Not a Mother’s Day sermon

Ah Mother’s Day. I give ground to no one in my appreciation for my own mother, mother-in-law and step-mother to say nothing of the mother of my children! I love them all. I am amazed at how capable, creative and wonderful they are. I wish them, and all mothers, nothing but the best on this day that is set aside for them.

However, I did not find a natural connection to Mother’s Day in any of our lectionary texts for this week so I didn’t preach a Mother’s Day sermon, whatever that might look like. Instead, the sermons below come from our Acts passage and relate to Paul and Silas’ brief time in jail in Philippi. There is a lot going on in that little passage and I try to address some of them, you’ll have to let me know how successful I was. Perhaps the single most important thing I hope you take from this passage is; just because there is a way out of an unpleasant or even terrible situation it isn’t always best to take it.

Paul and Silas could have taken advantage of the earthquake to escape but because they didn’t, and we take a look at what might have gone into that, the jailer and we get something we otherwise would not have gotten.

Knox Presbyterian 130512_Knox

St. Mark’s Presbyterian 130512_StMarks

PS Happy Mother’s Day to all to whom it applies!