THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
(Mothering Sunday)
29th March 2025
Greetings.
Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day? Traditionally the former and relating motherhood to nurture in its wider spiritual sense, it is now undoubtedly the latter and a celebration of motherhood in its immediate and domestic context. Still, I dig in my heels and refuse to send a Mother's Day card, looking long and hard for one with the traditional greeting. It is usually possible still to find a small selection at specialist retailers.
Interestingly, tomorrow's gospel (Luke ch.15) is the story of The Man with Two Sons, the parable traditionally known as The Prodigal Son. There is no woman in the story at all but in his great work The Return of the Prodigal, the painter Rembrandt depicted the father's hands quite differently, one masculine, the other undoubtedly feminine. Since the mid 20th C we've been familiar with the notion of cultivating our shadow masculine or feminine side but what Rembrandt's 17th C audience made of it would be fascinating to know. He was certainly ahead of his time not only socially but theologically too.
The focus of worship tomorrow is thanksgiving for the inexhaustible and surprising love of God, and prayer that such love may be reflected in our own hearts and lives. We welcome the choir of Parley First School at the 10am service of Morning Worship and look forward to hearing them and also our own St. Mark's Singers. The Eucharist (Holy communion) will be celebrated at 8am at All Saints' and it will be an early start as the clocks go forward tonight with the change to British Summer Time. We may begrudge the hour lost but the long light evenings give us additional cause for thanksgiving.
Every blessing,
Charles Booth
Notices
St. Luke Passion - the reading of the passion on Palm Sunday (10th April) this year will be from St. Luke. As is our custom we will be looking for different people to read the various parts. If you would like to be involved please respond to this e mail or otherwise let me know.
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