Sermon Lent 4 Mothering Sunday

Today is one of the truly great occasions in the Church calendar (after some of the other important ones like Christmas and Easter of course). Today is a day when the Church is speaking the same language as the community. We are here to remember the importance of Motherhood and how Mothers have had an impact on all our lives – it is unavoidable.

And happy is the young ordinand who is assessed preaching on Mothering Sunday. For those who panic in the pulpit (and we have all been there at some point) the sermon material for today is usually along the lines of the classic three-point sermon.

The three-point sermon revolves around the THREE MOTHERS; Blessed Mary, Mother of our Lord; Mother Church, and our own mothers. Links and analogies are drawn, and the sermon is preached. All leave church, remembering the message, and can wait to hear it again, next year.

In a fit of madness, I have chosen to ignore the age-old tradition of preaching the three MOTHERS on MOTHERING SUNDAY, and have taken the potentially disastrous course of preaching on what I think the readings for today are telling us about MOTHERHOOD.

Today, I am going to concentrate on the task of being ‘MOTHER’, and how the task brings us closer to God, by serving others. A task so important, that the health of any community, or even nation, depends on MOTHERS, and the task they perform.

The word Mother is a noun, but it is also a verb, to mother. It seems strange that today, an important day in the church, we primarily remember those who have offspring. If you care for others, and give of their time and energy to make sure that they are safe and secure, this is your day.

The task of a MOTHER is to bind together the family or community with love. And because of this, they are close to God. BUT more than that, they are sharing the grace of God with others. Wouldn’t it be great if ALL mothers were like that ALL of the time! But the fact is that the above job description is almost impossible. It is something to work towards.

There is no BADGE for being a MOTHER, it is a role, or a task. You are identified, not by you outward appearance, but by your love for those who trust you to care for them. You are also identified by your ability to perform unnatural tasks – loving those who frustrate you, and forgiving them again and again for the terrible things they do!

In that sense, it is the best and worst job in the world.

Taken to it’s conclusion, this means that in one sense, to be a MOTHER is to be LIKE CHRIST to SOMEONE. To give endless compassion, forgiveness, kindness and patience; and to KEEP giving without promise of reward – but even more than that. To keep giving with the certainty of pain and personal sorrow. Perhaps this is why Mothering Sunday is so close to Holy Week when we remember the journey of Jesus to the cross.

So MOTHER is a verb. It is a doing word. In this context the meaning is not constrained to describe WOMEN who have their own biological CHILDREN, it is for all who show the love of God to others, with no prospect of earthly reward.

This is not to say that I am trying to hijack ‘motherhood’ for those who do not have children – I am however saying that when we mother. We are making a statement about out faith in each other, and we are working hard so that others might reach their potential.

In the Gospel reading we hear of Jesus speaking from the cross to two of the people who haven’t run away scared. Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” With those words Jesus, is asking John to care for his mother, but also for Mary to care for John – there is a need to care for others, and mothers need to be able to Mother.

Mothering - It is something that is more about ACTIONS than merely BEING. It is something to be proud of, because it is IMPORTANT. No family, community or nation can survive without people acting in a MOTHERLY way.

So, I suppose, that is it! I haven’t talked about the THREE MOTHERS – I resisted the temptation to preach the classic sermon. Perhaps next year.

Go into the world and be as a MOTHER to those you meet. Expect no reward, other than the comfort of the FACT that you have shared the Grace of God with them. You have brought some GRACE to a world that is crying out for it.