Last Sunday was Mothering Sunday, and this year Jo led us as we considered the story in Exodus 2:1-10 of baby Moses being hidden by his mother in a basket among the reeds by the river to keep him safe, and then being adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. We were invited to consider who in the story we could most identify with.
- The baby Moses? Moses is helpless, he can’t help himself, he is a tiny baby and is completely reliant on others to care for him and keep him alive.
- Moses’ mother? Moses’ mother has the idea to put Moses in a basket, she protects it from holes so that it won’t sink and places him in the river, praying that he will be all right.
- Moses’ sister? Moses’ sister, Miriam, doesn’t have anything to give to Moses but she loves him and will do anything to protect him and she waits for an opportunity to help.
- Pharaoh’s Daughter? The Princess is privileged, she has money and security, all the things she needs and more. She could help many people if she chose to.
In our society today, there are a lot of people in a very vulnerable position. Our government used to give a lot of support to families in need – a bit like Moses’ mother, strengthening the basket with tar so that it wouldn’t sink. But now there is no more tar – what used to be a strong safety net in the UK now has big holes in it, and increasingly organisations such as The Children’s Society and churches are trying to strengthen the safety net once again.
In the Moses story, the different characters behave like a mother to Moses and use what they have to help. We considered how, as a church, we can be like a mother to those in need in our community, especially children and young people.
Perhaps we can be like Moses’ sister, Miriam, and go to someone with more resources than us to ask for help. For example, we could write to our MP about issues in our area and join The Children’s Society’s campaign.
Perhaps we can be like Moses’ mother, and help patch up the broken safety net by volunteering our time or donating to a local foodbank or holiday club.
Perhaps we can be like Pharaoh’s daughter and donate generously to a local charity or church project to support local families.
Finally, we had a prayer activity (shown in the photos) where we offered prayers to strengthen different aspects of the UK’s safety net. We tied different coloured ribbons to a net on the dais to represent the aspect we were praying for
- Pink – a prayer for all vulnerable babies, children and teenagers;
- Blue – a prayer for all struggling mothers, bereaved mothers and those who long to be mothers;
- Purple – a prayer for all charities and churches seeking to support families in need;
- Red – a prayer for those in power to make positive changes to protect children and families.
Let’s give thanks for those who have helped us in the past when we’ve been struggling, and ask God to show us how we can help others in need today.