Mothering Sunday

When I was a teacher, I used to have an anxiety dream that consisted of turning up to a class without having prepared a lesson. Now, as a curate, my anxiety dream predictably involves turning up to preach without having written a sermon. I had one of these dreams the Saturday before Mothering Sunday. Why? Not because I hadn’t written my sermon but because we weren’t going to be giving out posies!

Now, I am aware that for some people Mothering Sunday is all about giving and receiving posies, but I am also aware of how hard many people find Mothering Sunday. Whilst doing research into this topic at Wycliffe Hall, I encountered this, and many other similar sentiments: ‘On Mother’s day I mourn my mother’s untimely death. On Mother’s Day I grieve my inability to bear children. On Mother’s Day I need the comfort, strength and challenge of my faith – as well as the company of believers. On Mother’s Day I will not attend Church.’

It seemed to me that the most appropriate, and inclusive way to celebrate Mothering Sunday was to thank those who ‘mother’ us – a caring role that doesn’t depend on gender or on being a parent. A great deal of mothering goes on within St Mary’s and yet there is not always the opportunity to say thank you.

We spent Saturday afternoon making 180 chocolate parcels (that’s another story), so that gifts were available for the congregation to collect in the middle of the service, before presenting it as a thank you gift to someone else. This process I found greatly moving. The children came up first, followed closely by a swarm of adults many of whom told me as they collected the gift who it was for. ‘These are for my two daughters’, ‘I’m giving this to someone who has no children’, ‘I want to thank my husband for taking care of me’ were just some of the comments made.

From my vantage point at the front of church I then witnessed lovely encounters between various people – people giving and receiving thanks. Perhaps the most moving exchange happened right at the end when a father of two made his way to the front of church where Mark (the vicar) was standing, to give him a gift to thank him for the mothering Mark does for all of us. At the end of the service there was a fantastic atmosphere of love, support and unity as people, regardless of their own personal circumstances had been affirmed, encouraged and thanked. It was a great way to celebrate Mothering Sunday.