Sermon

Mothering Sunday Sermon

Luke 2: 22 – 35

A 102 year old lady was asked if she had any worries. Her reply, ‘No! Not now I have got my youngest son into an old people’s home’. I guess parents never stop worrying about their children. However, sometimes it’s the children that worry about their parents and the things they do. As 10 year old Taylia once said: ‘When your mum is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair!’ And 13 year old Alyesha also learnt one of life’s lessons: ‘When you get a bad grade at school, show it to your Mum when she’s on the phone!’

Today is ‘Mothering Sunday’, which has absolutely nothing to do with the American festival known as ‘Mother’s Day’. Our festival arose from the fact that many people in England used to worship at their nearest Parish Church (the ‘daughter church’), but would return to their home church once a year. Hence, centuries ago in the middle of Lent, people felt it important to make an annual trip to their ‘mother’ church (often the Cathedral or central Church for the area). Our traditional festival dates back to the 16th century, when there were very few holidays, and children as young as 10 were at work away from home. They would be given the day off on the middle Sunday in Lent to visit their mothers and family. Girls who were ‘in service’ would bake a cake to show their mothers their new skills. Traditionally this would be a ‘Simnel Cake’. What’s more, as they walked home across the country, they would gather violets and other wild flowers to give to their mums as a gift, and also to take to church.

Nowadays, Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent. Today has become a day for Christians to give thanks for the care of the Church, and to reflect on God’s loving nature. It’s also a time for most people to express thanks to mothers and those who have shown mothering qualities towards them. And as people remember, that remembering takes them back in years to children and how they have grown. ‘Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.’ So parents remember wondering what their child would grow up to be and do. As time has gone by we’ve discovered that being a parent is a mixture of highs and lows – joys and sorrows. It seems to me that whenever anyone truly loves, they experience moments of pure joy, and also times of pain and heartache. Human relationships are never easy and being a mother, or father, is not simple. To love is hard work. It means making ourselves vulnerable in self-giving – emotionally sharing in the lives of others.

I wonder what Mary’s thoughts were for Jesus as a child? What were her hopes and dreams? These are natural reflections of any mother at such a time. And there’s no doubt that Mary had a great influence on her son too! I’d like us to notice the contrasts mentioned towards the end of our Gospel lesson - joys and sorrows: verse 34: ‘Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,’ verse 35: Despite Mary’s joy – Simeon spoke of sorrow like a ‘… sword will pierce your own soul too.’ Verse 32 & 35: ‘… a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel … so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed’. Just as life is full of highs and lows, so the Gospel is full of contrasts and choices: Judgement and Salvation; Darkness and Light; Suffering and Healing; Falsehood and Truth; Evil and Good; Hell and Heaven; Death and Resurrection: Sorrow and Joy! And so I could go on!

Throughout his life, Jesus constantly presents us with choices and challenges. But also, we see that once we’ve made those choices, following him will involve a spiritual, physical and emotional struggle. Joy and pain - just as Jesus experienced himself. We see that God, with the characteristics of a good mother, will help us through these times: 2 Corinthians 1:4-7 - ‘ … who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.’

Love and joy; sorrow and heartache. Today is often a day of mixed feelings for many people. It may be that some haven’t been given the opportunity, or ability to become mothers themselves; some may have lost children, or are estranged from them; some may be weighed down with worry about children or parents; some may be estranged from parents, or still feel the pain of the death of a mother. Life is like this – a mixture of sorrow and joy. Life is a mixed bag, but through it all, Jesus offers us hope. For the Jesus that lay dead in Mary’s arms was to triumphantly rise again. Well, if you are going through tough times and you are finding this mothering Sunday hard, remember the two hands of Mary ‘love’ and ‘sadness’, and remember the hope of future joy as well as sorrow. For God bears many characteristics of motherhood, as well as fatherhood.

On Mothering Sunday, remember his love and care for you, his precious child; that he shares your joy and pain; that he is there to embrace you with his loving and healing arm; and that he can give the strength that you need on your journey of faith. Remember too that he can bring new life into the world; that he can release us and our communities to discover life in all it’s fullness as we surrender ourselves to him; that he also offers us the hope of eternal life!

The 102 year old woman I mentioned at the beginning of this service, worried for her son. How much more, does our heavenly parent, God, worry about us. Throughout our pilgrimage of faith, through the good times and the tough times, his love is from everlasting to everlasting! He doesn’t promise us an easy life, for we can never expect anything different from the experience of the Lord Jesus we follow. Nevertheless, he does promise to be with us! All we need to do, is turn towards him ‘through all the changing scenes of life’. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:7:‘And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.’ Amen.