Following is a sermon I delivered for Mothers Day, May 12, 2013 at Pocatello First United Methodist Church.
It’s Mother’s Day, a day when we
honor women who have biologically given birth, those who serve as mothers and
care for the people around them. I also have a special place in my heart for
women who want to become mothers but for whatever reason have not been able to
do so. We honor and love you all!
Today’s Scripture is meant to honor
women, but I must admit that when I listen to it, I don’t hear the honor. I
feel the burden. If this is meant as a check off list of what the perfect woman
is suppose to do, how can I ever measure up? The standard seems impossible! It
makes the modern idea of the “superwoman” who has it all seem downright easy!
It goes along with the saying, “Man may work from sun to sun, but a woman’s
work is never done.” It sounds so … oppressive.
But I want to get back to the idea
that this was meant to honor women,
not oppress them. It is traditional for this passage to be recited as funerals
for Jewish women. Puzzling.
I think there are two things that we
need to keep in mind. One, this is a poem; so perhaps, we’re not supposed to
take every line at face value. The other thing is that it is from the book of Proverbs.
Most of Proverbs is made up of short pithy statements that are intended to be
used as guidelines. One of my favorite passages in the Bible comes from
Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not
on your own understanding.” The statements are presented as absolutes, but they
are not necessarily intended to be applied without thought, without Wisdom.
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