Lent 4 - Mothering Sunday
 

Today's selected readings: Normal readings of the day.
 

The Practical Sermon Activity
* Is your mum special? Why? (Discuss)
* Mums have always been special and that is why we have today which is a custom from England (Do you know what a custom us?)
* Todays also has a number of names - Mid Lent Sunday, Refreshment Sunday (The original readings included the feeding of the 5000 when the people on the hillside were refreshed by Jesus), Mothering Sunday (Different from the Australian Mothers Day which is in May).
* The festival came about when the apprentices were allowed home that weekend to see their Mothers and they (the family) all went off to church together to their 'Mother Church'
* The apprentices took home with them the mothering Cake also called the Simnel Cake. (Simnel means finest flour)
* Today we are going to honour our Mums by maiing a small posy for them
* Because Mums are so special, we should always do something special for them every day. (What might be some of the things we could do)
* Eg: Dishes, make our beds, not leave things around for Mum to pick up, offering to do things for them etc.
* Jesus also had a great mum and he too would have made sure that she knew she was special.
* When was the last time you told Mum you loved her?
* Then tomorrow would be a good time to start afresh and do the right thing and Jesus and the angels in heaven would be singing your name aloud.

Kids Church Activity:
To cut up the simnel cake and make posies of flowers. The whole congregation encouraged to do this, or the children could make them for the Mums instead. Then the Children's mums could give the posy to their Mum, or if the grandmother, she may like to take it to the cemetery to place on the grave of their mum.

What you need to get ready:

To make the simnel cake previously (and iced). Large carving knife, Pink serviettes, small stemmed flowers, ferns for decoration, florist ties, tissue paper, wrapping paper (silver if possible as looks more impressive). You may well need to ring a number of the congregation and ask them to bring along a few flowers for this activity. (Email them) In fact if you don't have a parish Email register, it is a good thing to develop.

  Recipe at end of this page.

OTHER RESOURCES

SOME WEB RESOURCES

http://www.btinternet.com/~cybercard/Mother.htm
This is a web site for Email "Mothering Sunday" Cards

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/conker/conkers-and-ghosts/shrovetidelent.htm#motheringsunday
Lent customs and ideas

http://www.holidays.net/mother/story.htm
Simple background to Mothering Sunday

Simnel Cake Recipe:

Simnel Cake
Ingredients:
6 oz. butter/margarine
6 oz. sugar
3 eggs
8oz. flour
1 teasp. baking powder
1 teasp. mixed (cake) spice
1 lb mixed dried fruit
3 oz. chopped glace cherries
3 oz chopped candied peel
2 oz.chopped blanched almonds
2 tablesp. milk.
Ingredients for marzipan:
(or use ready prepared!)
8 oz. ground almonds
4 oz. castor sugar
4 oz. sieved icing sugar
2 egg yolks or 1 egg to bind
egg white for glaze & a little sieved jam (jelly)
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Prepare the marzipan by mixing all the ingredients together. Roll out into two 8 inch rounds.
Cream the butter/margarine together until soft and light. Gradually beat in the eggs, add a little sieved flour if the mixture shows signs of curdling. Sieve flour, baking powder and spice and fold into the egg mixture. Add the fruit and milk.
Put half the mixture into a greased and floured 8-inch cake tin. Cover with one on the rounds of marzipan and then add the rest of the cake mixture.
Bake for about 2hrs 15 mins at 325-350deg.F, 160deg.C, Gas mark 3.
Test to see if it is cooked - the cake should have stopped "singing" and be firm to the touch!
Allow the cake to cool on a wire tray. Brush the top with the sieved jam (jelly) and cover with the second round of marzipan. Brush with the egg white and brown for a little time under a pre-heated low grill. Decorate with sugar flowers etc and tie a ribbon around the edge!