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Sunday 30 March 2025 Mothering Sunday
Secrets and lies
Exodus 2:1–10; 2 Corinthians 1:3–7; John 19:25b–27
Context: a Service of the Word in a rural church -the congregation are mostly white older or retired, regular attenders, whose education levels vary considerably
Aim: to remind us to shine the light of Jesus on the dark places and in the difficult subjects in our lives
When we think of difficult subjects, what springs to mind?
I think we might all have something in our lives that falls into that category and sometimes it remains a secret. The most difficult subjects often lend themselves to being kept as secrets, causing us to lie about them to others and even to ourselves.
The saddest thing is that difficult stuff is generally made worse by secrecy. We get embarrassed or humiliated about things we feel society doesn’t accept. Sometimes these secrets threaten our emotional and physical health, and they always affect our spiritual health.
Let’s look at Mothering Sunday. We all know of those who have lost mothers or children, those who had or have uncomfortable or abusive relationships. We know of women unable to have children, and others who feel judged because they chose not to. Many still come to church expecting to hear a sermon about mothers, although the church often focuses on Mother Church. Our first and last readings are about famous mothers.
ADOPTION
To keep him alive, Moses’ mother gave him up, as she placed him in the river. In a beautiful twist, she was able to nurse Moses, experiencing the joy of caring for her child, but she knew that she would have to give him up and kept the painful secret that he was her son. It’s not so long ago that young, single girls would have seen their child brought up as their sibling. Imagine the suffering of watching the child grow up but never being able to be the parent. Secrets and lies that hurt all parties.
Perhaps you’ve watched the film, Philomena? The story tells of a young single girl in Ireland, forced to give up her son. Her pain lasted her whole life. I commend it to you, not least because the Church was part of this scandal.
CHILD LOSS
Aside from teen pregnancies, one of the most difficult subjects is the loss of a child. We don’t know what to say to someone whose baby or child has died. We might shy away from speaking to them. Today, we think of Mary losing her firstborn son. We know that she had an inkling that something awful would happen. The circumstances of her pregnancy were astounding and the presentation of the child in the Temple caused Simeon to say that a sword would pierce her soul (Luke 2:35). Jesus, dying on the cross to save us, thinks of his mother. He entrusts her to the disciple whom he loved. In his agony, his concern is always for others, but also for openness, as he makes this public statement.
CONSOLATION AND JOY
No matter where you find yourself in this story, the reading from Corinthians promises us consolation. Whether we identify with Moses’ mother, with Philomena from the eponymous film, or with Mary, we are assured that our consolation is ‘abundant through Christ’. In the moments before Jesus dies, we see his suffering and hear the words of consolation. But alongside consolation, there is immense joy and celebration in motherhood, often despite the tricky circumstances in which the birth occurs. God is ever-present in both consolation and joy.
NO MORE SECRETS
When we expose the dark secrets of our lives, by sharing them bravely, those things lose the power to keep our spirits enslaved. When we are bold enough to talk to those who are suffering, to shine the light of Jesus in their lives, we offer the consolation of Jesus. It is our duty as Christians to confront the difficult subjects, to talk to the grieving mother, the pregnant teenager; encouraging truth and discouraging secrets and lies. This is a gospel imperative. Jesus came into the world, as a light shining in the darkness. We get to shine that light in our own lives, in those difficult circumstances, and we bear the Christ light for others, as well as sharing in the joys that motherhood brings through the grace of God.
Shine, Jesus, Shine!
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Issue 195: Speaking of Last Things
