Go Be With Your Mother

While UK merchants and retailers increased their promotion of Mothering Sunday in the 1950s because they saw the commercial opportunity, I was surprised to discover that its roots are in medieval church tradition. It is always on the fourth Sunday of Lent, a time given to prayer, repentance, simple living, and self-denial to prepare ourselves for Easter. People returned to their ‘mother’ church - the main church or cathedral of the area - and even domestic servants were given the day off to be with their own mothers and other family members. This halfway point of Lent was meant to be a day of celebration and was called ‘Laetare Sunday’ (laetare comes from the Latin word ‘to rejoice’) because the meeting would often open with Isaiah 66:10-13:

‘Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn over her.
For you will feed and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.’
For this is what the Lord says:
‘I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will feed and be carried on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.’

The prophet says to rejoice with Jerusalem (the center of life for the worshipping community) because God would enable her to provide comfort, abundance, peace, and flourishing for his people. As we worship together every week, God continues to enable his people - the bride of Christ - to provide comfort, abundance, peace, and flourishing for one another. And this Sunday we will celebrate all women in our lives who have also provided comfort, abundance, peace, and flourishing for us.