Riverside May 10, 2026

Mother’s Day

We Bring the Praise back to you

On June 6th, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division along with the 2nd Armoured Brigade landed on Juno Beach in Normandy in the ultimate attempt to defeat Hitler’s Nazi Germany. The first wave of Canadian soldiers landed at 0800 hours followed by the second wave only 10 minutes later. Wave after wave of these young men landed until 15,000 had touched that 8 kilometer wide beach. Horribly, over 350 young men died in the early hours but over 750 were wounded or captured.

The true horror that day occurred when the subsequent waves of soldiers proceeded up the beach and they came across the wounded. Terrible wounds that caused many men to scream out, to call out -not so much calling for God to help them but for their mothers. Mother, Mother, Mother. It haunted many soldiers after hearing the call for Mother because in the delirium of excruciating pain most men would call for their mother’s care.

Don’t you think mothers hold the highest human relationship position; that mothers are the most important love a child has. Just ask the late-teens and twenty-year-old soldiers lying wounded on Juno Beach.

When I started to date Marilyn, my mother reminded me of the importance of mothers by saying; ‘don’t forget your first love.’

So, all you mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers I want to praise you today on this Mother’s Day for who you are: MOMS, mothers par excellence, our first love, our most tender caregiver, the binder of our wounds, the one whom we would seek out when we skinned our knees, or had some kind of ‘ouhie’. Mothers who gave of themselves so often at great cost and exhaustion. We thank you soooo much.

You, mothers, felt your children’s pain and struggles most dearly and if I could speak to my mother once more (and I will in heaven) I would say three things:

Oh Mom, I’m sorry

Mom, thank you so much

I praise you for being my mom and praise God that He gave you to me as my mom.

My praise to my mother always turns back to praising God for my Mom.

We turn the praise back to God because God made you and gave you to us -you’re a gift from God to us -praise Him

If you are a mom, a grandmother or even a great grandmother, and I would also include in this -step mothers, new mothers, older refined mothers and possibly -mothers-to-be -please know this; thank you, keep on keeping on -MOM. The road isn’t easy, keep at it – keep your hope up by keeping your faith strong in the Lord. Hope in the final outcome of your children is firmly held in your faith in an ever-faithful God.

They say a women’s work is never done but I think the truer statement is this -A mother’s work is never done.

Q for moms -Is your load too heavy, is it too busy?

Know this from the Lord -it will be worth it all one day, moms.

Q for moms -Has your faith weakened to the point you can’t see tomorrow with hope? One has to look past the current to the tomorrow in faith, trusting in our caring sovereign God -the One who holds tomorrow.

Some of you mothers feel like you messed up, that you failed too many times, and now you think -I’ve ruined it. It’s not too late to come back home, it’s never too late to get back on track, to come back to Jesus. It’s not too late for you and it’s not to late for your living children. It’s not over with God, the last chapter of your life isn’t done and it can be a good and wonderful chapter with Jesus directing you, answering your prayers for you and your children. Don’t give up now, don’t give in to the common lies of defeat, of uselessness and of failure. The Jesus I know, and follow is a miracle worker, a rescuer of the defeated and restorer of relations and the grandest giver of real life and sustaining hope.

What about you, Mom, Mother?

As I looked into the Bible I found myself asking this question over and over again -What about you Mom, how are you handling Motherhood? And then I recalled a scripture verse about a mother who ‘pondered all these things (motherhood) in her heart. It was Mary, Mother Mary, mother of Jesus, mother of the son of God). As an example to mothers, I ask the question of Mary, what about you, Mary?

In Luke 1 Mary is told she is pregnant (virgin, not married but favored)

26 …, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most-High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. …

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

-acceptance of God’s will, submission to God’s will, faith that God would do what He said.

-despite circumstance, virgin, unmarried, the future🡪 yes

Motherhood does not have a known future and this requires you to accept God’s direction and future, to submit in your heart to God’s direction and future and you need active faith to trust God.

In Luke 2 Mary gives birth to her child, Jesus

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things (in her heart) and pondered them in her heart.

Mothers are heart thinkers, the deepest of all type of thinking where one thinks with their mind (logic) with their hearts (emotions) and where one thinks with faith.

What ever God has said to you, mothers (all of us) ponder what God has said to you in your heart, trust God in all circumstances.

And then in John 19 Mother Mary sees her child, Jesus, die.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved (John) standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman (Mom), here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Unlike the wounded soldiers on the Normandy beach who cried out for their moms, Jesus didn’t cry out in His wounds but rather Jesus called out to His mother in caring love and took care of her.

Yes, Jesus saw His mother from the cross and even now Jesus sees you and Jesus calls out to you. And know this, just like Jesus cared for His own Mother, Jesus will take care of you now.

So like Mary, mothers -accept and submit to God’s call to be a mother, ponder God’s Words to you and know that God will take care of you forever.