SERMONS & SERMON – LECTIONARY RESOURCES MOTHER’S DAY – MOTHERING SUNDAY
The Origins of Mother’s Day in the United States of America
Mother’s Day as we know it in the 21st Century originated in the United States of America. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. President Wilson established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.”
A form of Mother’s Day was first suggested in 1870, during the American Civil War, by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the lyrics to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”). She called for an assembly of women “to bewail and commerate the dead” and to “take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace.” (Julia Ward Howe 1870 Mother’s Day Proclamation) Julia Ward Howe organized a number of annual gatherings in Boston beginning in 1872. Mrs Anna Reeves Jarvis likewise was involved in the peace movement and called for a special day in which prayers for mothers and for their children would be offered along with prayers for peace and non-violent solutions for disputes between nations. In 1907 Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis, took up the torch. Her campaign led directly to President’s Wilson’s establishment of Mother’s Day and gave rise to the tradition of distributing carnations on Mother’s Day.
Mothering Sunday
A special day to express love and reverence for mothers is not entirely new. In England, since at least the 17th Century, the Fourth Sunday of Lent was known as “Mothering Sunday”. It was a day when mothers were honoured. Servants who worked and normally resided in the homes of the wealthy were given the day off and encouraged to return to their homes and spend time with their mothers. A tradition arose involving the baking of special type of fruit cake, known as Simnel Cake, which would be shared both at home and at various gatherings. (The Fourth Sunday of Lent, complete with the very same cake, was also observed in some places as “Laetare (Rejoice/Refresh) Sunday”, the predecessor of our modern “Laughter” or Holy Humour Sunday.) There appears to be no direct connnection between Mothering Sunday and Mother’s Day.
Difficulties With Mother’s Day
It is worth noting here that Anna Jarvis became disillusioned with how Mother’s Day evolved, and in particular with the commercialization of the holiday. Jarvis “filed a lawsuit in 1923 to stop a Mother’s Day festival and was actually arrested for disturbing the peace when she protested the sale of carnations to raise money for a war mother’s convention. Jarvis told reporters shortly before her death at age 84 that she was sorry she had ever started Mother’s Day.” (cited from a PRCL note by the Rev. Alice W. Erickson, United Church of Christ, Glouster, MA, 2005)
Since 1914 many countries have either officially or unofficially adopted the observance of Mothers’ Day (For example Australia, Belguim, Finland and Holland have all adopted the second sunday of May as Mother’s Day). This has placed pressure on the Church to recognise and observe Mother’s Day in its proclamation of the Word and in its Worship and Prayer. Phil Ware reflects on on the some of the pastoral and theological issues involved in celebrating Mother’s (and Father’s) Day in his article titled A Complicated Joy. We recommend this article for those struggling with what it means to lift up parents in a society where many children experience the pain of separation, divorce, parental abuse and so forth.
Some churches, such as the United Church of Canada, have responded to the pastoral issues that can be raised by the celebration of “Mother’s Day” by designated the Second Sunday of May as “Christian Family Sunday” and enouraging its members to try to avoid the commercial and sentimental excesses of Mother’s Day. (In North America Mothers Day is the busiest and most profitable celebration for flower shops and restaurant owners). Because of those excesses other churches have attempted to ignore Mother’s Day completely. Our own approach is to use the occasion as a chance to meet the people of the church at the point where they live with the Word that tells us how to live and which speaks to us about “honouring our mothers and fathers”.
Ideas For Celebrating Mother’s Day
Arrange to pass out carnations to every woman present, with red for those whose mother is still living and white for those whose mother’s have died. Alternately a carnation might be passed out all persons present to denote their remembering of their mothers. One might also honour with a corsage the oldest mother present in the congregation, the newest mother, and the mother who has travelled the farthest to be present with her family (one might also highlight the family group who has travelled the farthest to be with their mother or grandmother.
Stan Duncan (2005) writes: “I have a bulletin insert about the anti-war origins of Mothers Day. During the service I often say, everyone who has ever had a mother stand up. They all laugh and most shouffle to their feet. Then I say, “some of us are mothers, some are not; some are fathers, some are not. But, good or ill, good relationship or bad, all of us would not be here without them. On at least this day, if not others, we should all honor those who birthed us and brought us into the world….etc.” I also send out mothers day cards to the middle aged non-mothers in our congregation, saying something like, “Mothering is not an act of biology. Bless you and thank you for “mothering the children in our church school (or some similar task they perform); we wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Arrange to have the children of the congregation sing a song during the worship – perhaps one that focuses on living in peace or the spreading of love.
Preach on the lectionary texts for the day. The Word of God is active and alive. As you preach the texts be aware that people are expecting some kind of message for Mother’s Day and do not be afraid to relate the texts to the pastoral occcasion. One can also make good use of the children’s time and the pastoral prayer to address people where they are at.
Don Hoffman (Chreston Christian Church, Washington, 2005) writes: It’s important to acknowledge both the good and the bad experiences people have in relation to motherhood, or you end up not talking about the elephant in the living room…. At the very least in the pastoral prayer I try to list all the positive and negative experiences. Quick list off the top of my head: Those whose mothers were abusive, neglectful, addicted, or who enabled fathers like this. Those who grew up in single-parent families, or who never got the chance to know a mother/father. Those who have not been able, for whatever reason, to form adult relationships with their parents. Those who wish they could become parents but can’t. Those waiting/wishing to adopt. Those fortunate enough to have adoptive parents who loved them. Children of blended families with step-parents. Those who had an abortion long ago and now feel bad about it. (Look, I’m neither pro nor con on the “abortion issue,” but how can we not acknowledge that there are people on both sides who are in pain?) Those who never had an opportunity to become mothers. Those who have had to “mother” their own elderly, crippled, or demented parents. There’s bound to be a bunch I left out. There should be two messages: 1) the person sitting next to you may have had a different experience of what mothering is all about than you’ve had; 2) the church (and God) intends to validate whatever experience you may have had, but also to hold up an ideal Christian family life which every one of us can only partially achieve, but should aspire to.
Remember in the prayer time those whose mother has died and those mother’s who have lost one or more of their children to death.
If you are celebrating Mothering Sunday (the 4th of Lent) in the tradition of the Anglican / Episcopal Church bake a simmel cake. Bake one anyway if you are celebrating on the Second Sunday of May.
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Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
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