We’ve had two very poignant Sunday mornings in a row at Holy Communion.  Yesterday was the tear-drenched farewell for our intern, Crystal Steinberg- but I want to write about Mother’s Day and a very special moment which I am still thinking about, more than a week later.

Kate Barrow thought it would be neat to gather whatever women of the church were interested in singing something special for Mother’s Day- and a very nice assortment of women responded to the invitation.  They sang two songs, one of which was a song of mine called “God Has.”  The refrain is actually something I wrote for Vacation Bible School a few years ago, and Kate asked if it could somehow be rewritten or revised to be a Mother’s Day piece.  These are the words I came up with:

Come with your hurts- Come with your pain-
Bring them to God and find new life again.
Come though you doubt- though you despair-
Lie down and rest in the sweet Father’s care.

Ref: God has arms that will catch you when you fall.
God has ears that will hear you when you call.
God has eyes that will always watch over you.
God has hands that will guide you in all you do.

Come if you feel lost and alone,
saddened and stranded a long way from home.
Here you will find welcome and grace,
comfort and warmth like a mother’s embrace.

Sometimes we fail- Sometimes we fall.
Sometimes we can’t see the point of it all.
But trust and believe the promise is true.
Whatever you roam or whatever you do . . .

Kate wrote in the bulletin: “I want you to see these lyrics that reflect on parenthood in a world that is broken and hurting, a world where we need mothers and fathers, and a God to lift and sustain us in our pain, our fear, and our failings. As a daughter, a mother, and a teacher in a world whose brokenness is spewed at us with frightening intensity, this song reflects the truth and reality of what children feel. Much more important than that, however, is the fact that this song reflects the love of a powerful and loving God who lifts and sustains us. . . and give us hope.”

One thing that made this performance very special was the mix of women whose joined in the song. There were some young mothers with firstborn babies just a couple of years old- and there were a couple of great-grandmothers.  There were two families where three generations were represented- and I’m glad my wife was there to represent  godmothers everywhere.  And there were some young women there who are daughters wanting to pay tribute to their mothers.  And I can’t begin to convey how beautiful they sounded as they sang.

What was especially moving for me was to look into those faces and realize that one of those women lost a son to cancer – another lost a daughter who took her own life – and several of them are mothers who are struggling to help sons who are battling terrible substance abuse of one kind or another. You never know what astounding story lie behind someone’s smiling face. Motherhood can sometimes mean terrible sorrow, even as it can mean tremendous joy- and it seemed so fitting that this group of mother’s singing together would embody so many facets of motherhood.  And to have all of them singing “God has arms that will catch you when you fall. . . “ was more inspiring than I can say.

By the way, it appears that the service in question was not recorded – or otherwise I would put this song on my Listen page. Maybe we can reconvene them when I get around to making my next CD.  In the meantime, you have to trust me when I say that they sounded like Angels!

Pictured above:  the performance in question at Holy Communion Lutheran Church,  May 13, 2007