Mother’s Day is the most nerve-wracking day of the year for many pastors. If they do a sermon on mothering or the importance of being a mom they will be criticized for not keeping the focus on Jesus and bowing to the pressure of the “Hallmark holidays”. This criticism will come from young men who are reading the Puritans and have completed one semester of seminary online.
If they do a sermon from the next passage in the book of the bible they are currently studying, they will be criticized for not honouring mothers. This criticism will come from older people who remember when the church did tend to make a bigger fuss about all the holidays – Mother’s Day, Fathers’ Day, Remembrance Day, Valentines’ Day, Thanksgiving etc.
If they have the children give out flowers to the ladies, they will be criticized for not understanding that “WOMAN” does not equal “MOTHER”. They will be lambasted for a lack of sensitivity to the challenges of singleness and the awful pain of infertility and miscarriage.
Here is my advice to pastors out there wondering what to do this coming Sunday: honour moms as best you can and eat whatever criticism may come
If they don’t give out flowers, they will be criticized for not recognizing the enormous sacrifice made by mothers and the critical, even world shaping influence that they wield.