Greetings, EM family,
First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all mothers at CBCGL a happy and healthy “Mother’s Day!”
Amid social distancing and gathering bans, the token of appreciation will have to take a rain check.
PC: unsplash.com; PC: goodhousekeeping.com
Many quotes are praising about mothers; here, we have a few:
“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts a lifetime.”
“Life does not come with a manual; it comes with a mother.”
“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” By Honore de Balzac (1799 – 1850).
There are many stories of motherhood in the Bible. Well known ones such as Sarah, the mother of Isaac; Rebekah, the mother of Esau and Jacob; Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; and Mary, the mother of Jesus, our Savior.
These mothers left their footprints in the Bible and showed the world what a mother would do for their children. But there was one not so famous. Her sons died in revenge for their father’s violence against the Gibeonites. Her name was Rizpah. The name appeared in the Bible only four times. She was King Saul’s concubine, a status lower than being a wife. Her two sons were given to the Gibeonites by King David in light of three successive years of famine (2 Samuel 21). Her son was put to death by the Gibeonites, on the first days of the barley harvest. According to the Bible,
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night.
(2 Samuel 21:10, ESV)
In just one simple verse, it described a lot about the love of a mother!
PC: womeninthebible.net by George Becker
Starting from May 2014, God gave me a chance to work remotely in Taiwan and accompany my mother for a year before she passed away. In the last three month of her life, she spent most of them in the hospice of a hospital. I was allowed to stay there with her. Every time she woke up and saw me, she always asked and wanted to know if I had taken good care of myself. Every time! Until she was no longer able to communicate. I was then reminded by God’s promise:
15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
(Isaiah 49:15, ESV)
My mother went to be with the Lord just a few days before Mother’s Day of 2015. Here is a link to the story I wrote and published in the magazine Oversea Campus in 2017. It was written in Chinese, in remembrance of the great opportunity that God had given my mother and me. May He receive all the glory!
Don’t forget to say “Happy Mother’s Day!” to your mothers!
Announcement:
- Friday Night’s Bible Study is ON. We will continue to study the book of Romans lesson 5. You may dial in or login via your phone or personal computer:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Dial-in from your phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
- This Sunday, Mrs. Priscilla Lee will be sharing God’s word with us:
- Live stream Youtube: http://cbcgl.org/resources/live-stream/
- Title: Loving Your Family in Challenging Times
- Text: Romans 12:10-21.
- Coworker reminder:
- Sunday bulletin: http://cbcgl.org/ministries/english-ministry/em-weekly-bulletin/
- EM Sunday School
Topic: CBCGL EM Sunday Alpha Class
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 403767 (This is the new password)
Dial-in from your phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
YAs Sunday School (via Microsoft Teams)
Bible study signup sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H0oSS1kpU8JUZAv0JcmivEIzR-tvDtihkrEtBLE8tJo/edit?usp=sharing
- The ladies’ fellowship is hosting a Zoom conference this coming Sunday (05/24/2020) at 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
Speaker: Minister Hongmei.
Topic: Do not be afraid; just believe
Time: May 24, 2020, 02:00 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://uml.zoom.us/j/6173331717
Meeting ID: 617 333 1717
- All other announcement items can be found here.
Prayer Request:
- We have composed a prayer list. You may enter yours here:
Happy Mother’s Day & Blessings,
Jeremy