Children’s Corner March 22nd

I want to share with you today, Mothering Sunday, a message that I found about our Bible reading for today which is from John Chapter 19: verses 25-27.

Bricks like those in the picture above are a much-loved toy for all ages. I imagine that lots of us have spent hours playing and building with them, and maybe not just us children. I am sure that there are many adults who have their own collection of bricks stashed somewhere in their house. The bricks have been designed to fit together easily so that you can build whatever structure it is you have in mind. You can build a Harry Potter Castle, Star Wars Spaceships and you can now build a model of Old Trafford – Manchester United’s ground – all from these little bricks!

They come in all sorts of colours and shapes and there really is no limit to their potential – as long as they are used together. A single brick on its own really has very little hope achieving anything. These bricks need each other to give structure and strength and each one helps to support the other as the model takes shape. Our reading today might seem a strange one to link to building bricks, but actually there is a perfect fit.

Mary is facing the worst moment that a mother could ever imagine. She is watching her son die and there is nothing that she can do to help him. She is about to be left alone with her pain and sorrow. Death is not what any mother imagines in their dreams for their children and Jesus, from the cross, knows that she will need support as she struggles through her heartbreak. So Jesus reaches out and creates a new community for his mother. He connects Mary to his most loved disciple John and, from that moment, they join together to become a new family, giving each other strength and support.

Our families are precious gifts from God and we should always care for them and love them.

What can you do today, Mothering Sunday, to show your love for your family?

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” John 19:25