Can't help feeling that the CofE has pretty much sold out when to comes to Mothering Sunday (it's not 'Mother's Day') in that it appears to have joined with the rest of the secular society and lost sight of what it was about. Let's take a moment to think what it is supposed to be:
It's about celebrating our baptism, traditionally having the day off from our labours (along with Boxing Day) to enable us to visit the 'Mother' church in which we were baptised. Of course in days gone by the church would have been somewhere near the family and no visit to church would have been complete without a visit home and of course on the way, flowers were picked as a gift to Mum.
It's about renewing our baptismal vows. We celebrate our being part of the Bride of Christ and re-affirm all that being a Christian requires in that we turn to Christ, renounce the devil and come to God as Saviour. It's not about flowers and chocolates and bigging up the 'Mum' role. Mind you, it's fun to see how many barren women or women who for other reasons have failed to have children (or whose children have predeceased them) get bent out of shape because we've changed the focus from church to happy hallmark day.
Still, it's more popular to join the card manufacturers, caterers, chocolatiers and other pedlars of Motherabilia than to engage the people of God with their sin and redemption through the Cross of Christ and bring us back to the true meaning. Still at least we have Argostide (sorry, I mean Christmas) sorted!
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