Mother's Day post-Covid

 

Cake for Mother's Day

On Saturday there was a memorial service at SPPC. We celebrated a sister in Christ, a mother, a grandmother and a friend. On Sunday, we marked Mother's Day. The juxtaposition of these two services may seem odd but they were in fact complementary.

On Saturday we heard of a woman who loved and was loved by her family. She offered them fun and adventure, wisdom and nurture, encouragement and discipline -- sometimes at the end of a wooden spoon. Despite the tales of pranks and mishaps the important  memories were those of a happy family and their mother. It was an uplifting service. One to honour a woman of faith.

There are many mothers mentioned in the Bible, --Hannah, Rebekah, Naomi, Elizabeth -- but two stand out to me. 

• Sarah, who laughed at God's promise, and became the mother of a nation in her old age. Genesis 21. 
• Mary, the teenager, who bowed her head and declared "be it unto me according to Thy word," and became the mother of Jesus. Luke 1: 26-38. Despite living in a patriarchal society, these women were chosen to be instruments of God.

Scripture also uses maternal metaphors to describe God. In Hosea 13:8 God is described with the fierceness of a mother bear defending her cubs. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke we find the reference to a mother hen gathering her chicks beneath her wings, sheltering them from danger, keeping them warm on a cold night. 

While the Presbyterian Church in Canada recognizes the second Sunday of  May as Christian Family Day, a more inclusive concept, we all know it is really Mother's Day. We offer special prayers for mothers and others who fill that role. Those who nurture the young and care for the sick and elderly. Those who guide and teach and give of themselves. Those who pray for peace in the world. 

So, the service of remembrance for a beloved mother held so close to Mother's Day is fitting. May God bless all mothers and all families, especially those who are missing their mom this week.