Mothers

Mothers are a vital part of God's plan for the family - and for life itself.

The Bible gives us a record of many mothers - from Eve the first woman to Ruth who was part of the lineage of Jesus through her marriage to Boaz. From Hannah who gave up her son to be a priest after God answered her prayer and gave her a child to Mary, the mother of Jesus who obeyed God's call.

Proverbs 31 gives us a picture of a woman - as a wife and a provider for her family. It says "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."

As well as her business abilities, the passage praises the care that she gives her family and says "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her".

In these times when everyone seems busy - when work and family and other obligations mean women often feel overwhelmed, we must remember to honour our mothers, since we're told to honour our parents in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

Mother's Day

Mothers Day is celebrated as a special day to remember what our mums have done for us.
In Australia it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May each year, as do most countries [see Wikipedia list of varying dates].

The original Mother's Day was founded by Anna Jarvis in West Virginia (USA) as a day to honour her mother and mothers in general.

For an overview of the history of Mother's Day, see this article on Wikipedia.

UK - Mothering Sunday

In the UK, "Mothering Sunday" is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This means the date changes each year as the date of Easter varies each year.
Traditionally it was a time when people would return to their home town and visit their 'mother church'.

Click here for a description and dates.
Click here for a story on the BBC website.