Happy Mother's Day, God

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, one of our secular holidays. It is the biggest day of the year for people in the restaurant business. Mother’s are still the primary meal makers so taking mom out to eat is popular. Michael took mama and me to the Greek Orthodox Church for their annual fund raiser meal prepared by the men in the church. For twenty five years, the men have used a Mother’s Day meal with all the Greek food favorites like moussaka and stuffed grape leaves and orzo, enough to feed the five thousand. On Palm Sunday, another meal is prepared by the women. They have been cooking for forty years. It is a family tradition for us. We go, sit at long tables and visit with our larger community. There is dancing and music, good food and old friends. There are mothers everywhere.
In my childhood, Mother’s Day was celebrated in worship. The oldest mother, the youngest mother, the mother with the most children, all mothers in the congregation were recognized and sometimes given a flower to take home. Mrs. B.I. Davis was always the oldest mother. She seemed ancient to me. Mrs. Kannon, the pastor’s wife, had the most children (four) every year. Those whose mothers had died wore a white flower corsage and those whose mothers were alive, wore a red flower (or maybe I have that reversed). We sang “Faith of Our Mothers” from the hymnal. And on Father’s Day, the same ritual occurred.
My dad did not do the grace notes of life. He even grumbled about Christmas. His growing up was deprived of tenderness and celebration. Poor mama was reduced to our childish offerings from school projects and church recognition. No eating out for her or Hallmark cards from daddy. Mother’s Day at church was always a special day for her.
Many churches of my liberal persuasion have done away with these customs. I miss them. I’ve heard the arguments against Mother’s Day emphasis... secular holiday, the pain of women who wanted children and couldn’t conceive, the pain of children who had abusive mothers, not a part of the Christian message of peace and justice. We have lost an opportunity, I think, to not only celebrate the mothers among us but also the Divine Feminine, the Mother God, the One Who Birthed Us. When I was on the worship committee, I always argued for a transforming Mother’s Day worship and lost.
I’ve wondered how we could expand the scope of our vision. Feminine energy is different from masculine energy, different in our own selves and different in my own understanding of God. We were created in God’s image the Bible says, so these differences are a good thing. If one has been wounded by either father or mother, the church could offer redemption and resurrection, healing old wounds instead of avoiding the pain. We could take this secular holiday, and as Christians did with Christmas, use it to teach and lead us to a fuller appreciation of the Feminine sides of God. Most of us do not read Greek or Hebrew, cannot speak with theological expertise about Biblical traditions, do not know the roots in our Christian tradition that honored the feminine. What a missed opportunity to redeem a holiday and along the way, redeem ourselves as children and mothers.
I’d like to have a crack at being the oldest mother in my church family someday, please Lord. And I want to say thank you to my mama and to You for giving me life, life here in this world and life yet to come. Happy Mother’s Day, God.