Last night, we dedicated baby Jenson to the Lord, giving thanks for his life and praying God’s blessing on all those who will be involved in bringing him up.
Dave then preached on the heartaches and joys of motherhood, looking at Mary, the mother of Jesus. It can’t have been easy for her to receive the angel’s announcement as a young girl, knowing that she would face the scorn of others and risking rejection from Joseph. But Mary embraced all that God wanted her to do. Even though there must have been times when she did not understand her son, even though she had to watch his suffering and death, she also received the joy that comes with love and in Acts 1:12-14 we see that she is there with the disciples, now a follower of her own son. Jesus, even in the midst of His own suffering, thought of His mother on the cross. Motherhood may bring heartache and financial difficulties (it costs, apparently, £24.44 per day to raise a child to 18 in our modern society, amounting to £160,140 over 18 years!), but is also brings joy and unconditional love.
We also had two birthdays to celebrate!
