Mothering Sunday
Mother’s Day, May 11, 2025
Mother’s Day in England happens on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It moves with the Lenten season, rather than being the second Sunday in May, which is how we set Mother’s Day. I was fascinated to learn that they do not call it Mother’s Day, rather Mothering Sunday. It dates to the 16th century. Mothering Sunday was originally a time when people returned to the church, the church in which they were baptized or where they attended services when they were children. This meant that families were reunited as adults returned to the towns and villages where they grew up. Mothering Sunday feels so much bigger, more inclusive than Mother’s Day. Don’t get me wrong, I am a mother and love this celebration. But Mothering Sunday reflects all who are doing the mothering, the town (it takes a village), the church (our spiritual roots), the family and of course Mom. Mothering represents the creating, the caring, the teaching, and the nurturing, rather than only referring to those who give birth. As an adopted person, I know that Mother’s Day includes all mothers, adopted, grand, great grand, step, and chosen. Yet our Mother’s Day focuses more on the role, while Mothering Sunday highlights the actions of mothering.
A side bar, I wrote this sermon the week leading up to the fourth Sunday in Lent, so it just feels right to think of it as Mothering Sunday. I was away last week, so writing early is how I made that happen. So on this Mother’s Day we will be reading about Tabitha AKA Dorcas and how she was mothering to the widows in her town. READ Acts 9:36-43
Luke Loves Women. Of the four gospel writers, Luke is the one who tells the birth narrative of Jesus, who often makes a point with both a male and female example, think of the lost sheep and the lost coin (15:1-10), and who named several women. Tabitha is one such named woman. You recall that Luke wrote both the gospel and the Book of Acts. Tabitha was not only named, which is quite a feat, but both her Aramaic and Greek names were recorded. This implies that she was equally comfortable in both worlds. “She straddled the cultural line between Judaism and the Greco-Roman world” (Working Preacher, Eric Barreto). Not only was Tabitha named twice, but she was also recorder as “a female disciple.” “Tabitha bears the privilege and the burden of being the only named (female disciple) in the New Testament” (Working Preacher, Mitzi Smith). Even Mary Magdalene never received such an honor. The very fact that disciples sent for Peter after her death, validates her importance.
Tabitha is one of those male/female examples in Luke. Peter heals two people, one man Aeneas in Lydda (31-35), and Tabitha who had just died in Joppa (Joppa is part Tel Aviv). Remarkably we know a great deal about Tabitha compared to Aeneas. Tabitha “was devoted to good works and acts of charity” “she was full of good deeds and alms which she continually did.” As the widows of her community mourned her, they showed Peter some of the clothes she had sewn, as evidence of her charity. In their grief, the widows clung to things Tabitha made that spoke to who she was as a person. “Tabitha was guided by an ethic of care and compassion for others. She was especially committed to serving widows, who were at the margins of society. Her compassion and care allowed her to build a beloved community that became her family” (Working Preacher, Raj Nadella). Tabitha was good at mothering. She devoted her life to caring for the women who were without husbands or means of support. Often these women were older and weaker, yet she mothered them just the same. In so doing, she created a family of faith.
On this Mothering Sunday, I want you to recall an object that you treasure from your mother. Something she owned, or made, or simply reminds you of her. Maybe her perfume, a piece of jewelry, a decoration. My mother was a creative artist. She made a 5 ft. tri-fold screen with our family tree, with roots naming our ancestors and showing cover wagons when they migrated and four branches for her four children and her grandchildren at the time. This beautiful screen is in my room, and I see it every day. The other piece I love is a fireplace screen she painted with vivid flowers bordered with the benediction I often share, that ends with “…May God hold you and keep you in the palm of his hand.” Together they represent my family and my faith. Next week we will be tasting some of our favorite memories, sharing our mother’s treasured dessert recipes. I would have made my grandmother’s Chocolate Angel Food cake.
“Today, we recognize and honor the mothers and caregivers who have poured out their love and care for us. They are the ones who, in the face of challenges, offer safety and security. They are the ones who teach us how to love, how to forgive, and how to live with compassion. When we honor mothers, we are not just celebrating biological motherhood; we are celebrating the countless ways that women of all walks of life mother and care for others. It is a calling, a vocation, that often goes unrecognized but is deeply valued in the Kingdom of God” (Mothering Union).
NCIS is one of my favorite TV shows. I love watching Gibbs and the gang solve the mystery of a sailor’s death. NCIS Origins is a new show, the prequel when Probe Gibbs learns from Mike Franks. Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, is not in the show, but he does the voice over. Mary Jo a beautiful black woman runs the office, and her friends and family consider themselves part of “her flock.” As we watch her attend to and care for everyone, Gibbs voice asks, “Have you ever known someone who fixed everything? Who loved like it was her job?” Then Mary Jo is served with divorce papers, and Gibb asks again, “Have you ever known someone who fixed everything? Who loved like it was her job? Who tied shoes, bandaged knees, who fed mouths and wiped tears? When she gets knocked down, nothing in the world is right.” That is how it felt for the widows when Tabitha died. That is how it feels when our mother dies.
Mothers give life! Mothers birth children into being. Mothers nurture, shelter, protect, love, teach, embrace, and shape those they care for. A mother loves like it is her job. Tabitha loved like it was her job too. Peter showed God’s love and his belief in Jesus when he commanded Tabitha to get up. And people came to believe.
We do not know if Tabitha was a mother, even though she was good at mothering. But we do know that Peter prayed asking her to arise, “Tabitha, get up.” Sound familiar? Jesus said, “Talitha Cum” (Mk. 5:41) “Child, get up” to Jairus’ daughter (Lk. 8:54). ‘Arise, get up or stand up!’ are words used by Peter and Jesus to restore one to life. “Peter does not ask or beg Tabitha to get up. She is not given a choice. She is told to arise and then is taken out of the house for all of her friends, family and neighbors to see. Miracles may be performed secretly but they are not hidden away. They are publicly displayed. As a result, many come to believe” in the Lord. (Working Preacher, Jennifer T. Kaalund).
On this third Sunday after Easter, let us remember that Jesus is risen, has conquered death. That Jesus raised Lazarus and Jairus’ daughter from the dead. That Peter raised Tabitha from the dead, so that we know that the miracle of Easter, God’s victory of over death, was not isolated to Jesus, but for all who believe. The renewed life of Tabitha “is a clear and certain witness to the power of our Lord’s resurrection, and to the good news that not only at times of death, but at other dark times, the Spirit of the risen Lord enters our world to bring life and healing and hope” (Working Preacher, James Boyce). AMEN
