Before I get onto Mothering Sunday, I want to give you a quick update on my right eye and the
continued lack of heating at home. First, my right eye continues to remain stable. I do experience
an occasional dull eye ache, but it doesn't last too long. I am into the fifth week of a strong regi-
men of eye drops and steroids. I see the eye specialist on Friday down in Aberdeen. Second, my
heating situation has not changed since the Sunday before last. I still do not have central heating.
An engineer was here today to install a new water tank that burst, but the situation still is not re-
solved. He's coming back tomorrow with a necessary part. Hopefully tomorrow I will have cen-
tral heating. I am getting by on three space heaters to keep me warm. I am getting by ok.
This past Sunday was Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom. It is a special day that has
long been observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern
Ireland. Mothering Sunday has not only been an established Sunday in the Church, but is now
a special day in the wider society. Businesses especially take advantage of doing Mothering
Sunday promotions, although it is not as strongly developed as it is in the USA. There are var-
iations of observance of the day among churches and in society as a whole. However it is done,
Mothering Sunday is a special day in Scotland and mothers are honoured.
Last Sunday, Mothering Sunday, I asked the children about what God is like. They shrugged
their shoulders. Then I asked them about their moms and the response was very favourable. I
told them that God is like their mother. Their mothers gave birth to them, guide them, protect
them, comfort them, love them even when they do something bad..... I encouraged them to
always honour their moms, even when it is not Mothering Sunday. Then the children were
given carnations to hand out to all the women in the congregation. Later on, two elders and
myself made sure mothers of our congregation who were not there on Sunday got a flower
during the next few days. The feedback I got was that many women were touched by this.
My text for the day did not really deal with mothers directly: Genesis 1:26-31. My main idea
was that Motherhood is God's idea. God created men and women in God's image. Who God
is and what God is like is reflected through women and men. Mothers reflect to their children
in very simple, yet powerful ways who God is. The relationship between mother and child is
a primary relationship that we all experience. There certainly are bad relationships of mother
and her children; but generally it is a very beautiful and basic relationship that shapes our lives.
I pray to God my Father, yet I would never pray to God my Mother. It isn't like that at all. Yet
the love, tenderness and care expressed through mothers to their children is a powerful picture
of God's love, tenderness and care to us, God's children.
I ended the sermon noting how much I had been hearing about people making great efforts to
honour their mothers. In numerous conversations over the last few weeks I had been hearing in
many and different ways about adult children honouring their parents. It is right and proper that
children honour their mothers and fathers. Yet we all have the tendency to neglect our primary
love relationship with the Lord, our heavenly Father. Over the years I have witnessed the sad-
ness of several mothers who yearned for contact with their children. There was occasional con-
tact, but they did not have a warm relationship with their sons and daughters. A mother's love is
rich and lovely, but God's love is so unfathomably richer and lovelier; yet we avoid and neglect
our relationship with God. I encouraged the congregation to honour and love God to the same
extent that they honoured and loved their mothers. It seems that no mother is content with an oc-
casional contact with her children over the course of the year. our Lord Jesus calls us to daily
and intimate contact with him. I took the message to heart; I hope others in the congregations
did as well.
Blessings to you and yours,
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