prepared by Rev. Rosemary Mutopo – 15th March 2026
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
On this Mothering Sunday, we remember the love that nurtures us and the God who holds us in care. Even when we cannot gather with others, we are still part of God’s family.
Stf 120 – We Glady Celebrate and Praise
Opening Prayers
We come before God on this Mothering Sunday, rejoicing in the love that nurtures, protects, and guides us. We praise you, loving God, for your care that never fails. You are our refuge and strength, O Lord. You are like a mother who comforts her children, a shepherd who gathers them close. We thank you for the gift of family, for the warmth of friendship, and for your presence in our lives. We praise you, O God, for your endless love and tender care. Yet, O Lord, we know that we do not always reflect your love. We forget to care for those around us. We fail to speak words of kindness, to offer encouragement, to nurture the weak.
We hold grudges and allow pride to separate us from one another. Forgive us, Lord, for the times we have failed to love. Renew in us your Spirit of gentleness, compassion, and mercy. God’s love never abandons us. Hear the good news: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, restored, and made whole. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Please read the Gospel reading: John 19:25-27
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
STF 232: Through long years of watchful waiting
1 Through long years of watchful waiting
Simeon’s deep devotion shone:
gratefully the child he cradles,
humbly holds God’s Holy One;
rests content in life’s quiet evening,
now his Temple task is done.
2 So God’s age-long word of promise
in that place is realised;
his salvation now embodied
as a helpless infant cried;
hearing Simeon’s pointed blessing
Mary’s heart is crucified.
3 In the following years she watched him
as he pondered God’s intent;
in that teeming crowd she lost him,
as his searching way he went;
in her grief, the son she mothered
for the whole world’s need was spent.
4 As the end of Christ’s obedience
on that towering cross appears:
Mary watches with the women
as the soldiers swing their spears;
Simeon’s word she recollected,
and her love dissolved in tears.
5 In Christ’s death outside the city
God’s own heart is pierced with pain:
in this world’s unending conflict,
seeds of hope on earth remain;
in the light of patient servants
Christ’s self-giving lives again.
Thomas G. Wilkinson (b.1943)
Sermon
There is a story about a small boy who was starting school for the very first time. He had never been away from home before, and as his mother walked him to the classroom door, he held her hand tightly. When the teacher called him inside, he slowly let go and walked into the classroom. But just before sitting down, he turned around. He looked back at the door. His mother was still standing there. She smiled and waved. Only then did the little boy relax and take his seat. Later someone asked the child why he kept looking back. He said something simple but profound: “I just needed to see that my mum was still there.” There is something powerful about knowing someone is still there. Someone who stays. Someone who does not leave. Someone who stands with us. And that is what we see in our Gospel reading today. At the darkest moment in Jesus’ life, there is someone still there. Standing at the cross. His mother.
Today is also the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and in the Christian calendar this day has a special character. Lent is a season of reflection, repentance, and preparation as we move toward the cross. But Lent 4 is different. It is often called Mothering Sunday. Historically in the UK, this was the day when people returned to their “mother church”—the church where they had been baptised. Families gathered, communities reunited, and people remembered where they belonged. In the middle of Lent’s seriousness, this Sunday reminds us of something gentle and hopeful: We are not alone on this journey. We are held. We are nurtured. We belong. And that is exactly what we see in our Gospel reading. Our reading takes us to a painful place. Jesus is hanging on the cross. Many who followed him have disappeared. The crowds who once cheered are silent. The disciples have fled in fear. But the Gospel tells us: “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother.” Mary is still there. She is not running away. She is not hiding. She is standing. Imagine what that must have been like. To watch your child suffer. To see someone you love in pain and not be able to stop it. That is one of the deepest forms of human suffering. Yet Mary stays. Mothering love often looks like this. Quiet courage. Faithful presence. Standing even when the heart is breaking. Many of us know people like that. Mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, people who stayed with us through difficult seasons and people who held us when life was hard. Mothering is not just about giving birth. It is about nurturing, protecting, and standing with someone in love.
What is remarkable in this passage is that Jesus sees his mother. Jesus notices Mary. Think about this moment. Jesus is in unimaginable pain. Crucifixion victims struggled simply to breathe. Yet in the middle of his suffering, Jesus looks down and sees his mother. And he speaks. “Woman, here is your son.” Then he says to the disciple standing nearby: “Here is your mother.” Even in the shadow of death, Jesus is thinking about someone else. He is caring, providing and protecting. This tells us something beautiful about the heart of Christ. The cross is not only about sacrifice. It is also about love that notices, love that cares and love that refuses to forget. Something else is happening in this moment. Jesus is creating a new family. Mary and the beloved disciple are not related. Yet Jesus brings them together and entrusts them to one another. From that moment, the disciple takes Mary into his home. At the foot of the cross, a new community is born. This is what the church is meant to be, a family. Not simply people who attend the same building. But people who care for one another.
People who nurture and support each other. People who make sure that, like Mary, no one stands alone. Mothering Sunday reminds us that mothering is a calling shared by the whole church. We nurture faith. We encourage the weak. We care for the lonely. We create spaces where people feel loved and safe. Mothering Sunday also invites us to think about something deeper. The nurturing love we celebrate today reflects the very heart of God. Throughout scripture, God’s love is sometimes described in motherly ways. A love that comforts. A love that protects. A love that gathers people close. At the cross we see the depth of that love. God does not stand far away from human suffering. God enters it. In Jesus, God experiences pain, rejection, and death. And yet even there, love is still working. Love is still gathering people together. Love is still creating family. This is why Mothering Sunday sits right in the middle of Lent. Because Lent can feel heavy as we reflect on sin, think about sacrifice and move toward Good Friday. But Lent 4 reminds us that the journey toward the cross is held within the love of God. Even at the cross, love is present. Even in suffering, care is being given. Even in darkness, new life is beginning.
Today we give thanks for those who have mothered us. For mothers, grandmothers, guardians, teachers and friends. Church members who nurtured our faith. People who believed in us and stood by us. But Mothering Sunday can also be a difficult day. For some it carries grief. For others it carries complicated memories. For some it reminds us of those who are no longer with us. And that is why this Gospel reading is so important. Because it reminds us that at the cross we find a love that holds us all. A love that understands grief. A love that gathers us into a new family. A love that never abandons us. At the foot of the cross we see three things. A mother who stayed, a son who cared even in suffering and a new family created through love. That is the heart of the Gospel. Love that stays. Love that sees. Love that gathers. So today, on this Mothering Sunday in the middle of Lent, we remember that, the God revealed at the cross is a God whose love reaches for us first, stays with us always, and gathers us into a family that will never let us go. Amen.
Prayers of intercession
Let us pray for the needs of the world and for the people of God.We pray for mothers, grandmothers, guardians, and all who nurture children and young people. May they be strengthened in their care and encouraged in their service. We pray for those who are lonely, for those who long for family, and for those who cannot be with loved ones today. May they know your comfort and presence. We pray for families, that they may be places of love, understanding, and reconciliation. Guide them to reflect your nurturing care in their daily lives. We pray for our church family, that we may nurture one another in faith, hope, and love. Help us to be like Mary, standing faithfully with those in need, sharing your grace and compassion. We pray for the world, for all who are suffering, hungry, or in despair. May your love reach them through acts of kindness and through the care of others. We remember those who have died, especially mothers and carers, and all who shaped our lives with love. May they rest in your eternal embrace. Gracious God, you have listened to our prayers and know our hearts. Strengthen us to reflect your love in our families, communities, and world.
Silence is kept for some personal prayers…
Faithful God, you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and to give more than we can desire or deserve. Keep us steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and constant in love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
STF 647: God grant us words to speak
1 God grant us words to speak
when words are all we bear
to ease the pain that others feel
and show our loving care.
2 And grant us words to weave
an armour of the mind,
to keep us sane within the hurts
that torment humankind.
3 And help us lean upon
the only perfect Word,
whose tears and anger showed his love
for sinners whom he cured.
4 Even upon the Cross
his thoughts amid death’s strife
were for the ones whose pain he healed
by words of love and life.
5 Now we may grasp that sign
that is above all speech,
and struggle through the pain we feel
to own the hope we teach.
Alan Luff (b.1928)
Blessing
May the God who loves us like a caring parent hold you in peace.
May Christ who showed compassion from the cross walk beside you in every step.
And may the Holy Spirit fill your hearts with hope and love.
And the blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
