Elk's Mother's Day Sermon

I grew up attending an event like this at the Clearfield Elk’s. Every Mother’s Day for years we would gather around a round table in the main dining room and eat together, laugh together, and share stories. It’s a fond memory from my childhood.

But as I look back on those Mother’s Day celebrations, I think the fondness didn’t actually arise from what we did necessarily, but who we were honoring - the women in our lives who did extradionary things for us every day, like you do for your families as well. 

We are told in scripture to honor our mother’s and our father’s. Now there are a lot of commands that we find within scripture, some of which need a bit of explaining in order to live into them, but others seem pretty straightforward. They are timeless and we are all called to abide by them. For the people of God, these are the ten commandments, which can be summarized as loving God and loving your neighbor. When I was little, I remember seeing the ten commandments written on paper stone tablets taped to my classroom wall and having a patient Sunday School teacher explain that the first four commandments tell us how to show our love for God and the second six how to love our neighbor, but they are all held together by love.

The first four commandments have to do with how we love God. But the later six all have to do with our relationship with one another, and smack dab in the middle of all of that you that we are to honor our parents. Dishonoring one’s parents by hitting them or cursing them was punishable by death, under Hebrew law. While this is no longer the case in today’s society, the basic premise is the same, honor your mother and father because to dishonor one’s earthly parents is linked to dishonoring one’s heavenly parent, God. This honor does not depend on the worthiness of the parent, it is simply to be given, not earned. This commandment is seen eight different times in the scriptures. This requires that children obey their parents, as long as their requests are reasonable and permissible under the other commandments. It also requires that children let their parents know that they are safe when they are traveling. A child must never put their parents to shame or speak poorly of their parents.

And in return, God commands that parents teach children, refrain from showing favoritism to any one child over another, train a child. In other words God requires that parents give their children the ability to thrive in the world by teaching them about the commandments and demonstrating what love is through their words and actions.

As I was reflecting on this idea of honoring our Mother’s this week, I was struck that really honor is what ties together a gathering like this. Yes, we have come to honor our Mother’s, but we have also come to a very particular place to do so - an Elk’s Lodge. 

Think about what principles the Elk’s stands for - Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity. Are those not about honoring one another? Not just on this day, but every day?  

But here’s the thing - some of those same principles are connected to the history behind Mother’s Day as well. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1908 by Anna Jarvis who held a memorial for her mother at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in West Virginia. She had been working since 1905 to make this a holiday, following her own mother’s death. 

But prior to it becoming a holiday - it was about having Mother’s Day work clubs that were focused on public health issues. Anna Jarvis was quoted as saying that a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone else in this world” so she wanted to share with the world in need the love of her mother and mothers. Charity, Justice, and Love were central tenants of those Mother’s Day Work Clubs. 

So how do we honor our mother’s today. Certainly with expressions of our thanks and love. As I was browsing through Hallmark cards to give my own mother, I was struck by how many thanked moms for showing love and teaching their children throughout life. In a way the cards were saying thank you for teaching me the commandments and loving me enough to show me the right way to live.

But perhaps we also show honor by the way we live our lives. By teaching others the ideals and principles that our mothers showed us. By sharing the love of the mother with the world in need. By expressing principles of compassion and care. Charity and justice. Love and faithfulness. 

How do you want to honor your mother today?