This coming Sunday it's Mother's Day.  That day when calls are made, flowers are delivered, and Moms are pampered.  Except at Sunset.  At Sunset this week, it's Christian Family Sunday.  I know some congregations mark Mother's Day, there are flowers and prayers and sermons reflecting on the mothering roles in our lives. Except at Sunset.  At Sunset this week, we will not give flowers, or talk about Mothers -- at least we won't talk about only mothers...

It's Christian Family Sunday.  A day to celebrate and honour the great family that is created by our common faith in Jesus and God, and to reflect on what that means for us as a church.  At least, I think that's originally what it was supposed to be about.  I've tweaked it.  I have come to see Christian Family Sunday as a celebration of the amazing gift of family - both chosen and given.  This weekend we will honour and celebrate the grand diversity of family make up.  We will explore the expansiveness that is love, which is at the heart of any relationship we share -both blood and not.  As we mark this grand experience, we will give thanks to the Holy One who has given us such diversity as gift not hinderance.  Families, no matter how they are made up, are rooted in love.  I fully recognize that our families of origin may not be a safe and loving place, which is why it is imperative for us to recognize that "family" is not defined by blood alone. Hopefully, on Christian Family Sunday we can give thanks for how each of us defines family.  

Why not Mother's Day?  For many many reasons... not all of us have good/healthy relationships with our mothers.  Some of us do not know our mothers, or have been separated/estranged from our mothers for years. Some of us did not grow up with our biological mothers, but instead lived with adoptive mothers.  Some have bounced from family to family, looking for that one safe place to be.  There are women in our midst who desperately want to be mothers, but yet their bodies are unable to make that dream happen.  There are women who have tried for years, in many different ways to conceive, and yet unable to be pregnant.  There are those who have opted to adopt and waits years to welcome a child into their families.  There are women who are shamed because they did not want to have children at all.

I am fully aware that there is heavy baggage associated with both Mother's Day and Christian Family Sunday.  My hope is that you can join us on Sunday morning and find a safe place to give thanks for the way your family, in whatever configuration it takes, has impacted your life.  My prayer is that we find the space to pray for the challenges and to celebrate the joys.  And it is my deepest desire that you can come to Sunset on Sunday and know you are welcome and safe, for your are part of this community of faith, this family of faith, which has it's very own quirks, sharp edges, and deep love.