Sunday 14 March, Mothering Sunday +++ The Lord delivers

Psalm34.11-20│1 Samuel 1.20-28│2 Corinthians 1.3-7│Luke2.33-35  

Psaumes 34.11-20|1 Samuel 1.20-28|2 Corinthiens 1.3-7 |Luc 2.33-35

 

The Lord delivers

The Ghent Altarpiece: Virgin Mary (detail) by Jan van Eyck, c. 1390-1441, Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent (Gent)

  Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork, 

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15883715

 

We chose this Psalm because of the phrase in verse 18 "The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." This simple phrase speaks powerfully to us when we think about our own experiences of broken-heartedness.

Over the years as individuals and as a married couple, we have had several occasions of feeling deeply broken-hearted. Whether it has been grieving over the divorce of parents, of physical pain and trauma, of the journey of addiction and recovery, or more recently working through difficulties in our own marriage this phrase has rung out to us. That God says He is "close" or "near" to those who have broken hearts. Each of us (Megan and Isaac) have our own unique faith journeys with our own ups and downs and experiences of strengthened or weakened faith, but we do have in common the shared experience of having our faith grow and having our devotion renewed through God's presence in our suffering - when we felt the most "crushed in spirit." 

During this Lent season, we find ourselves on a journey together, living in a new country and walking our children through many big changes in their lives, all while this global pandemic continues to rage on. Our prayer today as we parent our children is that they also might have this experience of knowing God's nearness to them even in times of troubles. Thanks be to God for His promise that "though we have many troubles, He delivers us from them all."

 

Megan and Isaac Wardell

 

Editor’s note: Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although it's often called Mothers' Day it has no connection with the festivals of that name celebrated outside the U.K..

Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.

Today it is a day when children give presents, flowers, and home-made cards to their mothers.

Most Sundays in the year churchgoers in England worship at their nearest parish or 'daughter church'.

Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or 'mother' church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their 'mother' church - the main church or cathedral of the area.

Inevitably the return to the 'mother' church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home for work once they were ten years old.)

And most historians think that it was the return to the 'Mother' church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family.

As they walked along the country lanes, children would pick wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift.

[From https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion]