The World-Shifting Power of Motherhood
The following is an excerpt of an article from The Daily Citizen written by Glenn T. Stanton
We just finished celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday. We honored her with flowers and breakfast in bed. That means we can put appreciating mom on the shelf until next year, right?
To do so simply sentimentalizes motherhood. Mothers are more than a feel-good Hallmark event. And all Christians should recognize how central motherhood is to our own faith.
Christianity started with a humble young woman and God’s best news that she would become a very unlikely mother. Christianity started in a mother’s womb. And it continued with a mother.
The First Disciple Was a Mother
What earthly creature loved the Savior first, most purely and intensely? That would be a mother. There is no question about that. Do you imagine any later disciple’s love rivaled a mother’s love? And isn’t that the first call of Christian discipleship, to love Jesus without reserve and follow Him regardless? A mother was Jesus’s first and most intense, and passionate disciple.
And that mother started loving the Savior before anyone else, while He was yet hidden away in the dark, intimate recesses of her womanly womb. For a time, only she and God knew the most glorious of secrets. As a mother, she loved Jesus like no other human could and gave herself to Him in love and obedience like no other: body, mind, emotion and spirit.
A Mother Spent More Time with the Savior Than Anyone
Jesus certainly spent a great deal of very personal and intimate time with his twelve disciples. They witnessed so much of His life and how many of us would give anything to have been there amongst them for just ten minutes. They experienced not just his teaching and miracles, but hours upon hours of mundane times.
But each of these men came along quite late in His life, in the last few years only. It was a mother who was privileged to study more of the Savior’s life than any other person, and more intimately so. A mother could tell us more personal stories about Him than any of us could ever imagine. All of these she treasured and pondered in her heart as well!
A Mother Was at the Cross
Jesus’ mother was more than merely a divine conduit, a biological device by which God became human and entered the world. She was the first and sole recipient of the announcement of His coming. He grew within her. He literally gained His flesh from her. She literally introduced him to the world through her labor. She cared for him, day in and day out for years. In the most intimate ways.
And it was a mother who was one of the few to remain with him until the end of his terrible, humiliating cross. Most of His other disciples had deserted Him by that time. But she was there, nearly alone.
A Mother on the Savior’s Mind at His Death
Christianity has a Lord who cared for His widowed mother, even in His time of greatest need, while He was dying a humiliating death for the sins of humanity. That is unspeakably profound, illuminating for us how much He loved His mother right up to His literal last breath. She was very much on his mind even then.
And she not only tragically caressed the broken body of our Savior, but she was the only disciple who simultaneously held and wept over the brutalized body of her little boy.
Motherhood is not simply important to the Christian story. It is consequentially central. And that is why celebrating motherhood cannot simply be relegated to one day for the Christian.
Motherhood is not simply important to the Christian story. It is consequentially central. And that is why celebrating motherhood cannot simply be relegated to one day for the Christian.
Christianity has a powerfully unique story to tell about the profound honor and influence of being a mother. No other story comes anywhere close to rivaling it.
This article is an edited version of: A Uniquely Christian Understanding of the World-Shifting Power of Motherhood by Glenn T. Stanton from May 11, 2021. Read the entire article here.
Recognizing FPC 2021 Grads
Graduation Sunday is an annual tradition at FPC. We take one Sunday a year to celebrate members and friends who are 2020-2021 graduates. This includes graduates from high school, undergrad, graduate school, trade school, etc. We want to honor each graduate, celebrate their hard work, and provide encouragement as you take the next giant step in life.
To participate in Graduation Sunday, here’s the information you’ll need to submit to Ezrah Schmeelk, Director of Student Ministry, by May 31:
- Name of graduate and graduate’s parent’s names.
- Graduate photo
- Name of school
- A sentence about how the FPC family has provided support or how your interaction at FPC has made a positive impact on your life.
CHA-CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANGES
What: Summer Sunday Worship Service
When: June 6, 2021-August 29, 2021
Where: Outdoor Family Space
Time: 9:00 am
Bring: A lawn chair
Say YES to: Social distancing, masks optional
New Daily Bread Issues Now Available
The Daily Breads for the months of June/July/August 2021 have arrived. Stop by the church to pick up your copy in the tote outside the front door. The large print issues, which devotions start with the month of July, will be be available later in June.
More upcoming events:
FPC Spring Clean Up – CANCELLED
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Memorial Day Sunday
On May 30, we will recognize members of our church family who have served in the past, whether discharged or retired, as well as those who are currently serving our country in uniform.
If you were included in our previous listing, you will automatically be included again this year. If you would like to be included in this listing and haven’t been in the past, please contact Sue Gade in the church office at 949-9445 or sgade@myfpc.org by Monday, May 24. Also, if you are currently serving, please contact Sue to make sure your listing is up to date.
Looking for more in-person opportunities?
Would you be interested in an in-person art night or craft-ernoon? What about an in-person small group Bible Study? Or maybe meeting up for fun outdoor activities?
Email Christa or Ezrah Schmeelk with your interest!
cschmeelk@myfpc.org eschmeelk@myfpc.org
Sunday School End of Year Celebration
RESCHEDULED Saturday, May 29 | 4pm Outdoor Family Space
* THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED *
We’re celebrating the end of the school year with s’mores and presenting the preschoolers and 6th graders with their Bibles. Bring a chair or blanket to this event in the Outdoor Family Space!
Questions? Email Patricia Coley, Director of Children’s Ministry
Student Ministry Hike
Any family that has a student in 7th-12th grade is invited to meet Ezrah and Christa at the Ferry Bluff State Natural Area trailhead near Sauk City at 10 am on Saturday, May 22. If you are wondering about a weather cancellation or directions, please call and ask Ezrah before you drive: 608-208-3262.
Rocky Railway VBS
June 21-23 | 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Full steam ahead for 3 rockin’ nights on the rails! We are thrilled to offer a multi-age Family Outdoor VBS at FPC. Join us in FPC’s backyard on June 21-23 at 5:30-7:30 pm. No meal will be served but take some delicious snacks to chew-chew on at home.
Because our volunteers will not be able to be “hands on” to help, we ask each crew signing up to provide their own adult crew leader–Mom, Dad, Grandma or all!
Register Now: $25 for the first passenger and $15 for each sibling. Adults and volunteers board for free! (Space is limited to a maximum of 110 travelers.) Register using the link below to confirm your train ticket! Registration is open to FPC families first. (Don’t take a chance waiting for the caboose!)
Email Patricia Coley, Director of Children’s Ministry, with any questions.
Stephen Ministry
We know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone—raising the level of fear, stress, and anxiety for people all over the world and underscoring the importance of caring ministry. As a Stephen Ministry congregation, we equip and empower lay caregivers to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care. Our commitment to this ministry is extremely important during these uncertain times.
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from this ministry, contact the church office.
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