Sermon Mothering Sunday 15^th March 2026

1 Samuel 1. 20-end

Colossians 1. 3-7

Luke 2. 33-35

Mothering Sunday can be a difficult subject to preach on. Each of us have different kinds of relationships with our mothers and so it can be difficult to talk into all of those experiences in relationship to our faith in God. So this morning I’m going to focus on two particular mothers and think more about how their relationship with their children meant that their children could fulfil God’s call.

Our Old Testament and Gospel reading give us a picture of mothers who nurture and love their children but also see that God has more in store for them. The mother of Samuel and the mother of Jesus, have to trust God and the calling on their children’s lives, which I’m sure was not an easy decision to make.

In the story of Samuel his mother Hannah prays to God fervently for a male child as she has no children of her own at the time, and promises that if she conceives a son, he will be given as a servant to God. She goes to the temple to pray, and the priest Eli believes because he cannot hear her praying, she must be drunk. Eli is a priest who has lived at the Temple for many years, his sons are described as wicked, and we get a sense from the story that he spends much of his time being concerned about their behaviour rather than listening to God. In verse one of chapter three it says that the word of the Lord was rare in those days, so it’s clear that something needs to change in society at that time.

Hannah’s prayers are answered and she gives birth to a boy who is called Samuel. After he is weaned, which in ancient times could be between 3-5 years of age, Hannah brings Samuel to the Temple as promised. Years pass and while at the Temple with Eli, Samuel hears God calling to him. This young person can hear God, when the priest who had been at the temple many years, cannot. As is often the case in stories from scripture, God does something unexpected. He enables a young person with no particular background in priestly ministry to become the one who will hear God and to have the courage to speak out and become a prophet. Sometimes we can assume wisdom comes from those who are older and have more experience, but here we see that God is showing that wisdom does not always come from age.

Our gospel is the well-known story of the dedication of Jesus at the temple at eight days old and how even at that young age his destiny is proclaimed. This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. It’s quite a thing to say about an eight-day old baby. Obviously, we have to remember that this isn’t the first prophecy made about Jesus to Mary and Joseph, but as it says in the text, Simeon’s words still amazed them.

Jesus may be both human and divine, but what we tend to forget it that he would still have had a childhood and lived through his teenage years and early adult hood. These times may not have much mention in scripture, but these would have been formative years for Jesus, in fact I would say invaluable years.

In the last couple of weeks, I have had quite a bit of interaction with young people and children. Last Saturday I was at Diocesan Synod where a group of young people (16–18-year-olds) were invited to share their thoughts about church and we had the opportunity to ask them what we could do to support them. They talked with strong conviction about their love of Jesus and how it was hard to share this with others of no faith. They said how at this time the pressure of exams was quite overwhelming and having support from their community through prayer or just knowing their church congregations supported them, was really beneficially.

On Thursday I spent the morning in St Mary’s primary school doing some well-being monitoring as part of my governor role there. We were completing pupil surveys and hearing their thoughts about their school. It was a great joy to hear how much they valued their learning, but also the care and support of their teachers, especially when it came to navigating difficult experiences like bullying.

I think sometimes as adults we take for granted the voice of young people and don’t value what they have to say because we believe that they are too young to have anything worthwhile to say. Yet often when we speak to them what we hear can often be prophetic and invaluable.

Our reading from Colossians shares wisdom for us all to understand how best to live in community in a way that enables all members to flourish. Verse 14 says Above all, Cloth yourself with love which binds all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.

As adults it is up to us to nurture and enable young people to feel valued, to feel they are loved and cared for and to know that they are heard. At each stage of a child’s life a mother will nurture, encourage and support their child the best that they can. A mother needs to be able to navigate when a child needs to be embraced and when it is time to let them go so that they can grow.

Being a Mother is unique; however, the wisdom of motherhood is something all of us can play a part in when he comes to caring for each other. As a church community we are in a unique position to be made up of members from a wide age range and it is our youngest members who will be the ones who will take on the baton of sustaining this church, not just the building but the people. So, as we celebrate mother’s this day let us consider Mary and Hannah, who nurtured their children and listened to God’s call on their children’s lives. What is the Holy Spirit saying to us in this place when it comes to our children and young people? How can we make sure they know that they are clothed in God’s love?

Amen