On this Sunday as we remember our moms and the gift of family, we will read passages that at first seem quite unrelated to this holiday.  In John 17:20-26 we listen in as Jesus offers his final prayer for his disciples and for humans of all time — that we may be one, with lives woven together in love. In Revelation 22: 12-17 we have words of the heavenly Christ announcing that he is coming soon and that all the blessed will possess the tree of life and know joy and peace. In addition I have a wall hanging crafted by Tora’s mother — Bette — that I will share. Turns out it’s a good way to connect these passages with Mother’s Day and the gift of life. The hanging is an image in fabric of the affirmation that each human life is the incarnation of God’s love descending into the world through its mother’s womb. The womb filled with the tree of life is Bette’s way of imagining this miraculous weaving together of new life. But what happens to this new life once it’s born into this world? Things have a way of going awry. We lose touch with the miracle. This is why Jesus in John 17 is praying so fervently for the healing and renewing of human life, beginning with the church. I’ll explore these ideas as I tell of an experience that happened when our daughter, Lia, was born, and how we are each called to remember our incarnation as the love of God in flesh. We will also sing some elegant hymns that fit with Mother’s Day. Come and deepen your experience of life and God.

Keep Jean Bousquet, Pat Nixon, and Nancy Steele in your prayers as they heal from recent accidents. Keep them and our world in your prayers.

PS. This Monday there is an exciting astronomical event as the planet Mercury passes in front of the face of the sun. This only happens every decade or so. If it’s clear I plan to set up my solar telescope and check it out. I’ll let you know what I see! Peace.