Love Like a Mother

Scripture References: Isaiah 66:12-14; Genesis 1:26-28; Isaiah 49:15; Matthew 23:37; Psalm 131:2; 2 Corinthians 12:9

Intro: Happy Mother's Day! This day evokes many emotions – joy, gratitude, but also potential aches or longing. Mothering is profound, shaping us deeply. Today, we explore how mothering itself, in its God-given design, reveals beautiful aspects of God's own heart and character, offering comfort and grace to all, regardless of our personal experiences.

Key Points:

1. The Deep Longing for Mother: Stories illustrate a universal ache for maternal comfort and care (cello player at detention center, dying soldiers). This deep-seated need points to something fundamental in how we are made and what we long for.
2. God's Image: Male and Female (Gen 1:27): God created humanity, male and female, in His image. This means both fathering and mothering reflect aspects of God's own nature. Scripture itself uses maternal imagery for God: comforting like a mother (Isa 66), teaching/carrying like a parent (Hos 11), fiercely protective like a mother bear (Hos 13), nurturing like an eagle (Deut 32), compassionate like a nursing mother (Isa 49), gathering like a mother hen (Matt 23).
3. Natural Theology: Learning from Design: Our human beginning reveals God's heart. We start life utterly dependent – carried, nourished, protected, soothed within a mother. The intimacy of nursing, the focus of infant vision (face-to-face), the instinct to comfort – these designs whisper truths about God: His intimate care, constant provision, soothing presence, protective love, and delight over us.
4. Receiving God's Mothering Heart: If earthly mothering experiences were painful, lacking, or if you feel inadequate as a mother, there's hope. God Himself is the ultimate source of the comfort, nurture, and security we crave. We can go directly to Him to receive this "mothering" love and care, filling the empty places.
5. Grace for Imperfect Mothering (2 Cor 12:9): Mothering inevitably involves failures and falling short. The speaker shares missing her daughter's performance, feeling shame. Yet, God met her in that failure, reminding her His grace is sufficient, His power perfected in weakness. Our imperfections can become opportunities to point ourselves and our children to God's perfect love and forgiveness.

Conclusion: Mothering is holy work, reflecting the heart of God. Whether we celebrate or grieve today, God offers His profound maternal comfort, provision, and fierce love. His grace covers our shortcomings as mothers and heals the wounds from mothering we may have received. He meets us in our weakness and invites us into His all-sufficient love.

Call to Action: Acknowledge any ache or longing related to mothering. Open your heart to receive God's deep, nurturing, comforting love directly. Mothers, release shame over imperfections and receive His sufficient grace. Come to communion remembering Jesus' sacrifice provides the perfect love and covering we all desperately need.

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Love Like a Mother (Isaiah 66:12-14)
with Tiffany Aicklen