Acts 9.36-43

Welcome to one of my least favorite holidays of the year. Mothers Day. A day set aside by the church to offend countless women since 1907.

I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t start attending church until I was a teenager. I started attending church to sing in the choir, not of my own volition so much as my mother couldn’t stand hearing me sing the Phantom of the Opera anymore so she sent me somewhere to sing where she couldn’t hear me. But that’s not the subject of today’s sermon.

Today’s sermon is that one Sunday a year when some well-meaning person handed me a carnation on Sunday morning for Mothers Day. I would of course being, raise an eyebrow at them and say I don’t have children and they would return my skepticism with a loving smile and say someday you will be. They had no clue how offended I was.

Things you might want to know about me. Number one: I don’t have children. Through 95% of my life I had no intention, interest or desire to have them. Getting married was not a goal in my life. My mother has always known this about me and was incredibly surprised when I brought that weird tall skinny guy home one day.

Having children was not the goal of my life. But not long after Doug and I were married and I was over 30 we realized that if we were going to have children, it was going to have to be soon. At which point, two miscarriages later, I figured out I was not meant to have children any more than I had previously wanted them. And this is okay. I’m okay with it, Doug seems to be okay with it and yet, nearly every new person I meet in church the first words out of their mouth are “Do you have any children?” So it would seem, the church isn’t really okay with it.

But, God, Doug and I are so back to the carnations.

After receiving this beautiful flower, I do like carnations incidentally, we would all gather in the church and we would be read the Biblical unedited version of the Proverb we read collectively today whereby I would be told that my aspirations of one who was born a woman should be to hope that one day in my life I would find a good man to take care of and build a home for. That my worth as a human being because I was a woman, would be determined by the strength of my household and how well I served the Lord of that household, who incidentally wasn’t God but my husband.

Despite that I enjoyed worship, loved singing in the choir, wholeheartedly without a doubt in my mind believed in God, the church and this carnation giving holiday reinforcing the patriarchy, I had some serious qualms about. God, you see, wasn’t calling me to that I knew it. I envied women who this was their dream. I felt like their lives were so much easier than mine. They were born knowing their role and objective in life and embraced it.

But no, I was born me, not them. So, here we are. I did some research as I have done for my faith to try to understand why I was not the woman the church and many Biblical passages were telling me I was supposed to be. I was what God created me to be, I knew this because God had told me so and repeatedly reminded me so I knew, it was not me who was confused as to my purpose. So I tried to understand the holiday a little better when I became a pastor because I know I am not the only person who took and probably takes offense to this well-meaning carnation.

I also understand, we can’t just be going around asking everyone whether or not they have given birth to a child before we hand them a carnation, that can get into some sketchy territory. There’s adoption, surrogate moms, women who have been pregnant and miscarried, those who are infertile, so much ground you don’t want to step on. So, what then is this holiday about?

This Sunday is thought of by many to be dedicated to remembering our mothers. The women who birthed us, the women who raised us, the women who taught us, the women who disciplined us, and the women who showed us love, kindness, and mercy whether they are related to us or not. It was not intended to be about women’s reproductive status. It was created for women who raised or affected children’s lives in some way. It was created for women who try to change the world for the better.

In 1905, a woman named Anna Jarvis launched a letter-writing campaign to the men of prominence at the time including William Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and a wealthy merchant named John Wannamaker from Philadelphia. She sought to bring honor and recognition to women’s contributions to society. Her goal was not to create a day for children to call their mom’s, take them out to lunch, destroy their kitchens to make them breakfast in bed, send them a card, whatever. It was not intended as a day for women who had successfully engaged in procreation. It was a day to honor what they did for the world outside of their homes. A day to acknowledge and celebrate the multitude of ways in which women have improved society as a whole but were denied recognition for because of their gender. It was a day she strived to create to honor what her mother had done with her life not just giving birth to her. Because her mother was an extraordinary woman.

Ann “Mother” Jarvis was a community and social justice activist. In 1858 Ann Jarvis organized “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” to improve sanitation, combat disease, and reduce infant and childhood mortality rates. Her clubs raised money to provide much needed medicine, developed programs to inspect milk, emphasized the importance of boiling water and sanitation, providing education and support to the poor and underserved. She organized women’s brigades during the Civil War which benefited both Confederate and Union Soldiers. When the War ended, she led an initiative to heal the rifts between neighbors of opposing sides. Jarvis’ efforts helped to maintain and restore communities.

Anna Jarvis’ campaign to honor women’s contributions to society took some time but by the second Sunday in May of 1907, the first semi-official Mothers Day Service was held at the Methodist Church in Grafton, WV. On that same day, a special service was also held at the Wannamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia where an over-whelming 15,000 people showed up most of whom did not get seats. The custom quickly spread throughout the nation until in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Congressional Resolution to make an official federally observed day which would be known as “Mothers Day.” A day set aside to honor women everywhere for their public service and achievements. No apostrophe! Mothers as in many people who have mothered the world not Mother’s with an apostrophe “s” indicating belonging to a woman who gave birth to a child. Scribble that airborne comma off your Mothers Day cards, it doesn’t belong there.

Today we read about Tabitha, in Greek Dorcus, both words translate into English to mean Antelope or Gazelle. Mothers Day was set aside to remember women like her. She was always doing good and helping the poor. Those who came to mourn her death wore garments she had made for them. She is identified as a disciple. Tabitha was an admirable woman serving her community and they all gathered to mourn her death.

Ann Jarvis and Tabitha embodied the verb mother. They cared for and protected anyone in their community who was vulnerable or neglected. It wasn’t about just taking care of the children they gave birth to it was about creating a world that not just they wanted to raise their children in but that other people would to.

While Christ raised Lazarus from the dead through prayer with the authority of the Son of God, Peter raised Tabitha from the dead with the humility and submission of a servant. Peter raises her with kindness and gentleness, dignity, respect and honor. When her eyes opened, he took her hand and helped her to her feet. The people rejoiced because they needed her and all the work she was doing in the community.

Mothers Day was and still is, largely celebrated within churches. It is customary to give out carnations on this day because in 1908 Anna Jarvis sent 500 white carnations for all those in attendance at Andrews Methodist Church. Now, flowers to plant or seeds are often given as gifts instead. It is a day to honor those who care about the world we live in and seek to make it a better place. The one’s who fight for equality and justice seeking no recognition for their efforts only results.

Today is a day dedicated to honor the women who for centuries have educated, raised, shaped, molded, cleaned up after, and loved the world. To honor those who mother us. To those whose testimony lies in the works they do in our Father’s name. Capital F. The flocks they tend to, whose sheep listen to their voice and follow her because they know her. To all those women of this world who embrace their ability to mother beyond personal gain. To those who serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ann Jarvis was an amazing woman. She demonstrated strength and perseverance to a world that showed her no mercy. Less than 1/3 of her children out-lived her. Most died to diseases which are now preventable a demonstration of her success. She was a way-maker. She fought so that others would not have to suffer as she did.  But she didn’t stop there. She understood that survival was not the ultimate goal. Thriving was. She advocated for a society of peace. Void of hatred and petty arguments. No more rifts between brothers and neighbors.

So, to all the women out there who mother the world, accept this beautiful flower with love and gratitude that God made you who you are meant to be. Whether it is someone who gives birth to and raises children, someone who works hard to share their God-given gifts and talents with the world, anyone who tries to spread the love of Christ to those who need it. Thank you.

Heavenly Father, you have blessed us with millions of incredible gifts. In the beginning, you blessed Adam with Eve, a companion. Someone to care for him, nurture him, and love him. You knew this world would need mothering. You knew this world would need compassion. You knew this world would need those willing to look beyond political and personal aspirations that could see only family everywhere they looked. You knew we would need those who could mend arguments between brothers. You knew we would constant reminding that there is no “them” only “us.”

As centuries went by, this need for mothering did not change. You gave us mothers who quietly, diligently, and whole-heartedly followed your laws against over-whelming odds. Mothers who loved all children because they belong to you. Mothers who wanted to make sure all children were fed and practiced good hygiene. Mothers who wanted to give all children a chance to live a good and healthy life.

And then, you gave us your Son, who honored his mother and all women. Who taught others also to love, honor and cherish women. Like Peter who raised a mother who spent her life making garments for the poor. Father God, you have given us mothers who love all your children.

Thank you Lord, for the gift us this day, a day of remembrance and dedication to the women you have blessed the earth with. Women who stand up for the rights of those who cannot stand up for themselves. Women who feed, clothe and educate that all might learn. Thank you God especially for the women in our lives who have taught us about you. For those who embody living examples of your word. Thank you God for the mothers who gave birth to us, the mothers who raised us, and our eternal gratitude for all the mothers in our lives who mothered us even though they didn’t have to. Thank you God for all the women of this world who dedicate themselves to creating a society worth living in because they immortalize You in it. They rebuild your temples and bring light into an otherwise dark world. Thank you dear God for the incredible gift of mothers. Amen.