Psalm 139: 12-15, Psalm 92: 12-15
The day Jesus was crucified could also be described as the first Mother’s Day! While Jesus hung on the Cross in excruciating pain, His first thought was for His mother. Speaking directly to her, he said to her, “Behold your son!” referring not to Himself, but to His best mate John, who was assigned to look after her for the rest of her life! Likewise, America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln once said, “God bless my mother! All I am or hope to be, I owe to her!”
As we honour our mothers today – whether they are with us or not – we remember that without them, we would not be here! When I taught Scripture at St George Girls’ High School some years ago, I had a discussion with my Year 10 class about Abortion and a number of the girls were all in favour of it! I pointed out to them that if their mothers held the same opinion, they probably wouldn’t have been born themselves! Although scientists now know that the tiny embryo inside the mother is a living human being, this was first revealed again through Jesus’ mother Mary! When she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, the arrival of Mary caused the baby to jump with excitement in his mother’s womb! But let’s get Mary into perspective! She acknowledged herself as a sinner when she sang the words in Luke Chapter 1: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!” In referring to God as her Saviour, she admits that she needs to be saved from the penalty of her sin!
Our topic today is the sacredness of human life! A group of medical students was once challenged on the subject of abortion. They were given a test case and asked whether the baby should be aborted! The case study said this: “The mother and fourth child already have tuberculosis! The father has syphilis! The first child is blind, and the second child has died. The third is a deaf mute. Would they abort the fifth child? Most of the students agree that this would be wise! But the lecturer tells them that they have just killed Beethoven! In other words, every child is a creation of God and deserves a chance to live and to love!
Our first Bible reading today tells us that “Every day of my life was recorded in your book! Every moment of my life was laid out before a single day had passed!” This means that where a human life is artificially terminated, someone is interfering with God’s eternal plan – not only for that life, but also for the lives of those who would have been touched by that life! The sin which seemed to horrify God especially in the Old Testament times was the sacrifice of children! There are many instances where God wiped out whole tribes of people for that sin in particular! When God said “Be fruitful and multiply,” he did not want children to be used either as a contraceptive or a sacrifice!
God’s purpose is the opposite of the enemy, of whom Jesus says in John 10:10, The thief only comes to steal, kill and destroy!” Jesus says the opposite of Himself: Ï have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!”
But what of the elderly people in nursing homes who aren’t living life to the full? Psalm 92:14 says, “The righteous will still bear fruit in old age!” My mother is 92 and is sadly a shrivelled version of her earlier self! (Some have even said the same of me!) But my mother continues to bear spiritual fruit in her life as she smiles at all who speak to her, and greets each one with a joyful response, as many of my friends can testify! Proverbs 16:31 says, “Grey hair is a crown of splendour: it is attained by a righteous life!”(which probably explains why I don’t have very much!) Genesis reminds us that each of us is made in the God’s likeness! All human life is therefore sacred! Even the most deformed or decayed person is a light of life and part of God’s plan – because each of us will one day be restored without pain or imperfections! Isaiah 35:5 says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy!
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