This is a Mothers' Day sermon. I'm preaching without apology and with appreciation for that time - honored institution without the benefit of which we wouldn't be here!

Every Mother's Day sermon I've run across starts with an explanation - this one's no exception. As ministers, we're reminded not to get too sentimental about motherhood because:

• for some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one;
• for some, biological motherhood isn't possible;
• for some, mothers weren't all that nice;
• for some, motherhood under the very best of circumstances is still less than a bed of roses and a primrose path.

If I can take some liberties with poet Wilhelm Busch's words, I'd have to say: "(Mutter) werden ist nitch schwer; (Mutter) sein dagegen sehr." (To become a (mother) is not so difficult; on the other hand, being a (mother) is very much so!)

So, with all those qualifications, why bother with Mothers' Day at all? I'll tell you why - because for all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls and broken dreams, for all the soiled diapers, soiled wallpaper and spoiled plans, we're talking about a beautiful ideal, a natural part of God's creative plan to bring love and caring to light. Motherhood is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring.