So disappointed by Mothering Sunday service.

[GreenCandleWax]

Today's Mothering Sunday service (C of E) had a sermon that started off talking about rugby! and moved on to bridging the gap for children between home and church. Brief mention by name was made of several biblical OT patriarchs, and that several unnamed mothers in the OT were given a voice, but no examples given. (I couldn't think of any except Rachel weeping for her dead children). It was so disappointing. Our clergyman doesn't seem to have a clue about women's experiences, yet we (mainly women in the congregation) just sit there politely lapping it up in silence, underwhelmed and disappointed. It all seems so joyless. Not sure what writing this can achieve, just want to get off my chest.

I think in today’s world talking about mothering Sunday may be more difficult. People may have lost loved ones, men can raise children and some women do not want children. My church focused on caring for others and mentioned women a bit but it pertained to all. It was based on ( Exodus 2:1-10) and (John 19: 25-27) the sermon.
I will post a quote from the sermon I listened to-
" In our gospel reading, we heard Jesus on the cross telling his disciple whom he loved to carry his mother in a way to carry him as his mother, didn't he? He said, "Man, here's your mother." And he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son. Jesus reinterprets our relationships and gives us each other to carry."

The Church of England seem to have a Mothers day themed sermon online.
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-church-online/weekly-online-services/service-mothering-sunday

im with you OP. its rubbish and it can be doen in an inclusive way but ot sideline women and mothers is just not good enough

The service at my church was quite good.

prayers were by anselm and talked about Jesus asa mother.
I play for the services and the musicians chose the hymns as a group and we focused on love and caring.

the sermon focused on Moses and his mother as the reading was exodus and it was really nice.

Well in the church Mothering Sunday isn’t about women’s experiences, nor is it about any passages that happen to be about mothers, so I’m really not sure what your issue is?

You've just got a rubbish vicar. The few Mothering Sunday services I’ve been to have all been linked to the gifts of female nurture/care (whether mothers or not) and all the women were handed daffodil posies after the service.

I thought Mothering Sunday, from a church point of view, wasn't about mothers at all?
I thought it was about the allowance of domestic workers to go back and visit their 'Mother Church"?
So, surely no discrete need to allude to mothers in the sermon, unless the vicar explicitly wanted to address it?

Songs of Praise if you don't know had a mothering day theme special service yesterday.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002sv8k

I also added the transcript two sermons that I heard on Mothering Sunday to my blog if anyone should want to read them. The sermons were mostly based on caring and one was based on the theme of the Moses story as a baby.
https://www.racheltestimony.com/2026/03/mothers-day.html

This is correct. Mothers' Day is a commercial invention to sell cards, chocolates, experiences etc. Nothing to do with the church.

I’m as atheist as they come and even I know that Mithering Sunday isn’t about mothers.
In other news the church being fixated on itself and not on women is hardly a shock.

@GreenCandleWaxis it a Society or Evangelical Alliance church? One that’s promotes complementarianism? If so, find a new church!

If not but you’re unhappy, don’t feel obligated to stay.

Yes Mother's Day is a recent commercial invention, but Mothering Sunday is indeed a lot to do with the Church, going back to the Middle Ages. Originally based around the Annunciation, when Mary accepted God's wish for her to be the mother of Christ, it is very much to do with celebrating motherhood, or should be imo. My original post was about how empty and disappointing it was to feel the lack of that appreciation and celebration of mothers in our lives.

Thanks PurBal. No it is not complementarian - our last vicar was a woman. Our present man is quite evangelical, not complementarian, but just doesn't encompass anything about or interest in women in his worldview. I think he may feel a mixture of awe and resentment about the many able women who are active in the church. Several of them have noticed that he prefers talking to men.

Catholic here. Our service was lovely. Priest referenced Mothering Sunday and its origins then went on to pray for mothers in the parish and those we have lost. He told us about a wedding he officiated at where the bride spoke about her mother and how she had given her the greatest gift she could never repay. After Mass all the mothers were given a daffodil. It was lovely.

I've always been in awe of Yochaved and her bravery.

DH vetoed it as a middle name though.

Google is your friend

The preacher i know tries to make it more political