Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK and Mark spoke this morning at Cherry Tree Court on Mary, the mother of Jesus. To be chosen to be the mother of God’s Son was an immense privilege for Mary, but her reaction to the angelic announcement (Luke 1:26-38) gives us an indication of her suitability for this role in her acceptance of God’s will for her life. She gave birth to her son not in a clean hospital, but in a smelly stable, with Jesus laid in a manger (Luke 2:6-14). Later, she was forced to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution, but in all of this, she pondered what she learned and stored the amazing things she saw and heard – being visited by shepherds and wise men bringing highly significant gifts, for example – in her heart.
When Jesus was twelve, he was lost in the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Luke 2:39-52), being left behind, unbeknown to Mary. She must have been frantic with worry in the time it took to discover his whereabouts, but again, his response left her pondering his words. Later, at the start of his ministry, she knew enough of her son to realise that he was truly special, and in the wedding at Cana, she demonstrated a trust in him which must have stunned all who were there. (John 2:1-12) Mary’s confidence in her son’s ability to meet the need at the wedding – even before his miraculous ministry had started – resulted from the many amazing happenings in his childhood which she had pondered and stored in her heart.
UItimately, every one of us owes our existence to our parents and we should honour our mothers on this day if we can. As mothers, however, we need to allow our children to mature and become adults, building them up so that they too can go into the world and do amazing things for God. Our role in supporting and helping our children must not be ignored, but we need to allow them the freedom to fulfil their own God-given destinies.
