Duck pond at the entrance to St. Mary’s on Mothering Sunday

In the picture below Joe Armstrong was about to catch the duckling that had leapt off the ledge of a building.
A few weeks ago whilst watching TV news, the BBC included an item that appears on ‘YouTube’ Joe Armstrong rescuing twelve ducklings from their nest off a ledge, that was just below his office window 5 mitres above the ground. Joe had been keeping an eye on the duck’s nest with its twelve eggs. The day the ducklings hatched mother duck flew down from the nest on to the pavement below leaving her ducklings pacing nervously on the edge of the ledge.
Joe rushed down on to the pavement and stood next to mother duck wondering what to do, when one of the ducklings leapt off the ledge and began plummeting straight down as it was unable to fly at a day old. Joe reached out and caught it. Then another one jumped, until eight ducklings were on the pavement next to their mum. The other four ducklings were removed from the ledge by using a ladder. When all twelve ducklings were safely on the pavement Joe and the crowd of well wishers guided the duck and her ducklings to the river.
Joe is reported as saying, “Oh we did it, man that was an ordeal, I can’t believe we did it, wow, we did it.”

This true story about Joe rescuing the ducklings reminded me of the faithfulness of God. Our Lord God watches over us giving us a helping hand when we take a leap of faith.

Faithful relationships is this years theme for the Mother’s Union.
The Mother’s Union is an organisation that began in 1877 when Mary Sumner, a vicar’s wife, and by this time a grandmother, founded the organisation which was to become a worldwide body of 3.6 million members in seventy-nine countries. Her world was very different from the one we find today.
In 1851, Reverend George Sumner was given the living of Old Alresford, Hampshire. Mary dedicated herself to raising her children, and helping her husband in his ministry by providing music and Bible classes. In 1876, when her eldest daughter Margaret gave birth, Mary was reminded how difficult she had found the burden of motherhood. She was inspired to call a meeting of mothers in the parish to offer mutual support. Her plan was quite radical in it’s day, as it involved calling women of all social classes to support one another, and to see motherhood as a profession as important as those of men, if not more so. The first meeting was held in Old Alresford Rectory.
Today’s members are well aware that family life has changed over the years, and now there is a much broader level of membership, and care for members and their families, including divorced, separated and single women and men.

This years theme ‘Faithful relationships’ we are making the connection with people’s relationships that occur in the Bible and with Christian relationships today were we support one another through good times and bad times.

St. Mary’s Players
We have all had or got a mother and the sketch gave us a Christian view of faith seen in our mother.
Sketch: Whilst mum was preparing the meal the members of the family arrived and on arrival they were asked the question by dad, “What is faith?” Each one in turn gave a word that in the end described faith in mum.
Mum is: truthful, honest, reliable, steadfast, loyalty, trustworthy and having assurance in.
If we put together these words with Peter’s words in his second letter Chapter 1 verses 1-8 and Hebrews Chapter 8 verse 10.
The seed of the word, Jesus, received by faith contains all the righteousness of God. The characteristics of faith in the divine nature of our Lord God: truth, honest, reliable, steadfast, loyal, trustworthy and having assurance in, virtue, perseverance, self-control, knowledge, Godliness, brother and sisterly affection with love, compassion, kindness and the commandments written in the heart.

We grow in faith gradually becoming more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicting us of our shortcomings. Maybe we find ourselves saying the things that result in us having a difference of opinion with some one.
A couple were travelling down a country road, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had lead them to an argument, and neither wanted to concede their position. As they passed a farmyard, in the yard there were pigs and donkeys. The husband said sarcastically to his wife, “Relatives of yours.” His wife replied, “Yep, in laws.”

The fruit of the seed of faith in Jesus we see in faithful relationships.
I see an example of faithful relationships when after the Ascension of Jesus the apostles, the women, Mary and Jesus’ brothers were gathered in the upper room in the house at Jerusalem. Acts 2: 12-14.
11 apostles, 10 women followers (Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and John, Salome, Joanne wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, Susanna, Mary and Martha of Bethany, Mary mother of James the younger, Joses and Salome, Mary mother of James and Joseph, Mary the mother of Jesus her sister Mary, wife of Clopas,) (Not all of these women may have been there.)
Mary and Jesus’ brothers; James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. Jesus’ sisters are not present. Matthew 13; 55,56 Mary must have had at least 7 children.

I tried to imagine the scene in the upper room. Their expectation and excitement as Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem and pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit from Heaven and having the peace of the Lord in their heart, as they were now no longer afraid of the Pharisees knock at the door.
I would also think that they shared their meals together. It was customary for Jewish people to reminisce over meals.
At some point after Jesus’ resurrection Mary would have shared the story of Jesus’ birth with the believers. Remembering the day when the angel Gabriel visited, telling her that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God.

Joseph’s heart must have been broken when he heard that Mary was pregnant. The same as any man would feel today. But we can’t always see the whole picture, we jump to conclusions which often proves us to be wrong conclusions. Mary’s honesty had tested her relationship with Joseph. We know he considered ending their betrothal.

Mary must have known the pain that Joseph was suffering, but her loyalty to God made her faithful, reliable, truthful and trustworthy.
God comforted Joseph by giving him assurance in a dream, he was told by the angel that the baby was of God and that he should marry Mary and name the child Jesus.
Joseph and Mary’s relationship was restored.

I’m sure that everyone gathered around the table would have been eager to hear of Simeon’s prophecy to Joseph and Mary.
Joseph and Mary took Jesus when he was 6 weeks old to be presented at the temple. On arrival in the temple, Simeon saw them and immediately went up to them and took Jesus into his arms and blessed him, prophesying over him. He declared him to be the Christ and Saviour of Israel and also of the Gentiles.

Then Simeon spoke directly to Mary giving her a prophecy that her Son would bring to pass the ‘Fall and rising’ of many in Israel and a sword would pierce her own heart.

How relevant it would have been if she shared it with the apostles and followers at that time so soon after it had been fulfilled.

The Fall and Rising.
The Fall It had been apparent that the disciples James and John had desired to sit one on Jesus left and the other on his right in his kingdom. This would indicate that they expected Jesus to be their King.
How their hopes were dashed when Jesus was arrested and brought to trial and then crucified by the Romans. The disciples fall from the height of expectation of Jesus being the King of Israel to the anguish of the cross his suffering and death.
Mary with some of the other women and John the disciple were at the cross. Mary would have suffered as most mothers would, at seeing her Son going through an agonising death. She surely would have remembered Simeon’s prophecy to her, ‘A sword would pierce her heart.’
Mary perhaps didn’t recognise at the time the significance of Jesus’ death he died to save the whole of humanity.

Mother duck needed the help of Joe Armstrong to enable her ducklings to survive the fall from off the ledge; otherwise they would have suffered and died on the pavement.

Jesus has saved us; otherwise we were heading for destruction and death. We are saved through faith in Jesus; he has touched our hearts with his love for us. His arms outstretched to embrace us.
Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so we are raised up with him, from death to life eternal.

The Rising Jesus being raised from the dead surely must have filled the disciples with joy and amazement. For 6 weeks he was with them teaching the things concerning the kingdom of God.
God is faithful Jesus had told them that he would send the Holy Spirit to comfort them. They waited and prayed for only 10 days in the upper room, when he came, the sound of a mighty rushing wind filled the whole house and they were too filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ever since that day the Holy Spirit has been filling people’s hearts and lives.

So as we sit quietly and sing ‘Come breath of life come sweeping through us fill our hearts with life and power, O Breath of Life, come cleanse renew us . . . . O Breath of Love, come breathe within us renewing thought and will and heart . . . O Wind of God, come bend us, break us till humbly we confess our need; then in your tenderness remake us, revive, restore for this we plead. MP 488

After the Hymn has finished a prayer for the sealing of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those present.