The following piece was first written for the March 15, 2026 pew sheet at St Augustine’s Anglican Church. I share it here again in the hope that it may continue to encourage and bless.
Today at the 9.30am service we celebrate Mothering Sunday, while the 11.15am service will continue as usual with the theme 'Grace that Restores'. Mothering Sunday is a practice that originated in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the sixteenth century. It is observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Day. Interestingly, the day was not originally connected with honouring mothers in the modern sense. The term 'Mothering Sunday' arose from the custom of workers and apprentices being given leave to return and worship at their 'Mother Church' on Laetare Sunday. A person's mother church was usually the parish where they were baptised or the church in which their family worshipped. In 1913, Constance Adelaide Smith helped revive this tradition and broaden its meaning to include honouring mothers and family life, influenced by the introduction of Mother's Day in the United States. Since then, Mothering Sunday has become a day both of thanksgiving for our mothers and of gratitude for the wider community that nurtures and sustains us. We celebrate Mothering Sunday because it provides a special opportunity to thank God for mothers and for all who care for, nurture and support our families, helping them to flourish and grow. It is also a time to give thanks for our church family, where we are united together as brothers and sisters in Christ, with God as our loving and perfect Heavenly Father.
As we reflect today on the gift of motherly love – both the love we receive from those who care for us and the deeper, unfailing love of God – we cannot ignore the brokenness of our world. With ongoing wars and suffering in many places, one of the most meaningful things we can do is pray earnestly for peace and healing in our troubled world.
I would also like to remind you about our Annual Vestry Meeting next Sunday, 22 March. Please consider praying for this important time in the life of our parish, and do join us for the combined service at 10am, followed by the Annual Meeting at 11.15am. Copies of the AVM booklet are available on the table at the back of the church. The booklet contains the agenda, last year's minutes, annual reports, the proposed budget and profiles of candidates for parish leadership. Please take a copy and remember to bring it with you next Sunday.
God bless you.
