St. Edmund's Church, Beckenham

This Sunday is what we call ‘Laetare Sunday’ (‘Rejoice’) – rather like the corresponding Sunday in the middle of Advent (‘Gaudete’ Sunday) – when we reach the middle of Lent and slightly relieve Lenten austerity. So you will notice some rose pink vestments in place of purple, we’re allowed to have flowers near the altar, and ordinarily the playing of the organ would be permitted. This light relief accounts for ‘Mothering Sunday’ or ‘Mother’s Day’.

This year the gospel reading is the account in John chapter 3 of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. Jesus is depicted as asserting the necessity of being begotten again ‘through water and Spirit’, that is, baptism; we also hear his proclamation of God’s love as the source of his being sent into the world; these words were memorably set to music by John Stainer in the last century in his anthem ‘God so loved the world’.

Have a good Sunday – perhaps (if you’re lucky) physically with your mothers, or more likely not in person or indeed in this life- either way, give thanks for them and pray for them.

God bless and take care

Fr Ashley