardize the life of the children they already have.1 
                In the history of humanity, motherhood has rarely been easy.  Very often, mothers have to make seemingly impossible choices between short-term needs and long-term plans, between earning an income and spending time with their children, between physical and mental health, and sometimes between life and life.  Pregnancies have often occurred in difficult situations and have involved huge sacrifices during the nine months of gestation, for the 18 or so years of child rearing, and for lifetimes of care and concern after that. 
                For sure, motherhood has involved a great deal of risk and heartache, along with significant joy, love, and dedication.  Mothers are amazing people who have both sacrificed for us and blessed us.  That’s why we celebrate mothers today.  And that’s why I’ve chosen for us to consider the biblical text of Romans 16, which is jam-packed with the names of women who were giving leadership in the first decades of Christianity.  I invite you to join me in being inspired by some rather amazing mothers of the church.

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