prepared by Ros Hancock – 30th March 2025
Welcome to this sacred time. As we come together, one family wherever and whoever we are, we remember that God is with us as our Father, our Mother and our host and guest: listening to us and speaking to us, receiving from us and giving to us, intimately knowing us and yet still loving us. We offer, through our worship, all that we have been, all that we are and all that, in God, we shall be. Amen
Prayers: Creator God, words cannot express our wonder at the beauty and extravagance of all that you have made. The span of every human generation is too short to describe the works of your hand. We find ourselves amazed at the depth and breadth of your love for us, your children. The story of your saving love is miraculous and full of mystery, The generosity of your grace is shown in the life of your son, Jesus Christ. We adore you and offer you our worship. Amen.
As a mother cares for her children, God cares for us. We confess that at times we have taken that care for granted. We have trusted in our own strength. We have turned away from God’s love. In quietness we remember before God the times when in thought, word and deed, we have failed to reflect God’s nurturing mother love to the world………………………….. Even when we have travelled away from God’s care, God is waiting, ready to run and meet us, ready to gather us up under his wing, with love and consolation. Know in your hearts that your sins are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer………
Reading 1: Luke 2, 33 – 36 Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what Simeon said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Many Jews will fall and many will rise because of this boy. He will be a sign from God that some will not accept. So the secret thoughts of many will be made known. And the things that happen will be painful for you—like a sword cutting through your heart.”
Reflection:
Mother’s Day can be a difficult day – a day filled with emotions – bittersweet emotions. We all have or have had Mothers but not all of them were as loving and kind as we might have longed for. Some of us are mothers, and if we are, we inevitably find that motherhood is not always a bed of roses. There are also many who have, for whatever reason, not had children of their own, or may have lost children – through death or estrangement.
Mary, in the bible reading we have heard; was certainly going through bittersweet emotions. The presentation at the Temple, which was an obligation all Jews were required to do and included giving a sacrificial offering, was a joyous occasion – even Simeon seemed to be delighted to see and hold this particular child in his arms – but the words he spoke to Mary were shocking. Mary’s pride and joy became mixed with troubling concern as she continued to ponder these words throughout the flight into Egypt to escape from Herod’s wrath, throughout their time living as refugees and throughout the childhood about which we know so little. I wonder if it came back to her when Jesus was lost in Jerusalem at the age of 12, and if there were other moments when she thought, or hoped that the moment had happened and was now passed. They would certainly have come back to her like a bolt from the blue when, in the words of Graham Kendrick – “against the darkening sky, the son she loved was lifted high”. Luke, in telling this story, weaves a dark thread into bright tapestry of hope that the Christmas story brings. Simeon speaks wonderfully of the saving nature of Jesus but goes on to speak of the price that both Mary and Jesus must pay. That dissonance is something we are of course all living with at the moment – we know the joy of faith and togetherness, but are having to live with restrictions that are affecting our relationships and ability to
Mother’s Day brings up so many emotions for so many people – those who long for children but are unable for whatever reason to have them; those who have lost their Mothers or indeed a child; those whose relationship with their Mothers or their child are difficult, those who felt wounded rather than cherished by their Mother; and those who are going through a difficult time with a child – teenage words yelled in anger and doors slammed! Yes – Mother’s Day is certainly bittersweet. For those of us who are lucky enough to have been blessed with children, one of the amazing things is imagining what sort of a person they will become as they grow up, and of course Mary, more than most had reason to believe that her son would really make a difference in the world. She, as we, had been given the responsibility to help him grow up to be the person God intended him to be…..but of course that’s not just the job of Mothers – and Mother’s Day isn’t just about Mothers – It’s Mothering Sunday, which we’ll read about next.
Hymn: StF72 Father God I wonder
| Father God, I wonder how I managed to exist without the knowledge of your parenthood and your loving care. But now I am your child, I am adopted in your family, and I can never be alone ’cause, Father God, you’re there beside me. | I will sing your praises, I will sing your praises, I will sing your praises forever more. I will sing your praises, I will sing your praises, I will sing your praises forever more. Ian Smale |
Reading 2: Colossians 3, 12 – 17
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful. Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.
Talk: Although we have talked a bit about Mothers, I really want to say that in the church what we really celebrate is Mothering Sunday.
It is thought that one of the origins of Mothering Sunday is that young people in service, or apprenticed were allowed a day off at this time of year and would return home to their mothers and to attend their mother church. As food was often scarce with the summer crops yet to arrive, winter stores mostly used up, flowers would be gathered from the hedgerows and, if ingredients could be found a Simnel cake would be baked for what was also sometimes called ‘refreshment Sunday’ – a day’s respite from the strict lentern fast. Mother’s Day, however, was invented in America after the civil war, by Anna Jarvis, to celebrate Mothers who had brought up children alone with fathers or sons lost or away in the war. The woman who invented it quickly became appalled at the commercialisation of the day and spent all her money campaigning against it!
Mothering is a verb – a doing word, and all of us can and should mother. In our second reading, from Colossians, we heard a list of qualities that, as Christians, we should display – compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and forgiveness…. Many of those characteristics are also found in the dictionary as synonymous with mothering, and we all – men and women, children and adults are all called to develop and show them.
I heard, only yesterday of a lady called Sybil Phoenix who came to our country from Guyana in the 50’s, in response to a call by our government to help out after the war. Being a black woman, she was not universally welcomed but she settled in Lewisham, married and raised a family; she became a foster mother to over 100 children. She created a youth club for black children not always welcomed into existing youth clubs but it was burnt down. She became the go to person by the police and social workers when young black people got into trouble with the police and was called to the New-cross House fire in 1961 when 13 young black people died, and comforted the community when racism was thought to be the cause. A Methodist Local Preacher, she is now in her 90’s and remains an inspiration.
As I said earlier – one of the things that Mothers think about- especially when they first have children, is what those children will be like as they grow up. Will they change the world? Will they be caring? Will they be kind? And…maybe more to the point, how can we help them to become those people? That is where we can all come in – where we can all mother, by listening, supporting and just being there for anyone who comes to us in need – by offering prayer and support. All these are examples of mothering which we can and do all do whether or not we are biological mothers, whether or not we are even women. When my older children were small, I don’t think I could have managed without the care and help I received from members of this church, who mothered me through both difficult and happy times. One in particular was always ready to invite me in for a cup of tea when I landed on her doorstep! She wasn’t my mum, she was far too young to be my mum, and she didn’t need to be. I don’t expect she ever thought of her help and friendship in those terms, but she and her family welcomed our family into their family.
And of course, at the other end of life, as we become older – there are more opportunities for mothering. Caring for elderly parents or older members of our church family are all opportunities to mother – a word almost synonymous with caring! Those who are pastoral visitors, those who run, lead or help at Day- care, Babes and Tots and House-groups, or offer prayer for those in difficulty all have a mothering role and we celebrate them all on this Mothering Sunday. The only thing we sometimes need to remember is that is only takes one extra letter to turn mothering into smothering!… And that is certainly not what Paul had in mind when he wrote this letter to the Colossians. In our efforts to mother, we must bear in mind that when we love, a prerequisite of mothering, we must also be ready to let go. Hannah gave birth to Samuel after many long years of praying for a child but was willing to give Samuel up to God, Abraham too had prayed for a child and when he had Isaac was willing to sacrifice him on God’s altar, although we will never know whether Sara was aware of this! Jochebed had to abandon Moses to the river to save his life; and of course – we go back to Mary who after going through a teenage, unmarried pregnancy, fleeing to Egypt and spending 2 years effectively in exile as a refugee still, ultimately, had to give her son up for God’s purpose. The children in our midst grow up and move on; that’s part of the point of parenting: to enable the developing independence that allows an adult life.
Mothering then, (just as for a biological mother), can also be bittersweet. When people no longer need the help we may have given we must rejoice with them; when they move away with new work, to be closer to family or professional care or go off to University, we support or celebrate with them. Being a family in all its ups and downs is what we’re all called to do, and it is bittersweet! So, as we celebrate this Mothering Sunday together with our Mother Church, we share the good and the bad: we grieve with those who mourn, we rejoice with those who celebrate, we care for those who are ill, we support those who are in need, we forgive those who may hurt us, and, to enable it all to happen we share God’s love with each other. Amen
Prayers of thanks and intercession:
Father, Mother God, as we come before you in prayer this morning, we know that, just as we need mothers, we can all mother. We thank you for all those who, over the years have shown your loving care to us. Without their care we know we would not be the people we are today.
Help us all to be the caring, compassionate, kind, forgiving people that you have called us to be.
We think this morning of all those who find this day so difficult – The abused and neglected; those who have longed to be biological mothers but have not had that privilege; those who have had to give a child up for adoption, or have an abortion; those who have lost children through miscarriage, still birth, or later in life; single parents trying to be both mother and father; and those who are struggling with motherhood for whatever reason, those who never wanted to be mothers and those who have lost their mothers. We ask Lord that you hold them all in your loving arms, showing them the love and understanding that they need.
We pray for all those who have a mothering role in life or support parents and families – God-parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, carers, foster carers, mentors, teachers, midwives, health visitors and social workers. Reassure them of their value Lord, and show us how we can support them.
Lord Jesus, we think of parents across the world who have no resources to feed their children due to war, poverty, draught or famine. Be with the charities and organisations that help, and show us how we can support with our own resources – using money, petitions and prayer. Guide governments and world leaders to work towards a more equal society where all are treated well and have enough of what they need.
Finally, we pray for those we know and love. We pray for all those from our own church family who are grieving, those who are ill and those who are struggling. Show us Lord how we can show your ‘mother love’ to them as we seek to grow more like you, in your journey towards the cross this Lent. In Jesus name Amen
| Hymn: StF615 Let love be real, in giving and receiving Let love be real, in giving and receiving, without the need to manage and to own; a haven free from posing and pretending, where every weakness may be safely known. Give me your hand, along the desert pathway, give me your love wherever we may go. As God loves us, so let us love each other: with no demands, just open hands and space to grow. 2 Let love be real, not grasping or confining, that strange embrace that holds yet sets us free; that helps us face the risk of truly living, and makes us brave to be what we might be. Give me your strength when all my words are weakness; give me your love in spite of all you know. 3 Let love be real, with no manipulation, no secret wish to harness or control; let us accept each other’s incompleteness, and share the joy of learning to be whole. Give me your hope through dreams and disappointments; give me your trust when all my failings show As God loves us, so let us love each other: with no demands, just open hands and space to grow. Wright, Paul Leddington |
Blessing: As a hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, so God longs to gather her children together. Know that you are loved with the intimate love of a nursing Mother. Know that you are saved with the passionate love of the caring daughter. Know that you are blessed with the inspiring love of the gentle spirit. Go in the peace of God. Amen
