Wednesday 17 March 2010

Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is the name given to the fourth Sunday in Lent. It has also been known as Refreshment Sunday, Pudding Pie Sunday (!) and mid-Lent Simnel Sunday. Over past centuries it was the Sunday when you went back to the church in which you were baptised ie. your mother church. The service last month as part of our Jubilee celebrations to which we invited those baptised, confirmed or married at St. Martin’s celebrated the same event. The connection with mothers came from the fact that children in service would visit their mother church and also their family on that day, possibly taking a gift. One such gift was a Simnel cake (which we now associate more with Easter). A Simnel cake is a fruit cake topped with marzipan and eleven marzipan balls representing the twelve apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Jesus.

Mothering Sunday has now taken on the character of the American Mother’s Day. It is a good opportunity to reflect on the role our mothers play in our lives and to spoil them! That, of course, gives rise to all the cards, chocolates, flowers and other gifts that are marketed for us to give our mothers.

Mothers give us our roots. They accept us and love us just as we are. We can hug them, cry on their shoulder and totally rely on them in the good times and the not-so-good. The same can be said for members of our church family. God also accepts us just as we are, nurtures and nourishes us. We may reject him but he is always there for us. Just like our mothers.

Liz Dunthorne