I chuckled, but was not surprised when I saw that chocolate was the most popular! It might be that it was a holiday originally conceived by the US Socialist Party and propagated by the Soviets. Why do *we* have to have an ideal? Have a variety of ages speak on ideas or what they've done to help their mothers and ways they've stayed close to their mothers. In simple terms his philosophy was that the church is not true because it is madeconsists of people who are imperfect and therefore not always true to all of the ideals taught. Kristine, thank you again. How about we don't celebrate either at church, but celebrate it in our homes with our mothers and fathers? could have had us all come to earth as adults, but instead we came as infants needing 24 hour care to survive; there must be something we need to learn from being dependent on parents, and 4) share some motherhood quotes. Others must be killed or theyll live forever, injuring regular folk. A day focused on mothers is hard enough for many women, and much more so when thats all they hear about at church. Don't subscribe
Re-reading my comment (101) it sounds very harsh even though that is not how I mean it to sound. Well, you dear women, I say thanks to you. Just pass out the chocolates and let all the women go to a park where buckets of KFC, potato salad and slaw are in abundance and/or veggie pizza and cheesecake. My own dear mother, long since gone to her reward, summed up the essence of the perfect Mothers Day talk quite nicely. by Leading Saints | Apr 27, 2016 | Articles, Bishops, Elders Quorum, Relief Society | 21 comments, In 2016 Leading Saints conducted a survey about ward mothers day gifts. Through the shedding of His blood, Jesus Christ saved all people from what the scriptures call the original guilt of Adams transgression (Moses 6:54). It makes my heart sad to see that the men arent recognized and given something however small it may be. It was perhaps the best talk I gave as a bishop. don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging. Reading over those messages, it is hard to come up with any form of consensus other than, everyone has a different opinion. I am understanding your POV. I only mentioned Mothers Day once, and I said how much my mom hated the hypocrisy of Mothers Day, and that we should treat women right every day of the year, not give platitudes one day of the year. So He can be ideal AND real. I wanted to know more, so here are his thoughts. Thank you for being the kind of people you are and doing the things you do. I think we should dispense with handing out things and tell everyone weve made a donation to a local womens shelter or program for mothers in need. Maybe, eventually, I will heal and that will change. Which isnt necessarily a bad thing. A small gift for Mothers Day is fine, but if you give chocolate to a diabetic or a piece of pie to someone with gluten intolerance, what have you given? Most seemed to realize bishoprics are trying and they appreciate any effort. It appears that this phenomenon is growing and becoming even more common everywhere in the US church. Needless to say he was not asked to speak in sacrament meeting for a long, long time. I am confident that a poll ofactive Mormons would show that Mothers Day sacrament meeting is, hands down, the one meeting of the year most fraught with difficulty for the people who attend. Listen to her. They cannot eat it, and in fact just having the stuff around is a serious temptation to do so. The men work. Thats what insulin is for. The rest of us mortals should stick with real. They seemed to love the tradition and I never received negative feedback. Speakers arent assigned to talk on mothers day, there is no gift, no refreshments, no day off from primary. Identifying ideals is somehow so treacherous for the psyches of women that that must never be mentioned? I like the post. Well, counselor x/counselor y is in charge of May, I dont know what hes doing for sure . Theyre all very good, and not being critical, but Hallmark w/ scripture would seem to be one way to describe the style of Pres. I feel for how it hurts people to attend church and the sorrows they bear. Ann (#76), Im sorry to hear about your mothers passing. I love your idea of wearing different color of flowers. especially when there are clear re-phrasings and clarifications. I dont think sacrament meeting is such an inappropriate place to do that, either. Crowd-sourcing request each year when I plan the Mother's Day sacrament meeting I feel an extra bit of pressure to make it special for our wives and mothers. I would love to avoid Mothers Day meetings, just because they are usually tedious, but I love to go for the sake of seeing my kids sing. I was reading about the origins of Mothers Day. Uchtdorf. Well at least I know what not to talk about. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children.. In my home ward, we once had a Mothers Day Sacrament Meeting the topic of which was the priesthood. Because I know the real story so it is distracting from the fake one that they are giving. This is a tradition of man, and sometimes it is just a bad idea. Sharon if that is our Sharon, please PM me. The only thing I might try if I were in charge would be to put out pink, white, red carnations and safety pins and invite everyone in the ward to wear a carnation to honor their mother pink/red if shes living, white if shes passed away. Ideals ALL! I plan to skip church on Mothers Day morning to visit my mother in the home and I will receive my Masters Degree that afternoon! Pres Hinckley and apparently Mark has it right. Im against handing out plants on Mothers Day. Modal title . Snickers. Regarding the giveaways: in my ward for the last several years, all of the women have been given chocolates on Mothers Day (very nice ones). Said she, If you havent convinced your mother that you love her the other 364 days of the year, nothing you say on Mothers Day is worth a damn.. I have some ideas of speaker topics but I thought I would start a thread for suggestions of topics, scriptures, conference talks, etc that would help make a great Sacrament Meeting that . I have not attending other churches that have mothers day services aimed at mothers. Well we could have it like the Sacrament Meetings for Father's Day and have it be your usual every Sunday meeting and not even talk about women or mothers. Sabbath Day Scriptures Scripture References Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-12 Scripture Study Resources Topical Guide, "Assembly for Worship" One of her favorites: Im so bad when daddy comes home, We can all sound harsh at times, but this seems to be a community of sorts and following through on the different dicussions helps put context to opinions expressed. Mormon women are harder on themselves than any other group of ladies I have associated with. Why in the church is there such a strong, almost secular aversion to motherhood? Oh, we also get candy bars with the flowers, music in sacrament and the 3rd hour social time. Excuse everyone after Sacrament meeting to spend the time with their mothers. Can I suggest NOT sending the youth out hunting all women? Examples? Beautiful. My own father would probably appreciate a plant, but fortunately he enjoys cookies too. This is brilliant, Mark. Thanks. It was a one day break from the 40 day Lent cycle to give a feast in honor of Mom with cakes and flowers and her grown children visiting from afar. This is something better done away with. I could brave baby showers and birth announcements just fine, but Mother's Day cut me to the core. Most detested thing, 3rd hour chatting and eating. What do you think when you see a used car lot with a sign like this: Honest Abes Used Cars! Last year, I gave this talk. I actually feel it is not so dissimilar on fathers day, particularly since the disparity between them can demean men. Like many others, my wife and her mother have both always struggled with hearing sacrament meeting talks on Mothers Day. Well, count me among the lucky ones who are speaking this coming Sunday. I hope none of you mind if I quote from this. Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christs atoning sacrifice. So, yeah, how irritated the host is with the comments is pretty much it. Elder Perry uses personal stories and memories of his own mother to illustrate the importance of teaching the gospel inside the home. Alma 56:47-48. Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their . Mark did as well in his postminus the saccharine and accent. Book of Mormon Scriptures on Mothers. You can guess how well that went over. She talked about how when she was single she was very shallow, only cared about clothes and makeup and boys, didnt prepare herself spiritually, didnt have much of a testimony, and then upon marrying found herself extremely immature and woefully unprepared to be a spiritual leader in her home. The two adult speakers should center their talk on Jesus; if you want, assign a youth speaker to speak on Mothers, the Primary sings a song, and pass out the flower at the end. :( Everyone can just disregard parts that may sound harshor disregard the comment altogether I reckon. How did your Mother's Day Sacrament meeting turnout, Rockpond? Based on the comments it seems to be prevalent everywhere in the US church. Ugh.chocolate and cheescake.and NO TALKS!!! Its a complete set-up for failure. End of rant. Latter Day Arrangements is a sheet music resource for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Christians. The "Sacrament Meeting Program" app provides users a quick, easy way to create their sacrament meeting programs. His topic? She told us that as a girl, she would sit in her room crying, with big welts on the back of her hands, but now that she was grown up, she understood why her mother did it, and she was grateful, by golly. He also discussed the importance of placing motherhood first in our lives but not allowing the pressures of motherhood to sap us of joy. So how does tax exemption relate to churches, and especially churches that [], You are so much more than the worst thing youve everdone., http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/daughters-of-god?lang=eng, http://dandelionmama.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/this-this-is-what-i-believe/, Inside the UK's Mormon missionary bootcamp - BBC, Former mayor, LDS bishop gets prison for child sex abuse - Salt Lake Tribune, The anti-racist Mormon trying to teach his fellow LDS church members - NPR, Mormon Church fined over claim it hid $32bn of investments - BBC, Linda King Newell, Feminist Scholar of Mormon History, Dies at 82 - The New York Times. It was both simple and profound. Our current ward celebrates Mothers Day with the obligatory talks. Usually chocolate, a plant or flower. They do not need to be perfect in order to partake of the sacrament, but they should have a spirit of humility and repentance in their hearts. I thought my husband (Sonny) had already posted this, but maybe not, or Im just blinder than usual. But shes never experienced the horrors I have where the local ward nut case talks about how his wife isnt putting out thanks to menopause. I wont be attending this Sunday either, but as always will honor my own mother by being the best mother I can be to my hurting children. In this case it will likely be mothers, and the Primary kids will sing, too. I am aware of a seminary/institute teacher who is apparently of the firm and unshakeable belief that a pile of pizza must be provided each week without fail. This might be a useful reference in terms of stories about Christ and women (not saying to cite it, just to get scripture references and helpful context): http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/fair-conferences/2015-fairmormon-conference/christs-emancipation-of-women-in-the-new-testament. For myself and kindred too, I dont remember all 18 things, but two of them stuck with me, even 15 years later. I was initially surprised he went that way, but I have to say although Ive occasionally heard people say they wish something were did, I heard many complaints every previous year that something was done about what that something was. And, as your mother, I will miss the delicious pie during a relaxing third hour of church. May 2011 was the best mothers day sacrament mtg Ive ever attended. I explained that I was not calling any men to speak, due to their tendency to give perfect mother talks, and felt they could do a better job giving an honest uplifting talk that could be of benefit to the mothers in the congregation. Personally, I like cookies. Especially for those women that aren't mothersbut, a big but, these women are mothers to villages, pets, and extended family all the time! But these are good points. Perhaps the reason so many women have an aversion to an all Sacrament Mtg. I guess plants are pretty and mothers are pretty. Perhaps it shouldnt be mothers day, but be Womans day and celebrate the contributions of women of faith in their families and communities. Its never the men. I have been given mostly free reign on my message. Yeah, it would be pretty late to be thinking about music now. 2 women spoke about motherhood. Actually now that I do have children, the primary song Im so glad when Daddy comes home has taken on a new meaning for me. In the garden He said, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death (Matthew 26:38). Just asking. For the third verse, I composed a counterpoint for the choir to sing while the kids sang the melody. My preference is for a talk focusing on women of the scriptures. The primaries (100 of them? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Why? I have been called by God to be there and that is where I should be. rockpond Cant we just give praise and gratitude for the atonement, and human goodness and resiliance inspite its adversity and imperfection? Every week they strive to prepare for that sacred ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit (see 3Nephi 9:20). I get really tired of hearing the stripling warrior passages on Mother's Day. The worst talk I ever heard came from a woman who described how her mother used to sit by her during piano lessons. If they give out a plant that I can put in the ground, Ill be sad to miss that, though. Mark, This post was positively Uchtdorfian! Classic! (just kidding). On the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ met with His Apostles and instituted the sacrament (see Luke 22:1920). Get plenty HPs and Elders. The fathers dont seem to feel as guilty about things as the mothers do,,,. A later version of the holiday occurred in Europe where they would celebrate the Mother Church (the church as the bride of Christ and as the mother of their spiritual rebirth through baptism) and they would decorate the church with flowers and jewels. Available Now: 2023 Temple Calendar. "I am a sociopathic perverted mess emotionally and mentally thanks to the influence of my insane codependent mother.'". One thing I would add is that somehow we need to stop telling LDS women that they need to do everything in 6 days and 90% income with smiles on their faces and do it better than their non-LDS peers. Our HC speaker will be talking about forgiveness this Sunday at the special request of our Leadership. And this is all in addition to the everyday problems like getting the bills paid and the laundry done. I think mixing it up, at least every other year, from Mother I Love You, is nice as a mom. It hits pretty close because Im one of those lucky people who get to speak on Mothers Day this year. Ugh ugh ugh. Not wordingthat well. It is also a reminder that through His mercy and grace, all people will be resurrected and given the opportunity for eternal life with God. There are sins that need confessing; I love this. Speechless. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Mothers day will likely be about Gods unconditional love for us and how it pains Him to see us struggle And how even mothers cannot quite reach that level of love, but we understand the concept because most of us love our children in much the same way (but n, Focus your talk on how much we ALL need Jesus (even mothers) because we are all sinners (read the Bible It tells us so). Special celebrations can and should be held at home within the family. Intent matters, and I dont believe the idealism we are fed is meant to hurt, but rather to uplift. Along with activities and programs during the week, Latter-day Saints gather on Sundays for an approximately hour-long "sacrament" meeting, where men, women and younger members offer prayers and give sermons, sing hymns and partake of the sacrament (similar to receiving communion). Any suggestions as to what you would truly and realistically appreciate being presented? I recommend it highly: This! (http://dandelionmama.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/this-this-is-what-i-believe/). Why shouldn't women be those who teach about the glory of god that is woman? I had assumed it was a greeting card holiday of commercial origins, but it is actually (like Christmas) based on Roman pagan traditions. Mrs. Gui, All the little Guis and their little Guis, the violin, photography, Prokofiev, Mahler, Terry Pratchett, Patrick OBrian, Umberto Eco, sci-fi and fantasy, Brigham Young, playing Bluegrass with real Kentuckians. She talked about how her convert mother negotiated church attendance with her inactive husband, how she brought the gospel into the home to the extent she could while maintaining close family ties and coping with her own faith struggles, and how her example and choices blessed her home. My own plan of attack: 1) lay some knowledge on people (see above), 2) talk about our own mothers and that they are real people who faced real struggles, 3) the Plan of Happiness (is that what were calling it now?)