Mothering Sunday 22 March 2020
Sermon by Revd Caroline Risdon

Readings: Exodus 2.1-10; John 19.25b-27

Today we are celebrating Mothering Sunday - a chance for us to think about all the people who have cared for us and to give thanks for them, but to focus particularly on the women in our lives.

In the Church season of Lent we hear a lot from the prophet Isaiah - about God coming to us in the person of Jesus and about how we should live as Christian people. One of the things Isaiah says about God is

‘The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.’

Now we all know that naming is one of the first things our parents do for us. So, with this sentence from Isaiah, God is showing what type of relationship he wants with us. That of a parent and child; that of intimate family.

And our Bible readings give us some clues about the different ways in which God loves us.

In the reading from Exodus, Pharaoh decides that all young Hebrew boys should be killed. This was his way of controlling the Israelites and em, but to focus particularly on the women in our lives.

In the Church season of Lent we hear a lot from the prophet Isaiah - about God coming to us in the person of Jesus and about how we should live as Christian people. One of the things Isaiah says about God is

‘The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.’

Now we all know that naming is one of the first things our parents do for us. So, with this sentence from Isaiah, God is showing what type of relationship he wants with us. That of a parent and child; that of intimate family.

And our Bible readings give us some clues about the different ways in which God loves us.

In the reading from Exodus, Pharaoh decides that all young Hebrew boys should be killed. This was his way of controlling the Israelites and making them fear him. So a nameless mother hides her baby for as long as she could - she tried to nurse him and look after him so that he would survive. When it was impossible to hide him anymore, she built a basket for him and set him into the water near the palace and sent his sister to ensure he came to no danger. The daughter of Pharaoh finds him in the river and takes pity on him and decides to care for him as her own son.

So here we have two examples of women who mother us - the ones who give birth to us; and the ones who nurture us and tend to us even though they are not related to us. In this story both are spoken of equally and, although they offered different types of love to Moses, both are vital to his survival and to guiding him to be the man he became.

I’m sure we all have stories like that - women we have known throughout our lives who have formed us in some way and helped us to be who we are. When I read or listen to this story, I think there are actually three main characters the two women; and God, who made it all possible.

Similarly, in our Gospel reading, Jesus, who is God here on earth, makes it possible for Mary and the disciple to become each other’s family. When Jesus is dying, he looks at the woman who gave birth to him and wants to take care of her. Here is Mary, who said yes when the Angel Gabriel announced she would give birth to Jesus, despite the fact that she may have ended up a social outcast. Mary, who travels miles to end up giving birth in a smelly and dirty stable; who flees that same stable to protect her son. Mary and Joseph become refugees in order for their family to survive. Mary has been with Jesus all of his life and is there for every awful moment of his death.

As with many celebrations, some things have a piercing quality - we are celebrating mothering and there are many people who can’t be mothers or parents for many reasons; there are many people who have had extremely difficult relationships with their mother or parents. We are celebrating mothering in a week where our country is shutting down all but the most essential services and activities due to the risk of Coronavirus. It is extraordinarily sad that we cannot be together physically at church. But this mix is not new or unusual for Christians. Indeed the shape of our faith brings together the sadness and despair of Good Friday, with the joy and delight of Easter.

And I suppose in these two stories - the story of Moses and the two women who mothered him; and in the story of Jesus, Mary and the disciple, we see all of these aspects of love together. The hurt and pain and suffering along with the pride and joy and happiness. This is, for me, perhaps the most telling reflection of God’s love for us - the One who loved us into being and named us before we were born; is also alongside us all of our lives, no matter how awful some of our experiences will be; and is there to meet us face to face when we die. Amen