It’s apt that today’s object on Mothering Sunday is ‘family photos’. The Bible passage is Matthew 12:46-50, where Jesus talks about family, reminding us that ‘whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’

Family photos are a way of reminding us of special occasions and special people; my daughter-in-law trained in photography and so I have come to appreciate the joys of photoshoots where my grandchildren – who grow so quickly! – can be captured in time. As Gordon Giles says, the camera is ‘a mirror with a memory.’ (‘At Home In Lent’, P 106) For some people, families are a source of great pride and joy; for others, there is pain involved in the memories as relationships fragment or there is sadness because of the loss of family members. Mothering Sunday can be both a joyful occasion of celebration and a time of great pain and sadness, either because of an inability to have children or because of estrangement or bereavement.

In this passage, we see Jesus redefining what is meant by family, linking it to our connection to God even more than the blood ties which we usually use to define family. Gordon Giles speaks of ‘new bonds of connectedness that are based not on kinship but on common purpose, affection or service.’ (‘At Home In Lent’, P 105) Being a Christian means being connected to other believers in ways that are powerful and rewarding (as well as challenging!)

Today’s household object is the invisible but immensely useful electricity, and our Bible passage is Matthew 14:15-33, where Jesus walks on water in a storm and encourages Peter to do the same.

Electricity is another double-edged sword, so to speak, providing us with heat and light which fuel our everyday modern lives, but it has the potential to be deadly. The single phase electric power that runs through our walls carries alternating current between the power grid and the household, and is usually earthed to prevent damage from lightning. Circuit breakers and fuses are there to protect us from power surges or other problems. We often take these things for granted, but this is another example of something being a good servant when used wisely and a bad master!

Electricity is powerful but invisible, and reminds us that we can’t always see God or His power. Peter had to take a step of faith when he got out of the boat and started to walk on water, based on the fact he had seen Jesus do the same. When he took his eyes off Jesus, doubt resurfaced and he began to sink. It can be hard at times to believe in the power of God when we can’t see what He is doing.

Gordon Giles comments that ‘what we all need when we are sinking, or when the fuses are blown, is a renewed encounter, in the heart of the storm, with our Lord Jesus, the spiritual electrician of our buffeted souls. His call and His hand of help are offered and outstretched amid the short circuits of despair and the raging waters of self-doubt.’ (‘At Home In Lent’, P 102)

Today’s household object is the kettle and our Bible passage for today is Isaiah 64:1-5.

I was thirteen years old when I realised that the kettle I had taken for granted all my life was not ubiquitous. We were on a holiday to France, my first time abroad, and staying in self-catering accommodation, I discovered that kettles were not available. There were many things that were unfamiliar to me during that holiday (including dunking croissants in hot chocolate drunk from bowls, not mugs!), but I still find the kettle an indispensable part of cooking.

Kettles are used, of course, to boil water – boiling water which can cook food for us or can make cups of tea! By and large, the kettle is a safe way of doing this (though I have managed to burn myself on occasions when my hand hasn’t been steady enough in the pouring process!) Boiling water produces steam which can be used to sterilise needles or bottles, but of course, steam can hurt us too. There is a danger involved with this process!

Similarly, Isaiah shows us that God is both loving and to be feared, someone before whom we rightly quake. He is not to be trifled with. Love and judgment go hand in hand, which is what we see at the cross. God’s love was the motivating force behind sending Jesus to save the world, but the wrath of God had to be fully satisfied by a perfect, sinless offering for sin. If we don’t quake a little at the enormity of Easter, perhaps we haven’t fully grasped what it’s all about.

Today at our Parent & Toddler group we are celebrating World Book Day by dressing up as favourite book characters and by having an opportunity to buy quality children’s books from Scholastic Books. We don’t meet on Thursdays and couldn’t celebrate on the ‘proper’ day, so it’s happening today… which is also International Women’s Day. Sunday is Mothering Sunday in the UK, so there’s a plethora of ‘celebrations’ to choose from!

Generally I get a bit tired of these ‘special’ days’, seeing commercialism and money-making as the chief reason behind them. I don’t believe people should be celebrated on just one day a year when their contributions to life are just as valid as on other days, nor do I like the pressure on people to conform, to fit in, and to do so by spending money!

So please come along today as you are – you’re welcome whether you’re in fancy dress or not, whether you buy any books or not, whether you’re a Mum, Dad, Grandma or any other relative or carer. You’re just welcome, as are your children.

We think you’re wonderful, and most importantly, so does God. So come and enjoy the fun, but don’t worry if today’s not ‘special’ for you or you’re running on empty. Don’t worry if your children have been screaming since 4 a.m. and you just want to run away. Come and let us fill you up with toast and drinks and a place to chat.

:Looking after children is a thankless job. It’s full-on, demanding, never has a pay rise and has working conditions that would never meet the requirements of any employment tribunal. It’s relentless, repetitive and mostly routine – but it’s also the most important and rewarding job in the world (albeit with rewards you won’t see for about twenty years if you’re lucky.) We get it. It’s why Parent & Toddler groups exist – to share the load! Come along today between 9 and 11 a.m. We might even have buns and flowers to remind you that you really are special!

Today’s household object is the fridge-freezer and our Bible passage is Luke 12:16-21.

Not only do I remember the coal fire in my grandparents’ house, I also remember the pantry, a large long room which was always cold, so as to keep food fresh. In the days before fridge-freezers, the pantry was essential for preservation of food; my grandmother used to shop daily because it was impossible to keep food fresh all week. Nowadays, with the arrival of the fridge-freezer, we can keep and store food for months at a time, which greatly helps to reduce our workload.

Like the rich man in this parable, we in the West have an abundance of food and can store food for long periods of time. This is not the case in many other countries, and even in England, there are those who struggle to have enough food to live a week at a time, with food banks being used to help people who are struggling in this area. We do well to reflect on our abundance and to think of ways to use what we have to help others rather than simply accumulating more ourselves. God is concerned about justice and commands us to be generous towards the needy. We need to practise generosity, and not simply see our possessions as serving us.