May 8, 2026
Happy Easter!
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. For many it will be a time of celebration for the mothers and mothering figures that have guided us along the way. There will be phone calls, brunches and stories to be told. Enjoy that time together. Rejoice as family and give thanks!
But for some Mother’s Day is twinged with sadness. Remembering mothers and mothering figures who are no longer with us – whether physically or emotionally. This weekly e-mail serves a variety of purposes, including sharing what I see in the world, in my life, or to remind people that we are not alone. For me, this Mother’s Day is going to be sad – my first Mother’s Day after her death – no phone call, no reaching out, no knowing that she is there – even if more than a thousand miles away.
As we turn to our Scriptures for this week, we have a scene of tenderness. We are back at the tail end of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel of John (John 12-17), what is referred to as “The Fairwell Discourse”. After all the signs that Jesus performed, he brings the disciples into an Upper Room to teach them how to serve, how to love each other, to know that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will come, that they will never be alone.
In his teaching this week from John 14:15-21 there is a simple line that caught my attention. “I will not leave you orphaned”. Now I know that in the context of Jesus’ teaching, he is speaking of the promise of the Holy Spirit to come and be with them after his death. Yet, as I read this line in the context of Mother’s Day and my grief this week – it is comfort. My Mom taught me how to love others. My Mom encouraged me to love God. And even in death, I know that I carry my mother with me wherever I go. To use the language of Jesus, I have not been left orphaned by her death, her spirit is still with me.
I imagine Jesus trying to teach with tenderness and compassion what is to come. Planting seeds that will bear fruit – if they should feel abandoned or lost. Jesus knows the disciples are not ready for what may be coming. He wants them to know that they will have each other and that they are to lean on each other, to love each other. They will not be orphaned; they will know that God is with them – whatever situation unfolds.
Our service this week will be back in our normal times and locations – 9:45am in Ilderton and 11:00am in Melville. The message and music this week will reflect the tenderness of this conversation between Jesus and the disciples. We will come with joy and celebration, in Melville the Sunday School will share some of their Exodus learnings – and then turn to songs of comfort and tenderness that remind us that as much as Jesus loves the world, we also know that “Jesus Loves Me”. May you feel God’s love,
Steve
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