This Week: Mothering, Fathering

Beloved,

We’re midway between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and so it’s time to honor our own version at First Church: a post-gender Mothering Fathering Sunday.

Mother’s Day, some of you likely know, was founded as an antiwar effort by mothers who were tired of losing their sons in violent conflicts. How times have changed…This Sunday, we’ll celebrate mothering and fathering not as an exercise in materialism, but as a spiritual practice: to remember the Mother and Father of us all, to stick our finger in the side of those images of God who created us.

I’ll be preaching, on the idea: “why does it seem like the default image for God in our imaginations is old, male, white? Why is it, despite our best imaginings and most progressive upbringings, does this stick?” Joan Dolamore is our first-time liturgist! Laura Ruth will preach for the children, tell us the Word. The children and women will sing. It is Jubilee Sunday and children older than Nursery age are invited to be in worship with us!

You might see a few of our prodigal old folk back among us. If you see them, go and introduce yourself. These are the people who built our church. They’ll want to know that it’s in good hands, your hands; and they’ll want to know something about you.

After church: nothing! but coffee hour, sunshine, friendship.

blessings,
Molly