2. On Mother’s Day, acknowledge the visitors who come on Mother’s Day to please their Mother and affirm it is a kind thing to do and do honestly and without guilt.
It isn’t funny or spiritually helpful for someone from the pulpit or a church member to say something like, “Great to see some of you here who haven’t darkened the door of the church since last Mother’s Day.” Or, “You don’t need to be such a stranger around here.”
A bit of coaching the week before Mother’s Day to your staff, ushers and congregation to be genuinely welcoming—and to leave it at that—is helpful.
3. At the same time, use your sermon to say to the visiting family members what Mom can’t say.
Be honest with your audience on Mother’s Day that one of the greatest pains in a mother’s heart is that her child does not know Jesus. To be apart in life is hard, even as a child grows up, but to contemplate an eternity without those you love is a pain impossible to express.
Acknowledge this is not easy to say (which is why you are saying it for Mom), and it is not at all comfortable to talk about on this happy day, but to not say things that can make an eternal difference is not expressing love. Love is honest about the consequences of a life lived apart from God.
