Mother’s Day
30th March 2025
Sian Binley, Ordinand
I’d like to begin by acknowledging that Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day, may not be an easy day or a celebration for everyone. So, if you are here in spite of Mothering Sunday being painful – God hears you, if you are here to celebrate and affirm positive experiences of mothering – God hears you too.
I remember hanging in my Nan’s kitchen as I was growing up, a wooden plaque that said;
“God could not be everywhere, so He created Mother’s”
We could argue the theology on that, but I think we can see the sentiment that is there.
And I can still hear my Nan, when she wanted you to come and do something….either in her sing song voice “Si an” or….. in her Suffolk accent, “Come you ere girl”
Mothers, and Grandmothers, have a way of leaving their mark on us, I hope for everyone a good mark, as they have fed and clothed us, taught us to read and write, shown us how to make and bake and in some cases, like my Mum, put up shelves and lay carpet and they’ve no doubt also left us with some wonderful turns of phrase and stories to tell! “Come you ere girl”
God’s love also leaves an imprint on our hearts and when we look closely, we can see God mothering us too. Not only by loving us and guiding us but by protecting us as well.
He is often in the Bible, described as a mother bird protecting her young.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by. (Ps. 57:1)
Jesus even looks at Jerusalem and longs to protect them like a mother bird in Matthew 23.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!.. How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.
And even though God is often described as male, as a father, as a king in the Old Testament drawing on the cultural experiences of men as protectors of the home. Have you ever seen a female bird defend its nest?
Hawks have the ferocity to see off bears if their nest is disturbed. A 4 pound bird has the ability to send a 400 pound bear running for its life. You can see it on the internet. When a bear disturbs the tree where a hawk nest is, the mother hawk in a protective frenzy swoops down and claws the bears back. The bear runs yelping as the hawk continues to fly down, dive-bombing it. It’s incredible. The hawk chases off an animal 100 times its size in order to protect it’s young.
And we can be confident that that is how God will fight for us when we are in trouble.
How often do we think the things that are attacking us are too big? And how often do we forget that God will fight for us?
Mums also fight for their children, physically and spiritually. Mums want to protect their children with every ounce of their being and God does that for us too. He is fighting for us right now and always.
“Mum’s and God fighting for us”
Now as well as protecting us God, is loving us and guiding us but, to bring us back to the wooden plaque hanging in my Nan’s kitchen, we could say he made mum’s his extra pairs of hands on earth, to show us his love, for example:
My mum told me that I didn’t sleep for about a year after I was born, and I cried a lot!. She took me to the doctor, but he said physically I was fine. Can you imagine the worry and frustration she must have felt. Then one night I didn’t wake her and my Dad up in the night, so she, like most mothers probably would be, was scared to go into my room. My Mum and Dad found I was perfectly fine but until that day, my Mum had not had a full night’s sleep for a year. Can you imagine the patience, the perseverance and devotion that must take. That is the same patience, perseverance, and devotion God has for us and He gave each of us someone here physically, in the form of a Mum, to do a lot of this for Him here in person.
He also needed Mums though for His plan for us to keep moving forward and there are some impressive mothers in the bible. Let’s look at :
Sarah the wife of Abraham. Sarah is one of the great matriarchs of the Bible—she didn’t become a mother until a lot later in life. In fact, her reaction to God’s promise that she would have a son was to laugh, this is recorded in Genesis 18. But, she did give birth to a son, and her lineage would include Jesus Christ himself.
The plan moving forward.
Hannah
Hannah is one of the most inspiring mothers in the Bible, although her story is less well-known. Despite years of patience and prayer, she remained unable to have a child. One day when she was feeling really down she prayed —and God answered her prayer at last. But Hannah truly shone when, in gratitude to God, she dedicated her newborn son to His service. Her son would one day become one of Israel’s greatest prophets. Samuel.
The plan moving forward.
Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin
Elizabeth was a godly woman who was, and I quote, “righteous in the sight of God, and observed all the Lord’s commands” and yet she and her husband were unable to conceive a child. She’s probably best known for her encouragement of the young (and probably frightened) Mary: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist.
The plan moving forward.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
I think, Mary is probably the most famous mother, who at a young age learned from an angel that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. Her song of praise in response, and the well-known events of Christ’s birth, are what usually spring to mind when we think of Mary. But her role as mother brought her grief as well as joy; we can only imagine what it must have been like for her to witness Jesus’ crucifixion.
We learn from these Mother’s God has given us, they show us how we can connect to Him through our Mothers but what can we possibly learn from Mary a woman who lived over 2000 years ago? Although Mary may have been a woman of few words in the Bible, we can still learn from her the following timeless tips:
Ask questions (Luke 1:34).
Say “yes” to God (Luke 1:38).
Praise God. (Luke 1:46-55).
Keep an eye on your preteen (Luke 2:48).
Appreciate the calamity of not having wine on hand (John 2:3).
Point others to Jesus (John 2:5).
Not bad advice from someone who lived so long ago! Especially the one about wine. There have been many Mum’s I’m sure who have wished there was wine in the house when they’ve finally managed to get a toddler to settle down to sleep or who collapses on the sofa having struggled to help with secondary school, or actually primary school maths and hearing from her child, “That’s not how the teacher told us to do it.”
Long ago, we were given direct access to this mother, Jesus’ mother Mary and her quiet but infinite knowledge base.
“Behold, your mother!” Jesus said to the disciple at the foot of the Cross (John 19:27). During those final moments of Jesus’s life, he gave us all the precious gift of his mother and from then on, we have been Mary’s adopted children and her words of wisdom can still be heard and used by all mothers.
Mary’s life as mother shows that she is there for it all — being part of normal conversations around the dinner table, bandaging a throbbing finger that’s been smacked by a hammer, hugging and smiling with joy at special occasions, meeting children’s new friends who are brought into the family circle, and standing firm at the foot of the cross.
Often, the response to our needs and wants is channeled through the people who become parts of our life. We can see Mary’s touch and wisdom demonstrated in the actions and words of our own earthly mothers and our friends. The phrase “It takes a village” describes how we each bring our skills and knowledge base to others to help raise children and support communities, and mothers are everywhere if we look around. Not just biological mothers but those who teach, care and guide. Motherhood is woven into the very fabric of creation, and Mary’s village includes a multitude of women from ancient times to the modern day who share knowledge and ideas about how to grow closer to God.
As we think about the impact of the mothers in the bible, our own mothers, and the women who have been a motherly role at different times in our life, Mary’s last recorded words in the Bible sum up all of the wisdom and advice that seek to point us to Jesus: Her command, “Do whatever he tells you,” is brilliant in its brevity and full in its loving promise.
And as we reflect on this Mothering Sunday, let us cherish our mothers, whether they are with us in person or in spirit, and recognize the divine love they mirror. Let us also acknowledge the many women in our lives who mother us in different ways, pointing us to God’s care and nurturing our hearts.
I’d like to leave you with some lovely lines from the chalice hymnal #14
Womb of Life, and Source of Being, home of every restless heart,
in your arms the worlds awakened; you have loved us from the start.
We your children, gather 'round you at the table you prepare.
Sharing stories, tears and laughter, we are nurtured by your care.
(Chalice Hymnal, #14).
And so as we go forth with our days;
May you cherish your earthly mothers, and those with motherly roles, as a gift from God that points us to his perfect love.
May you know that God loves you like the perfect mother, who cares for you and protects you and may we honour our mothers and receive from God, His nurturing care so that we might find rest for our restless heart.
Amen.