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Dearly Beloved,

Calvin & Hobbes Mother’s Day

When our son was young, he loved to read Calvin & Hobbes. When we traveled, he would be in the back seat with a comic book, and every few minutes we would hear a good laugh behind us. 

There is a Mother’s Day comic in which Calvin is in fine form. Calvin is pictured standing by his mother’s bed. "Hey, Mom! Wake up. I made you a Mother’s Day card." 

"My, how sweet of you," she says. 

"I did it all by myself. Go ahead & read it."

She begins to read: "I was going to buy a card with hearts of pink & red. 
But then I thought I’d rather spend the money on me instead. 
It’s awfully hard to buy things when one’s allowance is so small. 
So I guess you’re pretty lucky I got you anything at all. 
Happy Mother’s Day. There, I’ve said it. Now I’m done. 
So how about getting out of bed & fixing breakfast for your son." 

Signed, "Calvin."

"I’m deeply moved," said his mother.

"Did you notice the part about my allowance?" Calvin asks.

I hope your Mom will not have a Calvin & Hobbes Mother’s Day.

Several times in God’s word, we are admonished to “encourage one another.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11-12, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.”

On Mother’s Day, we think specifically about encouraging and building up mothers. Mothers do so much. Most moms are wonderful and deserve to be honoured. That’s great, but it is not just mothers who need encouragement. We all do. This is why the Bible says, “encourage one another.” As we read in these verses, to encourage is to build others up. 

One of the prominent Christian leaders in the book of Acts is Barnabas. Did you know Barnabas was not really his name? Acts 4:36 mentions Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, meaning "son of encouragement." Joseph was such an encourager that others nicknamed him “son of encouragement.” Consider some of the ways Barnabas encouraged others:

In Acts 9, we find that the apostles were reluctant to welcome Saul, later called Paul. They knew Saul had been a persecutor of believers, so they kept their distance. Barnabas took Saul and brought him to the apostles (verse 27). He told them how Saul, on his journey, had seen the Lord, and how in Damascus Paul had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. Barnabas assured the apostles of God’s mighty working in Saul and helped him gain acceptance. Barnabas saw the good in others. The result was that the church grew and the gospel advanced.

In Acts 11, we read that people became believers in Antioch. The church in Jerusalem heard about it. They wanted to strengthen and help the church in Antioch. What did they do? They sent Barnabas to Antioch. They were confident Barnabas would encourage the new believers and help them grow in faith. In verses 23-24, Barnabas was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

Barnabas realized the new believers needed more teaching, so he went and got Saul to come help with this new ministry opportunity. Barnabas was experiencing great success, yet rather than try to protect his ministry leadership, he found a more gifted person to become the primary leader. After building up the church in Antioch, the Holy Spirit, through the church, sent Paul and Barnabas out as missionaries. They were a team, yet it was Paul first. 

When Paul and Barnabas planned to go on a second missionary journey, they got into a serious conflict (Acts 15:26-41) over whether to take John Mark with them. Paul didn’t want to take him because Mark had abandoned them on their first trip. Barnabas believed in Mark and wanted to give him a second chance, which Barnabas did and it turned out well. Barnabas believed in others, even after they had failed.

One of our church values is 127, taken from Genesis 1:27. You can read in our Vision booklet how 127 stands for valuing people. When we encourage others, we show that we value them. I urge you to encourage your mother this Mother’s Day. More than that, I urge you to encourage the others in your life. Support those in need, give others a second chance, and consider Jesus’ Gospel purposes through others, even if it means you will get less recognition.

Be a Barnabas!

Pastor Lorne