Mothering Sunday – 22nd March 2020

‘And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 
(Luke 2:33-35)

When my children were little they would sometimes wake up from a bad dream. I would comfort them; assure them that they were alright; that would be enough. A cuddle, a few words, and they would fall asleep again. A dream was only a dream, not reality. There were no real monsters under the bed, and mummy and daddy were close by, fighting whatever tried to upset or threaten; always winning. I have memories of my own parents like that, too. Of my mum, dressing my knee when I had chafed it playing outside, drying my tears and sending me off to play again. On Mothering Sunday, we have the tradition of returning to ‘Mother Church’: visiting our home church, our roots, visiting mothers and being with family. The cards and messages that we send, the flowers, the meals and treats; they all say, ‘thank you’ for the goodness we have received. And the church service always has a special part in which posies are handed out to all the women present and who remind us of the nurturing quality of God. A lovely moment of a symbolic gesture, in which we refer back to God, who ‘as a mother’ puts his arms around us and carries us through life. This year, though, will be different. I don’t need to explain: many people are self-isolating and the churches have no public services to go to. No posies, therefore, and no special songs and prayers. For those families who can meet and spend time together, there may still be special moments of joy, with a gift of flowers and a card. For others, though, it may be quite difficult not being able to be with family. Or perhaps they never had the care of a nurturing mother. The church service would have helped but we cannot meet like that now. So, we have to ask God to meet with us in a different way. After all, he has given us his Son so that we may have life. When Mary brought Jesus to the Temple as a baby, she was told that ‘a sword would pierce her own soul’. She had also heard the angel say that Jesus would be the Saviour of the world. Joy and pain would go together; a difficult balance! How does it work, then, in our lives, at this time especially, when we are faced with a threat that we cannot even see? How does God hold us, and how can we be a family of faith? Jesus spoke these words, when he looked upon Jerusalem: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, […] How often have I desired to gather your children together like a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!’ (Matthew 23:37). Firstly, we may need to be honest about ourselves, to let go of anything that hinders and that makes us turn in on ourselves, like selfishness and pride. Secondly, we need to allow God to hold us and to help us move from fear to faith. We may be separated in space, but we can be close in community.
There is hope in love. Amen.

Astrid