We are in our series, ‘Never Alone.’ Our goal is to remind you that whether you’re facing anxiety, depression, or broken relationships, you are never alone—first because God is with you, and second because your church family stands beside you.
Today, we’re leaning into a vital topic: Serious Health Issues.
Happy Mother’s Day! I am so glad you’re joining us. Today is a day of profound celebration for women.
We see you, we honor you, and we thank God for the way you reflect His heart to the world.
I want to start today by simply saying: we are never alone. Whether today is a day of great joy for you—filled with flowers and phone calls—or a day that feels a bit quiet…
I want you to remember a promise we find in the book of Matthew—that Jesus is the one who ‘takes up our infirmities and bears our diseases.’
He is a weight-lifter. And today, we’re going to look at what it looks like when He walks the marathon of life with us.
I know this day can hold both joy and quiet ache for many among us.
While I may not know every story in this room, I do know the God who stands in the center of them all.
For me, personally, Mother’s Day has been a journey of finding God’s “grace in the gaps.”
Let me explain: I have never birthed a biological child, and I know the quiet longing for what might have been.
And for many of us, the weight of this day comes because our own mothers—like mine, whom I loved so dearly—are celebrating in Heaven now.
My mom passed away five years ago this past Wednesday.
But God doesn’t wait for the road to be easy to show up. He shows up in the middle of the mess and turns it into a message.
I can say “I get it,” not to bring you down, but to lift you up to the One who understands.
That is why today, we celebrate every woman—the mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, and friends—the women who nurture dreams and build futures.
It is amazing how God fills our lives in ways we never expected.
I look around this room, and I see how God blesses me through your children and grandchildren.
From the little ones who run to wrap their arms around me, OR those who want to play tag or hide‑and‑seek after second service, TO the teenagers who come for a hug or ask me to pray with them — you have shared your families with me.
And the ballgames, plays, and band concerts I’m invited to…in those moments I see the Father’s love.
God was so faithful to me by bringing Thomas into my life, and through him, gifting me with my daughter, Melissa Vargo.
I share this because we often think the “weight” we carry disqualifies us. But I’ve learned that God uses the gaps in our lives as conduits for His grace.
Women, today we honor you.
Whether you have children of your own or have nurtured the souls of others, your love is a reflection of the Divine. You are seen. You are loved. And you are never alone.
[Matthew 8:14–15] “When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her…”
Notice where Jesus is here. He isn’t in the Temple or standing on a mountain; He is in a home. He is in the kitchen and the hallway.
For many of us, our ‘marathons’ aren’t run in public—they are run in the quiet of our living rooms, in the exhaustion of caregiving, or in the heat of a literal or metaphorical fever.
Peter’s mother-in-law didn’t have to go find Him; He came to her. He saw her physical exhaustion and He met her right where she was lying down.
If you feel ‘stuck in bed’ by the weight of life today, know that Jesus enters your house. He isn’t waiting for you to get well to visit you; He visits you to make you well.
[Matthew 8:17]: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases’”
The Greek word for ‘took up’ literally means to lift and carry away. He doesn’t just sympathize with your heavy load from a distance. He stands under the weight with you.
When you feel like the ‘backpack’ of your life is too heavy to take another step, remember this: Jesus isn’t just cheering from the sidelines of your marathon.
He is the one running next to you, offering His shoulder to lean on. He doesn’t just watch us; He carries us.
[Matthew 9:20–21] “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak…
Twelve years. That is a long marathon. For twelve years, this woman was ‘socially distanced’ before that was a term we knew.
She was exhausted, broken, and likely felt invisible. She didn’t want a scene; she just wanted a touch.
Sometimes we think we must have ‘big’ faith to get God’s attention. But this woman shows us that even a desperate, finger-tip faith is enough.
She reached out in the middle of a crowd, and though hundreds were pressing against Jesus, He felt her specific touch.
[Matthew 9:22] Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’”
I love that Jesus stops the whole parade for one person. He didn’t just heal her body; He restored her identity. He calls her ‘Daughter.’
To the world, she was a medical case. To the crowd, she was an interruption.
To Jesus, she was a Daughter.
On this Mother’s Day, some of you need to hear that word more than any other.
Before you are a mother, a caregiver, or a professional, you are a Daughter of the Most High.
You are seen, not just for what you do, but for whose you are.
To show us what this “Never Alone” life looks like in action, I’ve invited a dear friend who defines the word “Overcomer,” Sherri Morgan, to join me.
Thomas, please assist Sherri.
Sherri, thank you for being here. We first met back in 2012 at our Harrisonburg Campus. We’ve really done ‘life’ together.
Friends, long before Sherri received her own diagnosis, she was the hands and feet of Jesus to my own mother.
For the last six years of Mom’s life, as her world grew dark, Sherri was there—bringing flowers, reading, and sitting by her side.
Your journey is proof that His presence is greater than any prognosis.
Sherri, you are walking through a chapter where your own physical sight has faded, but your spiritual vision is clearer than ever.
You are here to show us that even when the path is hard to see, we are never alone.
Question 1: Sherri, I want to start at the beginning. Take us back to that day at the doctor’s office.
You went in for what you thought was a routine check, but you walked out with a report that changed your life forever.
What exactly did the doctor tell you that day, and what were the honest thoughts and fears that flooded your mind in that moment?
Question 2: From where you sit today, what is the one thing you’ve learned about God’s faithfulness that keeps you moving forward even when the path is hard to see?
Question 3: Sherri, we often talk about ‘faith’ as a BIG mountain-top concept, but you are living it out in the quiet, grit-your-teeth moments of every single day.
Whether it’s a Monday morning when the week feels long, or a Saturday when the house is quiet.
In those moments when you are simply trying to navigate your day, how do you practically ‘hold the Master’s hand’? What does His presence actually look like to you in the middle of a normal, difficult afternoon?
Question 4: If you could go back to that very first day—knowing what you know now—to that moment you sat in that doctor’s office and heard that report…
If you could lean in and tell that version of yourself just one thing about the road ahead and how God’s presence meant you were actually never alone… what would you say to her?
Sherri, you have shown us what it looks like to walk with the Master through your own darkness.
Your 14-year friendship is a gift to me. I love you, and I am so grateful for your openness today.
(Thomas please assist Sherri.)
WOW! Talk about the ‘Goodness of God!’ Let’s thank God for Sherri! What a powerful witness of His grace.
(Wait for the applause to settle)
Sherri’s story is a witness of a marathon. For every one of us, whatever your burden—a diagnosis, a struggle with a child, or a season of exhaustion—the promise remains: He is the Burden‑Bearer. (Pause)
I want us to move from ‘me’ to ‘us.’ Everyone, please stand if you’re able.
Reach out and place a hand on the shoulder of the person next to you.
If you see someone standing alone, please go and join them now.
We don’t want anyone left alone during this time. We are family.
Look at this — this is the Church! We aren’t just talking about miracles from 2,000 years ago; the miracle is standing right beside you.
When your eyes are tired, we will be your eyes. When your hands are heavy, we will lift them up for you. On the count of three, let’s declare the truth together…
I want us to make a declaration together… Four words we will all say out loud together: ‘We are not alone.’
Let’s say it so the person whose shoulder you are touching really hears it. On the count of three… one… two… three…
“WE ARE NOT ALONE!”
Matthew 8:17 says He ‘took up’ our weight. That means He unbuckles the heavy backpack you’ve been wearing and swings it onto His own shoulders.
The enemy wants you to feel isolated, but your struggle is exactly where Jesus meets you.
If you’re in a marathon and need a hand to hold, come now. I’ll be here; Pastor Jared will be in the back. Don’t leave today carrying alone what Jesus died to carry for you.
The band will play now. During this time you can come to the altars to pray, return to your seat and pray, or ask Pastor Jared or me to pray with you.
Please come now.
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As you leave this place, carry this truth: Isaiah 41:10 says, ‘I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’
You aren’t just holding His hand; He is holding you.
Go out in His strength, go out in His joy, and go out knowing that you are part of a family that loves you.
Happy Mother’s Day