Family Room: How I Met Your Mother

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Roy Christian Church

“Family Room.” This new series follows a pattern that was planted in me more than twenty years ago. Between Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day each year, sermons focus on family issues. God’s Word has a lot to say about families and to families. The challenge for me is to present it in some creative way.

Television has been influencing our society since its inception. A number of shows in the past have dealt with families, whether drama or sitcoms, or something else. A funny little idea about television shows last week is the lens through which we’ll be examining what God says about families for the next six weeks.

I’ve never watched the show, “How I Met Your Mother,” in fact I had to look it up to see what it was about. The frame of the show is set in the future, how a father explains to his children how he and their mother met and built a relationship, resulting in the family that they know. That idea is kind of cute and clever, but nothing uncommon. Just this past week, our own family asked questions to learn about how MeMaw Joan and Grandpa Lou met, dated, and were married.

The whole spark for this sermon series came about by reflecting on that conversation and the premise of that sitcom. If you were someone like King David, what would you tell your children about how you met their mom? Most of the stories surrounding David’s wives are sort of scandalous.

Before I go any farther, let me deal with a facet of scripture that just flashed across your brains . . . yes, David had more than one wife. The practice of polygamy or plural marriage was not uncommon in the Old Testament. It is something that God allowed, but it was never His plan or intention. He designed families from the beginning to begin with a man and a woman, bonded together. When we deviate from His plans and designs, God must work to bring the best possible good out of our rebellion and disobedience.

I have imagined David answering the questions of his son Solomon about how his parents met and began a relationship. It’s there in 2 Samuel 11. David couldn’t sleep, got up from his bed and was strolling around the palace. He noticed something on the neighbor’s home. A woman was bathing. He had to have her, sent for her, and took her away from her husband. The husband ended up a causalty of war, murder overed up bey a battle.

When he was confronted with his guilt and sin, David responded by writing down these words from Psalm 51 (verses 1-4, 7-12, 14-15).

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

What does any of this have to do with Mothers’ Day? Not much, and everything. Not everyone in here grew up with a perfect, godly mom. Not everyone had freshly baked cookies, or taxi-service to gymnastics and soccer and piano. For some, Mothers’ Day is a painful reminder of everything that Mom wasn’t, or of personal failures as a parent. This day can conjure up past mistakes, pain, and sin.

The music we’ve been singing this morning deals with the change that God can make in us. We’ve praised Him for the cleansing we have experienced because of Jesus.

David trusted that the Lord could and would forgive him of his sin. Consequences would still be faced, but the stain of sin would be washed away.