Immanuel Lutheran Church, Oklahoma City, OK

Dear Friends in Christ,
“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” (2 Timothy 1:3-5)
The Apostle Paul first sent these strong and passionate words to his young friend and fellow worker, Timothy. They are important to each generation of the Church, because they are God’s inspired words to us. They are also a great reminder for us this month, as we remember and honor mothers everywhere on May 11.
How did young Timothy know about God and his Lord Jesus Christ? From his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. Notice Paul’s language: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice.” For almost two thousand years, the Holy Christian Church has grown, because of one person telling one person about Jesus Christ. It is far more important when that one person is a mother or a grandmother. (Fathers and grandfathers will get their turn next month!) Take this simple test. Who first brought you to church? Your mother? Your grandmother? Or someone else? Membership statistics have been constant over time. 75% of all church members came to church because of family or friends bringing them or inviting them. I would guess that most of you are in church because your mother brought you as a child and continued to bring you through your high school years.
I am blessed in that my mother is still alive. She will be a young 76 on her next birthday. Beverlee has been less fortunate. Her mother suffered from MS at an early age and was called to her eternal rest at age 59. Like many of you who have lost your mother, Mother’s Day is bittersweet for Bev. Even though she is honored as a mother to four and a grandmother to five, Mother’s Day still holds the pain of missing her mother.
Again, I was blessed in that I grew up with two grandmothers. My Grandma Lechlider lived until 1985, and my Grandma McMullin lived until 1992. Grandma Lechlider spoiled all her grandchildren, but also taught us many life lessons. In her more reflective times, she would tell of her early childhood and the joys and dangers of the early 1900’s. One of the dangers she spoke about was the time when, as a young child, she and her sister were forced to hide in a secret storage place beneath the floor when a group of armed men threatened their home. The men, you see, were members of the Ku Klux Klan. My grandmother’s crime? She was a Cherokee Indian. The strangeness of this story is that it happened in Northeastern Oklahoma in a county that is still considered part of the Cherokee Nation to this day.
The first time I remember hearing this story was in high school. It profoundly affected me then and continues to shape me to this day. It created in me a desire to fight racism in all its forms. Paul addresses this in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” “All one is Jesus Christ.” God’s Word is clear: the Lord Jesus died for all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism!
My grandmothers taught me many valuable life lessons. The most important: That Jesus Christ was my Lord and Savior. However, along the way, their life stories helped shape who I am as a person, as a Christian, and as a pastor. This month, I know you will honor your mothers and your grandmothers and all the Christian women who helped shape your lives, as I do every day.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor McMullin