Fourth (Mothering) Sunday in Lent

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Mothering Sunday claims its name from a medieval tradition that is believed to have started around 1200 A.D. The tradition was for members of the faithful to visit their mothering church, where they were baptized, and reborn, if you will. At that time, they would bring gifts for their mothers, including sweet treats and clothing – a tradition, I believe, which is still maintained in parts of England and the U.K. today. It was such a special day, that even the ‘servant classes’ were allowed a day off from work to go and visit their mothers, bringing them hand-me-down clothes and other items, given to them by their employers. — And where does this tradition of mothering Sunday originate? Its origins arise from today’s Epistle Lesson from St. Paul to the Galatians, wherein Paul writes his epistle, because this Gentile church was in danger of abandoning their mother and becoming apostates.  

Throughout his epistle, St. Paul makes the case to all Christians, but especially to the band of believers in the region of Asia Minor, that Christ, through His once for all sacrifice on the Cross, had freed Jews and Gentiles from the bondage of the Law’s imperatives and legalism. Famously, St. Paul writes in Galatians 3,28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” And being one in Christ, and Christ having died once for all, there is no longer any need for religious works and sacrifices in earthly Jerusalem to atone for sin. This was ‘finished’ on the Cross by JESUS for all that call upon His Name, and are baptized into His Body – His Church.  Yet, because some men had made an attempt to undermine Paul’s authority and his Gospel, in his letter to the Galatians, “The apostle [is making his theological argument] … to recover these Christians from the impressions made upon them by these [false] teachers, and to represent their weakness and folly in suffering themselves to be drawn away from the Gospel’s doctrine of justification.”¹ The Apostle’s opponents were arguing, to use Paul’s language, that the children of Mt. Sinai in Arabia, were of an equal reckoning before GOD to the children of Mt. Zion in heavenly Jerusalem.  

Notice, quite importantly, that St. Paul says that these things are symbolic, and pertain to two covenants: the covenant of GOD made with Israel through Moses on Mt. Sinai, which is earthly, and the covenant of GOD made through JESUS Christ, which is spiritual. The first covenant of Mt. Sinai was written on stone and was fastened to men’s hearts by rituals, rules, and regulations, making those men feel obligated to serve GOD dutifully, and yet never able to satisfy GOD’s righteous demands for atonement. The second covenant is of a heavenly sort, written on the hearts of men by the Holy Spirit and fastened to their lives by faith, freely. — To make his point, Paul goes to the Torah, the Law of Moses, and recounts a story from Genesis 21.  

In that story, we catch up with Abraham and Sarah, the couple to whom GOD made His most important promise: “In your Seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22,18). If you know the story and a little bit about Abraham and Sarah, their long marriage had not yielded them any children, and they were both old when GOD promised them His blessing. Indeed, when GOD made His promise, Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah was 90. (cf. Gen. 17,17) Thus, for the promise to become a reality, and if Abraham and Sarah were to have a Child that would bless the peoples of the earth, GOD would need to miraculously provide where the aged couple’s biological capabilities lacked. 

But, to their dismay, it took some time before GOD provided the promised seed, who was Isaac, and Abraham and Sarah grew impatient. It was for that reason that Sarah arranged for one of her handmaidens, Hagar the Egyptian, to be known of Abraham, so that she would bear him a son; and she did. In essence, Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar the Egyptian bondwoman, attempted to procure their ‘salvation’ by the works of their own hands – they did not trust the LORD for His Word and His provision. Instead, they attempted to fulfill GOD’s will in their own way and on their own timetable. By these acts, Abraham and Sarah put themselves under a law of works that proved incapable of yielding the fruit of the plans of GOD.  And though Hagar did bear a son, Abraham and Sarah did not receive the Word of GOD patiently, and thus, they did not receive the Promise seed through the bondwoman in this way.  

It is important to note that St. Paul made his point from this story from Israel’s historic past to defend the grace of GOD that comes through Christ by faith, alone.  — To accomplish this, Paul begins today’s Epistle Lesson by saying, “Tell me, ye who want to be under the Law, do ye not hear the Law?” (Gal. 4,21), referring to the story just relayed about Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. — In typical Pauline fashion, the Apostle instructs the Christian church in Galatia with a double entendre – for those who thought that they wanted to be under the codes of the Law, St. Paul instructs them with the theology of the Law. 

Evaluating his lesson from Galatians 4, it is plain to see that the children who subscribe to the covenant of Mt. Sinai, have no place at the table with the children who subscribe to the covenant of heavenly Jerusalem. – “The son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely Isaac,” said Sarah (Genesis 21,10). And this, the LORD GOD confirmed when He told Abraham: “Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed (viz., your progeny by Faith through Grace) shall be called.” (Genesis 21,12) What does this mean?  

It is important to consider, that Isaac, without GOD, would not exist. — I know that sounds obvious, but without the miracle of GOD’s intentional intervention, Abraham and Sarah could not bear children. – That is the point! The Bible says, that both were well-advanced and beyond their childbearing years, so if they were to be the parents of the Promise, GOD, with His providence, grace, and power, must necessarily cause them to be fruitful and to bear a son. Isaac is a miracle, and therefore, he is a sign of the good things to come, not only the genealogical and physical lineage that would create the nation of Israel, but more importantly, Isaac, the head of the race of people that procured the Messiah and Savior of the world. The Messiah, who, on earthly Mt. Zion, on a sad Friday, would fulfill that which GOD promised to Abraham and Sarah. JESUS, as the true Promise of GOD, would bless the nations by relieving them of their guilt and shame – the shame and disgrace of sin against our Creator, of which we are all guilty.   

Yet, because they were restless, Abraham and Sarah brought Hagar into the story, and by works of the laws of nature, they pushed GOD’s plan forward, they thought, and procured not the promised seed. They, as GOD had instructed, were to await the working of GOD’s Holy Spirit, who would open the womb of Sarah, and allow the divine work of GOD to be made known. Thus, the promise, that is the righteousness that comes from GOD, comes by faith in waiting for the grace of the LORD. – Try as we may, we cannot reap a grain harvest without sowing, fertilizing and waiting in prayer. We might plant and we might water, but GOD makes all things grow.  

Paul’s point is well-taken, if we have ears to hear and a heart to understand. To procure GOD’s righteousness, we are not to try to work it out on our own merits and on our own terms. This is the difference between Mt. Sinai and earthly Jerusalem, and the Jerusalem that is from above. – To underscore his point, Paul says in Galatians 3,3ff, “He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? — Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Therefore, know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So, then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Galatians 3,3-9). 

The Judaizers were in Galatia of Asia Minor, hounding Paul and the mission churches he was planting with heretical teaching, hoping to disrupt and possibly displace those who had put their trust for righteousness in GOD’s hands. They hoped to turn the Christians, instead, to the belief of earthly works of man through worldly practices and rituals of supposed atonement and justification. This is a direct contradiction and anathema to the Cross of Christ. The Judaizers demanded that Christians, if they were to be true followers of GOD, were to return to Mt. Sinai and the Law. JESUS and His Apostles said, ‘no!’ “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in ‘the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith…” (Galatians 3,11-12). 

Hagar then, a bondwoman, says Paul, represents, allegorically, the covenant of the bondage of the law and Mt. Sinai; for by her, Abraham and Sarah tried to work out their salvation and bring about the promise on their own and failed. On the other hand, Sarah, a freewoman, represents Heavenly Jerusalem, which is the Church. She represents the covenant of Grace, for through her, by the power of the Spirit and the mercy of GOD, the Promise was made alive and given to men as their blessing – the Light unto the world. — To put a bow on this discussion, Paul writes: “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4,22-25).   

Today is mothering Sunday – the mid-point in Lent when we are supposed to return in gratitude to our mother, the Church, wherein we received the regenerative waters of new birth in our Christian Baptism. We are to recount the blessings of GOD that have come through her – the blessings of word, sacrament, liturgy, and son – the blessings of the Faith. On mothering Sunday, the dark colors of penitence fade a bit to the color rose, and the veil cloaking the joy of Easter Morning is diminished a bit so that we might see the joy and beauty of what lies ahead. — What does lie ahead? — Let me tell you what does lie ahead for those who believe in the promise of salvation that comes only from GOD. What lies ahead is relief, rest, and communion with our Maker. That is evident by today’s Gospel Lesson. JESUS visibly showed His followers, that if they maintain in their hearts, minds, and souls the faith of heavenly Jerusalem, that a meal of Holy Communion awaits. For those who believe in the promise of GOD that came by GOD through Abrham and Isaac, and was given to the world in the person of JESUS Christ, the Heavenly Feast of the Lamb and Beatific Vision of the ALMIGHTY awaits us. — But we cannot get to heavenly Jerusalem on our own – we must follow the Way, the Truth and the Life. We cannot work our way there, and we do not have enough money to buy our way there, for 200 denarii is not even enough to feed so many. To come this Feast – to this Rest – to this Communion with the Most-Holy GOD – we must come as we each did to this world; through our mothers. Yet, unlike the bondwoman, our mother is a freewoman – a woman of grace and truth, and we must come to GOD through her – through Holy Mother Church. And if we will come by way of the covenant of the Jerusalem above, instead of the Jerusalem below, then I am compelled to tell you what the writer of Hebrews knows about our journey to the mother of us all: “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore .. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in Heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12,18-19, 22-25). Brothers and sisters of St. Mark the Evangelist Anglican Church – happy Mothering Sunday! In the Name of GOD – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. 

1 Henry, Matthew. BlueletterBible.com. “Commentary on Galatians 4”. Accessed 29 March 2025.  Commentary on Galatians 4 by Matthew Henry