BBC Radio Ulster
TFTD Sunday 10 th March 24
Mothering Sunday
So, today is Mother’s Day when cards are sent, when more restaurants are booked than any other time of the year and when mums are given a day off from washing the dishes!
In spite of the fact that no mum is perfect, it is right, and it is good that we take time to stop and say ‘Thank you’ to the one who nurtured, fed and cared for us over many years, often at great cost to themselves.
I heard a story about an adopted little girl who on Mother’s Day looked at her mummy tearfully and asked, “Why couldn’t I grow in your tummy like my brothers?” “Well,”, she replied, choking back her own tears “The doctor said I could no longer grow a baby in my tummy, so your daddy and I chose and adopted you instead”.
She held her breath and waited for the next more difficult question from her 4 year old child: – “Can I have some ice cream?” she asked.
“Of course you can” said her mum. “I’d just love to give you some ice cream.”
Mother’s Day is actually derived from a much older holy day called ‘Mothering Sunday’ when people took time to say thank-you to God for the
way in which they had been nurtured, fed and cared for by ‘mother church’. In spite of the fact that church is no more perfect than human mummies, it is right, and it is good that we take time to stop and express our appreciation for the self-sacrificial way God has, in the words of Ephesians 1
“In love he chose us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
It delights God then when his adopted children enjoy being part of his world-wide family called the church and trust him sufficiently to ask for good things: – even something as innocent as ice-cream!
Happy Mother’s Day!