Dear Friends, I ended up having one of those days...one of those very long days filled with meetings.
I am not preaching this week, since I have Sunday off as the start of my Study Leave. Please discuss amongst yourselves...will you preach on Mother's Day? If so, what will you share with the body of Christ on that day?
Note: I will be at the "Festival of Homies" next week, and will be unable to post then, as well.
We already had mothers day over here in the UK I did preach, we had a wonderful time of outreach to the community through cafe church...take a look:
ReplyDeletehttp://sallysjourney.typepad.com/sallys_journey/2006/03/cafe_church_mot.html#comments
hope the meetings go well, and the study leave...
ReplyDeleteSally was that the service where you used the film clip from The Incredibles? I remember wishing I were doing something like that!
ReplyDeleteMother's Day is a trick bag at church. If you don't focus on it, some people are hurt, but how miserable ie does it feel for women who never were mothers, by choice or by circumstance?
During the years that we were sorrowing over infertility, I called local pastors to ask what they were going to do/say about women who couldn't have children. I'm sure they thought my calls were intrusive but I couldn't tolerate the idea of women like me who had to sit through worship feeling worse than ever about childlessness.
ReplyDeleteSurely, a mention in the pastoral prayer about "those who wish to be mothers" is possible. Then, what about birthmothers who've released their children for adoption? They are out there in the congregation, too. Thankgiving for their loving forsight is appropriate.
That's FORESIGHT.
ReplyDeleteI am preaching on the anniversaries of women's ordination in the presbyterian church (50 years for word and sacrament, 75 for elders, 100 for deacons).
ReplyDeleteOne year I mentioned every woman in my congregation by name and something/someone they took care of.
One of the perks of a smaller congregation. I don't think I could even pull that off here again.
I offer prayers on this day (and similarly on Father's Day) for those who provide mothering (fathering) care. And, I try to remember especially those mothers who are no longer with us.
ReplyDeleteI'm staring at the readings in front of me, and have no idea what i'm going to say. But, there is a nice blessing attributed to St. Clare in the ECUSA supplementary prayer book that I might try and use:
ReplyDelete"Live without fear, your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road and may God's blessing be with you always."
My own Mother's Day preaching story: When I was a seminary intern at Kinda Hoity Toity Church Across the Street from Seminary the pastor there (now a good friend) just hated to preach MD. He looked around the table at the preaching staff...and guess who was the only mother? Me. He didn't yet know my story, and my complications regarding all things mother, and I was so eager to please that I said, "Why yes, of course!"
ReplyDeleteBut I was determined to NOT preach a MD sermon. I think my telling him that was the moment when he decided I was a-okay. I preached instead the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Orpah. I tried to unpack all of the relationships in that story.
The title of the sermon was "Love Over Logic"-- how God's care for us in placing people in our lives who will care for us and nurture us (and vice-versa) sometimes defies logic. We find our mothers, our fathers, our partners, our children in ways that defy the logic of our dominant culture, just as the Incarnation and the Resurrection do. Instead they reflect Divine Love.
Even though it was about 150 sermons ago, (and a very early attempt at the Word) it remains one of my favorites.
Cheesehead, I like that!
ReplyDeleteI mention MD, but the sermon is never about mothers. It is about women in general, one way or another. Sometimes I try to bring understanding of a biblical woman, since we don't know much about them...Deborah, Huldah, Phoebe, etc.
Working on this weeks' sermon today. Not sure yet what it will be.
Ironically, I'm preaching from Isaiah 56 and Acts 8--the eunuch theme. So I'll be talking about how mothering/parenting is more than biology (some of the best nuturers aren't parents, and some of the worst are parents).
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, there are special issues in my congregation--some folks won't be contacting their parents for MD because their mothers don't want to know they exist; we have some mothers in the congregation; some folks have a great relationship with their parents; some want to be parents and are dealing with those difficulties. Like Songbird, we're all over the map! I'm doing my best to dela with all those spaces.
Or to DEAL with the different spaces people are in...
ReplyDeleteP.S. If anyone has ideas for youth ministry, specifically spanning the generations and helping them connect to church, please go comment to my post on this subject. It is very much on my heart.
ReplyDeleteI'm writing a longer post on Mother's Day Preaching, mostly about how my first sermon ever was on Mother's Day. It is not, however, posted yet.
ReplyDeleteI believe I am going to preach about inclusion and how hard it is sometimes to love the very people we are called to include, both in our churches and our families, so using 1 John and Acts. There is some good material in Seasons of the Spirit for a Prayers of the People that touches the various Mother's Day categories mentioned above, calling on the Mother and Father of us all to hear our prayers. I will probably use it in some form.
I would love to preach this Sunday. I have been thinking a lot about being a mother, and there is stuff I'd love to preach. However, I will sit in church and listen to my own pastor preach. And then I'll critique him.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, it is only through focusing on the hope of Easter that I am able to get through this month. Today would have been my grandmother's 97th birthday had she not passed away on Christmas Eve 2005. Also, 2 years ago yesterday (the 9th--on Mother's Day) was the day my other grandmother passed away. And then, I remember that my own pastor lost his mother in November 2005. I think there can be a lot of grief on Mother's Day that we should remember to address at some point. And that is besides the indifference that is sometimes shown to the other non-mother groups of women.
Maybe I am glad not to be preaching after all.
The Epistle and Gospel texts are very meaningful for me because when my mom first went in the hospital -- we were camped out eating supper in the ER of this large metro hospital because they didn't have a room available -- my pastor came to visit and give us Holy Communion. And he read one of the "abiding" passages in John's Gospel that he found in the little BCP I happened to have with me, and gave a little spontaneous homily beforehand, talking about the word "abide" -- how it means to make a home with. He talked about how, when we are in Christ and Christ in us, we can be anywhere -- anywhere, even in this strange city, in this strange room with strange people, filled with strange, beeping equipment -- and it's going to be okay...because Christ is right with us, and we're right with him.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about MD - as a mum and as a daughter. I'm rather glad our church mostly ignores it and that it isn't the focus of the preaching usually.
ReplyDeletewe have a visiting preacher this weekend (prophetic lady) so I'll tell you all about it next week.
I'm jealous of the festival of homies ... lucky ladies. We want pics and posts ok? (grin)
Like others have said, I've never focused on Mother's Day in my preaching, but I always weave it in somehow. Last year I alluded to it by asking how the church can be a mother, and the year before that I talked about God as a parent without focusing on either traditional parental role. This year I'm using the 1 John text and telling a story about one who acts as a mother to someone else as an illustration.
ReplyDeleteBut I think that Mother's Day is just too complex to preach a straight MD sermon.
I think I am not preaching about mother's day per say, but we will honor and bless the mothers in our church.
ReplyDeleteI feel with ST. Casserole having gone through infertility treatments and walking out of churches crying on Mother's day.
I plan to preach on the Acts passage, not sure the focus just yet. Can't even remember why I chose that passage originally. It had something to do with my series of goodbye sermons.
Hey, I am going to be in Atlanta for the festival of homiletics too. Not sure how I am going to pull it off, but am going to.
Jeff...wow...great minds think alike I guess, because year before last I talked about God as a Mother, and the year before I talked about the Church as a mother....so what are you doing this year? (wink) I decided to do a little church history highlighting women heroes of the faith, both in scripture and through the centuries.
ReplyDeletesongbird, yes that was the service, it was with a congregation who are thinking through the way forward, they challenge my thinking as much as I challenge theirs.. we are growing together!
ReplyDeleterevabi, look for an announcement here about a RevGal get-together. Reverend Mommy is making arrangements for it.
ReplyDeleteOh Goodie goodie, let me know. Can't wait for f2f time.
ReplyDelete