Mother's Day Banners

Yesterday was Mother's Day. In our church, we have a "Mother's Day" banner than has hung on the wall every mother's day for the past so many years (probably longer than I have been alive). Last year was my first Mother's Day at my church, and the banner caught me by surprise. This year, I was determined to get that banner taken down. Since Pentecost Sunday fell on Mother's Day, I got a new banner--one focused on the Holy Spirit and confirmation (which we were also celebrating this Sunday). I even made the banner myself. Actually, it was a kit that I bought from a church supply company. I had to put it together, though, and even broke my iron while permanently affixing the multiple pieces. So, I carried my finished project into church, thinking it the answer to my Mother's Day banner dilemma.

My problem is not with the Mother's Day banner itself; it is very pretty, very well-made. My problem is with what it says: "God couldn't be everywhere, so he created mothers". There is nothing I like about that statement...unless it just said, "God created mothers", because then it would be a true statement. As it stands, it is completely inaccurate. God IS everywhere, without limit or boundary. That is implicit in the very definition of Divinity: omnipresence. Also, it was not as if God was sitting in Heaven one day, thinking: "My schedule is just getting so full, I better get some help around here...wait, I know what I can do...make some mothers to help me out a bit". The whole idea is absolutely absurd. In addition to being all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere, God is also not reactionary. God does not "paint Himself into a corner" and need to come up with a creative solution to get Himself out of a bind. God knows what He is doing, plans things out in advance, has purpose and order in all He does. God chose to create mothers because that was a good thing to do, because it was part of the original design of things...not because He got overworked with Plan A and needed to move on to Plan B. Anyway, I guess I am the theology police or something, but I cannot stand to advertise misleading thoughts about God, especially not on the sanctuary wall.

Early on Sunday morning, I tried to sneakily put up my newly created banner and take down the Mother's Day banner, but two women saw me, so I had to explain myself. Then one of them said, "Well, where can we put the Mother's Day banner now?" To which I felt the need to explain why I did not want the Mother's Day banner to be put anywhere beside the back closet. Theologically correct though I may be, I was insensitive about the situation, being that one of the women actually made the banner so many years ago. Realizing that fact (in the middle of my lecture on God's omnipresence and intentional design of the family unit), I tried to make it clear how pretty I thought the banner was, and how well put together it was (which it is)...but it was too late. I totally upset the banner's creator, which was not my intention. The people pleaser in me wanted to take it all back and just put the thing back up somewhere, in order to make peace. But, as I sat in my office before church, I reminded myself that I am the pastor and it is my job to think theologically about what we do and say as a Church. Plus, as much as I hated to upset someone that I really care about, I wasn't willing to make peace if it meant putting the banner back up (though, as I've already admitted, the idea of peace-keeping crossed my mind).

That all being said, I am glad that God created Mothers. God knows what He is doing and that was a good idea. Way to go, God!