Mothers in Zion

Note: I was drafting this post before I went to work last night, but in my haste to leave, I did not save it. Woe is me…a wind storm blew in, the power went out, and I lost everything. So, I will try to capture my thoughts of yesterday…*sigh*


For several years now, whenever Mother’s Day rolls around, my mind goes to that of the Church Mother, and the role that women play in the Church.

We don't hear much about Church Mothers today, but I spent many years in the Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a predominantly African American Apostolic organization. In the COOLJC, as in most ‘Black churches’, there is what is known as the Mother's Board. It is usually made up of senior women and is designed for teaching and training the younger women (I Timothy 5:2; Titus 2:3-8). ‘Mother’ is used as a term of endearment and respect.

The wonderful thing about the role of ‘Mother’…it is not only age which qualifies. Though the Scriptures above refer specifically to the aged women, it is a fact that many times spiritual depth and wisdom can be seen in those younger, as well.

For example, we are not sure of her age, but Deborah was a Mother in Israel (Judges 5:7), who sat under a tree and gave wise counsel. Such was her wisdom that she was made a judge over Israel (Judges 4:4).

For the nay sayers…Deborah very well may have been made judge because there were no men that qualified, however, her gift of wisdom allowed that she was judge. Gender did not disqualify her from operating under the unction of the Holy One.

And so it is today. The Church is powerfully charged with women of worth…women who have risen above the traps and snares of the enemy to become Mothers in Zion. The obstacles of life have only served to make them stronger in faith and wise in judgment.

My mother was very young when she married and had four children…three more followed some years later. What I find remarkable is, though in those early years she had a home and four young’uns to care for, mom taught Sunday School, sang in the Adult Choir, directed the Junior Choir, and along with my daddy, was youth counselor.

When mom started the Junior Choir back in the ‘50s, it wasn’t a popular thing. I don’t mean she had opposition, just that children were kinda not used much on the platform, and save for the occasional special times, it just wasn’t done. Children's choirs were not the norm, as they seem to be today, and in Michigan I dare say our church set the pattern.

Mom put all she had into it, and didn’t let us go through the motions, either. She directed like we were the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir! We learned songs of depth…songs which have remained with us 50 years later. This is one of my favorites, written by Stuart Hamblin…

How big is God
How big and wide His vast domain
To try to tell, these lips can only start
He’s big enough to rule this mighty universe
Yet small enough to live within my heart

Mom taught us to listen to ourselves and those around us, as well as teaching us three-part harmony. That is why today, though the wind is about gone from me for singing, the ‘ear’ and the love of the ministry of the song have never left me. My mother took other people’s children, and her own, and gave us all the same precious gift of music!

She may never have thought of herself as a Mother of the Church, but as a friend once said, “One need not be a Leader to lead.”

It is a wonderful fact that women play a powerful role in the Church. While men do pray, and are commanded to do so (I Timothy 2:8), it is usually the women of the Church who are the prayer warriors.

Coupled with that, we hold up the hands of the pastor as he ministers the anointed Word. We labor, cleaning and cooking, seeing that the the necessities of life are met so that the Gospel can go forth.

We are givers and altar workers. We care for the children and tenderly show them the Way. We teach purity, loyalty and honesty... consistency in faithfulness...love for traditions and principles that have been the hallmark of sanctification.

What a privilege to be a woman in the Church!

As I end this Mother’s Day post, I would be remiss if I did not mention that pastor’s wives, regardless of age, are indeed Mothers of the Church. They may not be senior in age, but they are Mothers in Zion nonetheless.

My pastor’s wife is much younger than I, yet is held in our church, and elsewhere, with utmost respect and esteem for the godly example she presents and the Christian character she consistently displays. Her counsel is fair and just…her humility is genuine and true...the love she extends has no limit. This, and more, she learned seated at the feet of her dear mother.

As one uses a perfectly fit pattern to cut fine cloth, so these fine women of integrity, cut from the same cloth of holiness, have set a pattern for all to follow. By their example, we experience the ease of being fitly joined to the Word of truth.

The essence of this is captured in what some Catholic theologians call "a living rule." The idea is that if the Bible were destroyed, it could be recaptured by studying the behavior of a godly woman.

Today I honor Sister Renee Warman, and Sister Teresa Baker. They are the ‘real deal’, a true "living rule," and when I grow up, I want to be just like them!

So, to my mom; to Sister Warman and Sister B; to my dear friends, some who are pastor’s wives, some who are not; and to Mothers in Zion everywhere…

My prayer today is that you know that God sees your years of dedication and service and IS rewarding, and will CONTINUE to reward in kind. Your labor is not in vain, for the benefits of reaching for souls and giving when you didn’t feel like it, or when you weren’t sure you were up to the task, will pay off in the souls who will make it in because you prayed and gave. Sacrifice is never a wasted effort, not for us or for you.

May God bless you, women of God, on this Mother‘s Day…you are loved more than you know!