"Mother of All"

It was during the first Gulf War, wasn’t it? When the phrase "the mother of all ..." became a part of our language. I don’t even remember what the original referent was. Maybe the conflict itself - the mother of all wars. It was a statement of defiance, of strength and power. It was a "don’t mess with me" sort of thing, wasn’t it? It was one of those "you’ve cut down more hay than you can pick up," or "your mouth is writing checks your body can’t cash." That sort of thing, a taunt, a jibe, a ... a ... a "yo mama."
Do mothers get a choice about their inclusion in these sorts of things? I’m just wondering here. Whether it is a playground feud or an international conflict, we can raise the stakes by including mothers into the rhetoric. Things get really serious when you bring your mother to the battle.
This was on my mind today because this year Mother’s Day and Pentecost fall on the same Sunday. Mother’s Day wins in the minds and hearts of the people of this nation. We might as well admit it. How many Pentecost cards did you find at Meijers this week? How many ads headlined the Pentecost sales on gadgets and sweets? I rest my case. Mother’s Day is a big holiday according to card companies - second only to the Christmas juggernaut; and according to the phone companies - more calls made than on any other single day. You might be able to argue that it is "the mother of all holidays!" And why not? We need to honor mothers even in the life of the church. Mothering is a noble profession, and the church ought to be in the business of encouraging mothers.
Though it is a delicate celebration in the church. As individuals and as families, pull out the stops, go to extremes to say thank you to your mothers. But as the church we have to be careful. We can’t assume that everyone’s experience of mother is a positive one. I’ve known individuals who cringe at Mother’s Day celebrations on Sunday mornings because they still bear deep wounds, scars inflicted by a mother. Others have been abandoned by their mothers, stunted, ignored, crippled. It is a delicate celebration to honor a potential that some fail to embrace.
This is why many are dissatisfied by our Mother’s Day worship. It is as if we don’t care, some think. The rest of the world paints a glowing picture, and asks for us to spend our gratitude on things. Why should the church neglect, some think, that wonderful institution of family and that wonderful person the mother?
Well, we shouldn’t. But maybe we have to look broader, or deeper than tip of the hat to a person who has been good to you. Maybe we have to think of our mother the church. Pentecost is the church’s birthday, some argue. Leonard Sweet called Pentecost the church’s IPO – Initial Public Offering. It is when we went online. The beginning of this body we call the church. And, according to Luke, it was quite a blow out. Let’s remember Luke’s Pentecost story.
Acts 2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
On Sunday I want to do a compare and contrast between Luke’s version here in Acts and John’s version at the end of the Gospel. But for now, we’ll be satisfied with Luke’s more familiar story.
"Wait," Jesus told them, "until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49) And here it is, wind and fire, clothing them from on high. It was powerful, the sound filled the whole house. It was complete, a tongue, as of fire, touched each of them. This was the event they waited for, this was the empowerment. The mother of all divine visitations. Or was it? There are echoes here. First there is the giving of the law, on a mountain with fire and wind. It was terrifying and yet it launched a people. Now we have another high place, an upper room. Again there was wind and fire and it launched a community of faith.
The passers-by think it is a wild party, they think it strange. But Peter explains, "it is the pouring out of the Spirit, it is the beginning of hope and of joy, it is permission to build the Kingdom of God." Because the result of this wind and fire is a capacity to connect, to build community. They spoke in other languages. Wait a minute, another spirit fell and different languages was the result, but the purpose of that was division, separation. The Tower of Babel was an ending. Pentecost was a beginning. "We hear them speaking in our own languages of the mighty works of God."
The Spirit comes and outsiders understand. The Spirit comes and we climb out of our hidden rooms and celebrate loudly. The Spirit comes and something new is born. We are born again in the fires of this Spirit. We, like Peter and the rest who were there that day, are empowered to love like Christ loved. We are empowered to build the church, the community of faith that welcomes and transforms and sends. The mother of all holy days – Pentecost.
It makes sense that the church would celebrate Mother’s Day a little differently than the rest of the world. Not that we ought to ignore those who mothered us, but we ought to not be exclusive about it. We can honor and thank and celebrate those who put the wind in our sails, those who gave us new birth, those who nurture and support and comfort us. We should celebrate the church, born of the Spirit, and mothering us into faith.
And before I forget, because I know she reads this... I love you mom.
Shalom,
Derek