|
Dear San Marco Church Family: For many years, I have had the privilege of having a role in worship services on Mother’s Day. How to observe and celebrate Mother’s Day in church is tricky because people have a variety of experiences, both good and bad, regarding relationships with mothers and motherhood. For some, too many negative memories make it impossible to celebrate one’s mother. For others, remembering one’s mother brings up the grief of loss, either because of death or estrangement. For some women, the reality of not being able to have children makes it impossible to celebrate Mother’s Day. Finally, there are those mothers who have lost children and for them the pain of grief strikes especially hard. Over the years, I have found it is best to celebrate on Mother’s Day the best aspects of motherhood, such as the role of nurturing and support that good mothers provide. We may have people in our lives who have served as our surrogate mothers even if they are not biologically related to us. For some folks, it may have been a close friend, regardless of gender or even child-bearing capability, who served a motherhood role in our lives. So I encourage you to celebrate the concept of motherhood this weekend, even if your personal experience with a mother is less than ideal. Personally, my biological mother gave me up at birth, and I met her first (that I remember) when I was 32 years old. I am happy to report that I now cherish my relationship with her even as I cherish my relationship with my adoptive mother, who died in 2004. Both women made the best decisions they could under their unique circumstances. This Sunday, we will acknowledge Mother’s Day in worship, but the message and general theme will not relate specifically to Mother’s Day. The scripture for Sunday’s message is John 10: 22-30. I encourage you to read the passage prior to worship and to think about how you hear the voice of Jesus the “good shepherd” in your life. Finally, I invite your prayers as Colleen and I travel for our son Thomas’ wedding on May 17. Because of this family event, I will not be sharing a blog next week. However, God willing I will be sending the next blog to your inbox on or about May 23, 2025. I look forward to seeing you in worship Sunday! Steve Hart
|
