Mother's Day rings the wrong doorbell in Christianity one of which goes all the way back to the Old Testament when the Israelites tried to uphold other items and beings above God. In Deuteronomy 4:24 God says, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
But you don't have to take our word for it. This editor consulted Jonathan Aigner from Patheos, a non-denominational and non-partisan community, to shed more light on the impact of Mother's Day among Christians.
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According to Aigner, Mother's Day brings up a conflict for Christians involved in worship planning whether they should recognise it, celebrate it or ignore it. However, the conflict seems to arise in Sunday worship rather than in personal lives.
Here are five reasons he says Christians shouldn't celebrate Mother's Day in worship.
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1. Mother's Day interferes with Christian culture
"It distracts us from the rhythm of the Christian year. We are a different people. The Christian year reminds us of this. Our time is oriented around the Holy Story that shapes our faith and guides us in kingdom living," he says.
Adding that, "For us, Sunday isn’t Mother’s Day, it’s the Seventh Sunday of Easter, a time to remember and celebrate the love of God in Christ Jesus, a love that is stronger than the fiercest mother’s love, even stronger than death."
2. Mother's Day forces Christians back into ended relationships
Aigner says, "It ignores the reality of our changed relationships in Christ. We worship as people who are touched and transformed by the Christian story, and in its fullest realization, we are no longer bound by our family ties."
He notes that while there's no Christian law forbidding Christians from giving their mothers treats, going to church as a faimly, sending them flowers, or buying them chocolates, among other things, "But remember what Jesus asked: “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” In him, the answer eschews blood relationship: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven."
That’s the way we honour our fathers and mothers in Christian worship, not with roses or pens with out-of-context Bible verses on them.
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3. Mother's Day encourages misunderstanding of bible scriptures
Aigner mentions that sermons can be taken out of context and misrepresented to fit the theme of Mother's Day. This way, Christians are susceptible to trying to make scriptures revolutionised to fit whatever is being celebrated on the day.
"This Sunday, a lot of us will hear sermons on Proverbs 31, lifting it up the woman it describes as God’s ideal woman, the blueprint for true biblical femininity. That’s simply a poor interpretation. Proverbs 31 is not written as a measuring stick for women but as an example for men (and women) of how to show appreciation for the woman (or man) of valour in their life."
4. Mother's Day dishonours womanhood
While Mother's Day celebrates mothers, it can also tempt Christians into viewing motherhood as the highest calling of a woman's life.
“Caryn Rivadeneira said, 'Maybe there are women out there who love it. The other side for me is the cult of the family, where motherhood tends to get so elevated in churches that it’s above all else. I think sometimes that’s the knee-jerk response, to make it the highest and holiest of callings for women." Aigner says
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"But it isn’t. Women and men have the same high and holy calling, to love and follow God wholeheartedly," he adds.
5. Mother's Day is insensitive to those without mothers
"In most congregations sit many for whom the subject of motherhood is painful, even traumatic," he says.
Aigner notes that celebrating Mother's Day in service separates the congregation between those who celebrate their mothers and those who: never knew their mothers, whose mothers were aloof, disordered, cruel, or abusive, still grieve the loss of their mothers, long to be mothers, but cannot, choose not to be mothers, have suffered through failed pregnancies or abortion, and those who have lost children to illness or tragedy.
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Takeaway on Mother's Day in Christianity
Mother's Day falls on a Sunday but Christians are urged to keep it outside of service and as much as possible out of their lives if it does not serve the purpose of their faith. Mother's Day can interfere with Christian culture, revive old relationships, dishonour women, and bring about separation among Christians. Although there's no Christian law against Mother's Day, Christians are urged to practice mindfulness on the day.