Those who are solely focused on their own selfish desires? A small gift for Mothers Day is fine, but if you give chocolate to a diabetic or a piece of pie to someone with gluten intolerance, what have you given? Aim at earth and you get neither. Feel free to disagree with Lewis as well, but I feel like Im in pretty good company at this moment! A friend once proposed a thought experiment. I love this. Check out our selection of LDS church programs for baptisms, church activities, and sacrament meetings. (If you want to see an example, search mormon tax exemption on Twitter.) I went to Sac. . Especially for those women that aren't mothersbut, a big but, these women are mothers to villages, pets, and extended family all the time! Sadly, though, it probably caused a lot of pain to the listeners. Many said not to assignmother or female focused messages in sacrament meeting, others said to keep your effortssimple as long as it is sincere. #16 They asked him to speak again?! They may have services on Holy Mother Mary but then again, she left her son behind in Jerusalem and didnt even notice she had forgotten him for quite some time before going back to look for him so not sure about her mothering skills ;)). Why shouldn't women be those who teach about the glory of god that is woman? I dont want to hear Sister Becks controversial mothers who know talk, or president bensons talk come home talk. Theyre all very good, and not being critical, but Hallmark w/ scripture would seem to be one way to describe the style of Pres. Were here to help! I'd had a challenging morning, but somehow, my 3-year-old-daughter was decked out and ready for church on time. We are an outlandishly weird, mixed up bunch of folk. It is Mother's Day and yet the day is supposed to about everything about women EXCEPT being a mother. We can all sound harsh at times, but this seems to be a community of sorts and following through on the different dicussions helps put context to opinions expressed. One thing I would add is that somehow we need to stop telling LDS women that they need to do everything in 6 days and 90% income with smiles on their faces and do it better than their non-LDS peers. Did they not have mothers? It was perhaps the best talk I gave as a bishop. don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging. He invites mothers to count the debits and credits in your role as a mother. President Hinckley then goes through a number of important gospel teachings mothers should focus on. Last year, I did an arrangement of "I Often Go Walking" for the Primary children and our ward choir to perform together. Ive decided to see if I can discern consistent reasons why the good ones are good and the bad ones are terrible. The bad ones tend to deal withthe big generalities, praisingmotherhood without even pausing to define whether we are speaking of women who have given birth, or womanhood in general. Jana Riess: LDS Church's slow shift away from demonizing working mothers Not all women can become real mothers. The men work. This is Elder Hollands second appearance on this list of LDS talks on motherhood. Next, it is always very specific so as to not offend anyone. It isn't uncommon for LDS women to be dealing with some combination of the following factors: a difficult marriage, no marriage, no children, difficult children, health problems, loss of faith. Its never the men. I had some ideas but didn't want to repeat anything that had already been done from the Primary. Elder Perry uses personal stories and memories of his own mother to illustrate the importance of teaching the gospel inside the home. You dont come, you dont get one. My best friend (unmarried, childless at 51) has been asked to speak. The speaker described how she saw her mothertake stock of the smoking wreckage of her life, humble herself, and begin the heroic and difficult work of transforming her life into something she didnt need to be ashamed of anymore. Although I have the suspicion that he had an ulterior motive of hoping never to be asked to speak again. Im sort of hoping that the person before me goes too long and I have to wrap up with my testimony. Ideals ALL! As a member of our bishopric, I assigned the topics for this weeks talks, all motherhood focused, and I have forwarded your paragraph with Elder Eyrings quote to each of them. could have had us all come to earth as adults, but instead we came as infants needing 24 hour care to survive; there must be something we need to learn from being dependent on parents, and 4) share some motherhood quotes. It is a simple answer, and it is trueThe most important thing a father can do for his [daughter] is to love [her] mother.'. They want to give a message of comfort and support to other parents who are navigating the difficult conflicts that can arise in families around this issue. For those in Europe, is Mothers Day celebrated to the same awful-gut-wrenching extent? I guess plants are pretty and mothers are pretty. sacrament meeting Archives - Teaching Children the Gospel May your prayers be answered and your hopes and dreams become realities.. 2) If your outfit doesnt match, no one who matters will notice. What does that say about us as a people? This past Mother's Day we arrived late to sacrament meeting due to a cobbling mishap in the morning. No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child.. It was the service ofthe sisters that made the talk memorable. And chocolate. If you want to deal in rose-colored platitudes, you are probably gunning for the high council, so save it until then. Book of Mormon Scriptures on Mothers. We go to church to grow closer to the Savior, not to get treats or recognition. Mormon women are harder on themselves than any other group of ladies I have associated with. When He instituted the sacrament, Jesus Christ said, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Their talks often included poems about the immeasurable amount of crap mothers had to deal with. It has been another hellish week, reminding me of all my faults and short-comings as a mother, all that went wrong for me as a daughter, and it has all brought me a liitle closer to God, who is repeatedly teaching me that one-size-does-not-fit-all, or most or even many. I have seen, heard and experienced much of the imperfections, joys and sorrows in life, and know that reaching out for and holding on to the Iron Rod brings souls closer to the ideals with every step. I just dont like when they push the plant on me after Ive politely declined it. Why can't we let women celebrate it how they want at home and focus on Christ at church? She only did half the things a good mother would have done. Idealsno, no maam not for me. The third tells of a mother who helped her daughter with a disability at a temple dedication. I know my own mother dislikes being called a good mother because she feels so awful about how she raised us from her perspective. I also have plenty of friends who are single sisters and they mourn growing older and menopause because they wont be able to have the children they want to hold and love. Im asking this out of genuine curiosity/responsibility for handing stuff out. For the past two years, I have been passed over because other women tell the youth passing out the gift, that they need to take one for so-and-so, shes ill today,without looking for women in the room that havent received one yet. Yea like all of you My Mother sucked too. Part of this ordinance is a promise to remember Him always and a witness of individual willingness to take upon oneself the name of Jesus Christ and to keep His commandments. More importantly, which meeting do you thinkwould be more likely to provide meaningful support? My own father would probably appreciate a plant, but fortunately he enjoys cookies too. She was not a perfect mother, but I loved her. I love that song but our ward music coordinator has musical numbers lined up already. Im asking this out of genuine curiosity/responsibility for handing stuff out. Listen to her. I dont recall what the men are given on Fathers Day, but at one time in my ward they gave them nice ball point pens. I was honored to have known her, and to have been able to claim her as my own. I am glad you had a good father, but honestly, that attitude is what keeps me away. I have some ideas of speaker topics but I thought I would start a thread for suggestions of topics, scriptures, conference talks, etc that would help make a great Sacrament Meeting that honors Motherhood while also keeping a focus on Christ. What a nice gift for a Mom..hey, you guys have a great time!! I personally am skeptical of ever looking to people for ideals. Support Epic Family Fun! Doesn't it seem strange in a religion that supposedly is so family focused that we have people who ignore the cries of many of the women in church who want to be mothers and can't be or who sorrow over children who are not making good eternal choices? And I did use some of the suggestions here. I am confident that a poll ofactive Mormons would show that Mothers Day sacrament meeting is, hands down, the one meeting of the year most fraught with difficulty for the people who attend. I still dont understand it, which is probably why Im still very nervous about having kids. I dont know how that worked out for him. Just asking. I wonder if this phenomenon is uniquely Mormon. A day focused on mothers is hard enough for many women, and much more so when thats all they hear about at church. Ive been jinxed. President Hinckley directly addresses mothers in this talk, commending them for the wonderful thing they have done by becoming mothers, but offering insights on their greatest challenge: to be able to answer the question How well have my children done? with happiness. See also What to Expect at Church Services. I dont see why having a Tiger Mom would be necessarily any more or less traumatizing than having a Don Draper Mom. The good news is, most sisters want chocolate from their ward family and most sisters usually get chocolate. I have had a lot of thoughts about Father's Day because my father passed away on May 23 about a month ago. Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christs atoning sacrifice. I have no aversion to motherhood being spoken of in church. So our ward did 3 talks on Christ with each one saying one sentence of gratitude about their individual moms right before bearing their testimony. Ere the sun goes down: As a mother of six kids, Ive had some serious depression about motherhood in general over the years but not usually on Mothers Day. Didn't Sheri Dew give a talk titled, "Are We Not All Mothers?" It is as if we cannot celebrate anything because if we focus on single day to celebrate one person then we have decimated everyone else. Every week they strive to prepare for that sacred ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit (see 3Nephi 9:20). Especially since whoever asked him to speak didnt learn their lesson and he said the exact same talk a year later. May the blessings of heaven rest upon you. Now, I detest it. I don't think it bodes well. So far, so good. However, like you, I thought Fathers Day was a done and done. Think about your message and how it will sound to the entire spectrum of your sisters in the ward. Thats the last thing a mother needs, responsibility for yet another living thing. lol! Tony, thanks! Why Women, Especially Mothers, Working Outside the Home is an Abomination Unto the Lord. Avoid speaking of angel mothers. You can guess how well that went over. Church meetings Sacrament Meeting Overview To find a ward near you, try the Meetinghouse Locator, which will also provide sacrament meeting times, driving directions, and contact information. from Pres. In honor of Earth Day, you could throw in the topic of Mother Nature also! Mother's Day: My talk | Times & Seasons He did not have any high-profile ward or stake calling at the time, not that it matters. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever.. They do not need to be perfect in order to partake of the sacrament, but they should have a spirit of humility and repentance in their hearts. All Latter-day Saint Youth Need to Hear Ready to Rise, Popular Rapper Says He Wants to Be Baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FREE I Can Do All Things Through Christ Sheet Music + Music Video, Latter-day Saint Missionaries Perform Is There Room, Official 2023 Youth Theme Music Video: I Can Do All Things Through Christ, Popular Rapper Says He Wants to Be Baptized into The Church. Our head count was 85 sisters which is super for us. Sacrament Meeting Program LDS 4+ - App Store Pertaining to gifts: #53 Im against handing out plants on Mothers Day. Find another way to show appreciation to Mothers! Local leaders are ministering to them at this time," Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said. LDS Sacrament Meeting Talks - 34 Ideas - Nat Harward In the garden He said, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death (Matthew 26:38). Really perfect for MD! I love your idea of wearing different color of flowers. The first speaker was my favorite. This talk teaches us how rearing up children in righteousness can help keep them safe in an increasingly wicked world and how what happens in the home can benefit communities and nations. My wife and I were not in his ward to hear the talk, but he told us about it later. Ive decided to speak on how motherhood allows me to develop Christlike attributes (knowledge, patience, temperance, etcref 1 Peter 1:4-8) through daily struggles and reliance on the atonement and then finish with how wonderful it is that mother is only one of the facets of who we are as we strive to become strong women of God. Too much idealism masks reality and can quickly become propaganda and lies. Serious question for everyone, just out of true curiosity: How many of these horror stories happened in the last five years? Gospel Q&A: My Children Have Left the Church & I Worry for Their Souls. I love her and think she did a great job with the limited resources she had. After church we can give dear old dad a cookie in a baggie and a kick in the pants, call it good for another year, and send him home. Thanks for reminding me so I can stay home. We got a response from172 females and 51 males. Our new bishop, for the last three years, gave no gift or acknowledgement. Home & Family. With that in mind, there are great ideas in this discussion thread of ways to do exactly that. He also discussed the importance of placing motherhood first in our lives but not allowing the pressures of motherhood to sap us of joy. There are a number of other conference talks on the subject (righteous traditions, family traditions, etc.).