Diversity and Unity in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Environmental Stewardship and Conservation, Joseph Smiths Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women, Peace and Violence among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints, The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage, Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham. Honest! Isnt it reasonable to think that Abe is trying a little too hard, and might be overcompensating for something? (did I mention he and his wife were not parents yet?). I was dreading it, but I was rescued by my sister coming to town for the next 3 days yayyyy. Something else for me to kill.. Book of Mormon Scriptures on Mothers. Fun Photos of Latter-day Saint Leaders in the Snow! Bear in mind thatmost of women in the congregation havelives that havent turned out the way they expected. I have been given mostly free reign on my message. I choose to stay away for most MDs and all FD. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/wanted-hands-and-hearts-to-hasten-the-work?lang=eng. Speakers arent assigned to talk on mothers day, there is no gift, no refreshments, no day off from primary. God still loves her, and her life still had value and meaningTHE END!! The only Mothers Day event for another church Im aware of is when a friend told me that in her church the main talk is always about Christ no matter what holiday it is, but when its just the women the speaker will focus on motherhood and Christs teaching about mothers. I exchanged the word "guidance " for the word " mothers " in this verse to help it go with the Mother's Day theme. When I was bishop, my bishopric would always serve pie during the third hour and Id invite my mom to attend. Or the best of both worldssend all women to RS and have the chocolate there so you get the women to walk through the door instead of to their cars, and so the kids arent begging for it? Oh yes, Ive read the scriptures to be like Him, to be perfect. 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. I dont think sacrament meeting is such an inappropriate place to do that, either. Especially for those women that aren't mothersbut, a big but, these women are mothers to villages, pets, and extended family all the time! An ideal is fine to have in your own life, but imo it is dangerous to attempt to have one for a worldwide religious organization. And, even worse, we are also cutting them off from the grace and redemption that Jesus offers. One of my favorite talks ever wasnt a Mothers Day talk but was given by a mother talking about mothering (we were on vacation, so didnt know the woman speaking). Im sure that attendance in RS would be higher on that day though. Others must be killed or theyll live forever, injuring regular folk. We've gathered five inspiring gifts for Latter-day Saint women to help them feel cherished and celebrated. Just a thought. I totally agree. However, like you, I thought Fathers Day was a done and done. How can a father raise a happy, well-adjusted daughter in todays increasingly toxic world? Scriptural women are perhaps safer :-) And in our ward, the men get cans of Dads Root Beer or Sugar Daddy candies. The kids sang the first verse and the adults the second. Some few are probably actively trying to avoid the gifts, trying hard to not remember the lack thats been rubbed in her face all day long. But as for now no praise deserved but the praze to the heavenly Father. I found out the hard way after a long list of them declined to give the talk. Speaking for myself, I think Fathers Day is much easier. A nod to moms but no pedestal worshiping. I can only pray no one will take offense, as I certainly never mean any offense. anon, pretty sure hearing about an old guys non-existent sex life is worse. Speechless. THAT is what non-denominational Christian churches do :). She only did half the things a good mother would have done. Thank you. I wanted to know more, so here are his thoughts. No fuss, no muss. I come to church to be fed spiritually, and sappy poems and stories are never ever going to measure up to the meat that scriptural examples can provide. JUST kidding. Sacrament meeting is the term for a regular Latter-day Saint worship service, usually held each week on Sunday, where the sacrament (similar to communion) is offered to the members of the Church. It just screamed, whoops, we forgot to order flowers in time and ran out to walmart last night and bought up whatever womanly thing we could find. One of her favorites: Im so bad when daddy comes home, What does it mean when we want to remove motherhood from Mother's Day? I didnt realize Mothers Day was so close. rockpond I wish you were speaking in my ward! I just dont like when they push the plant on me after Ive politely declined it. Our head count was 85 sisters which is super for us. But I see where you are coming from. On the other hand, women tended to speak about motherhood as the most emotionally-exhausting and time-consuming chore imaginable. This past Mother's Day we arrived late to sacrament meeting due to a cobbling mishap in the morning. In honor of Earth Day, you could throw in the topic of Mother Nature also! Classic! Celebrating motherhood somehow demeans mothers by making them feel guilty for not having been "good" mothers. In preparation for the sacrament each week, Church members take time to examine their lives and repent of sins. If So, Should We Pray Out Loud? . Feelings of guilt, shame, loneliness, anger, disappointment, abandonment, and not measuring up to impossible expectations are prevalent. After the explanation, both seemed excited and accepted the challenge willingly. President Eyringonce said that when he meets somebody for the first time, he assumes that person is struggling mightily with an intractable problem, and cannot see any possible solution. Nothing, wakes people up in sacrament meeting like talking about chimpanzees dismembering each other. Said she, If you havent convinced your mother that you love her the other 364 days of the year, nothing you say on Mothers Day is worth a damn.. Think about your message and how it will sound to the entire spectrum of your sisters in the ward. This is Elder Hollands second appearance on this list of LDS talks on motherhood. Regarding the giveaways: in my ward for the last several years, all of the women have been given chocolates on Mothers Day (very nice ones). 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. On Sunday Morning my sister and I drove almost 2 hours each way to go visit my maternal grandmothers grave. Holidays: Mother's Day | Little LDS Ideas The main message I gathered from reviewing this survey is, keep it simple, dont try tohave specific female messages during the meetings, and then serve a fun refreshment in the third hourjust because. This is something better done away with. On the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ met with His Apostles and instituted the sacrament (see Luke 22:1920). 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. LDS Hymn Arrangements. However, I am concerned about the implications of a people where the female population dislikes the concept of motherhood or at least dislikes it enough that they do not want to celebrate Mother's Day. That being said, my ward will be nice and quiet next Sunday, one of the joys of the YSA wards. Serious question for everyone, just out of true curiosity: How many of these horror stories happened in the last five years? The sacrament provides an opportunity for Church members to ponder and remember with gratitude the life, ministry, and Atonement of the Son of God. There was nothing you could do that would ever make you feel like she didnt love you, but she always told you the truth about your behavior and was not afraid to be entirely real with you even when you wanted to lie to yourself. The perfect sacrament meeting talk? Being Mother's Day, that meant the soft seats up front were filled with grandmothers and other maternal figures visiting for the weekend, which meant latecomers like the Lemons got metal seats in the back this week. Why is that or is that just in my ward? As far as Jesus is concerned, he was sinless so is able to stand as an ideal. Be patient with her imperfections, for she has them. (i.e. On this site you will find a variety of arrangements for ward choirs, solo piano, vocal duets and more. I must speak the loving word, I don't think it bodes well. Best Mother's Day Topics, Scriptures, Conference Talks, Etc. 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. If you want to hear about angel mothers and perfect people, remain in the chapel. Many times, it seems bishoprics want to put women on a pedestal for a day, while trying not to offend anyone. Alece, its usually when the admins sense that the conversation is no longer productive, or when we dont have time or patience to keep monitoring the thread. Ive lived in numerous family wards, and Ive never gotten as much as a crumb for Fathers Day, at least not from church. Is this really the Mothers Day message I need? Submitting to the will of the Father, He suffered more than we can comprehend: Blood [came] from every pore, so great [was] his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people (Mosiah 3:7). Print out the short questionnaires included in the printable and distribute them to the mothers in your ward a few weeks before Mother's Day. Over the years, Ive heard some very good Mothers Day talks, but I have also heard some that were cringe-worthy. Have a variety of ages speak on ideas or what they've done to help their mothers and ways they've stayed close to their mothers. I believe the best thing a man can do is not to love his wife in word, but to help her find and be and become whatever she truly wants to be and become outside of her role as mother. Maybe Ill get a pizza and tell the kids to cook it for breakfast when Sunday morning comes. I know I dont have any say on when the thread closes, but it would be interesting to hear feedback from how each persons respective wards handled MD, and how the people assigned to talk felt their messages were delivered and/or received. . Sacrament meetings include music, talks, testimonies and prayers. Maybe the Hallmark channel should use some of his conference clips as fillers when movies end early. It seems like awareness and knowing your audience as mentioned before, is half the battle. I have an aversion to bringing my family's celebration intochurch and causing other women pain. Oh, we also get candy bars with the flowers, music in sacrament and the 3rd hour social time. 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 guess plants are pretty and mothers are pretty. My son Dan was married June 13 about a week ago. How about honoring our mothers by not just focusing on what they do or have done for us (guilt trip for those that feel they never do enough) but focus on ways the members can help their mothers throughout each stage of their life. LDS Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Great Gifts for LDS Women Mother's Day Cupcake Flower Card Mother's Day Gift Ideas: 10 Ways to Show Your Love on Mother's Day Mother's Day Chapstick Idea Mother's Day Questionnaire & Gift Idea Mother's Day Gift Idea: Candy Necklaces Mother's Day Treat Tags Mother's Day gift idea: Candy Flower Bouquets Categories At one point they cut down a tree and paraded it into town to symbolize the mother of the Gods (Asherah, anyone?). That bishop that moved his ward away from elaborate gifting was doing the right thing. Why can't we let women celebrate it how they want at home and focus on Christ at church? "I am a sociopathic perverted mess emotionally and mentally thanks to the influence of my insane codependent mother.'". So, just an FYI to the LDS people here Non-denominational Christian churches focus EVERY day (especially Sunday) on God/Jesus Christ Generally the take home message (this would apply to mothers day s well) is that we are human so we are sinners and if we accept Jesus Christ as our savior then we can hand him our trials (very difficult to do) but when we dont and we are struggling He still loves us. In one of my wards, the women of the congregation were given wooden spoons as their gifts at the end of the meeting. I give, is it supposed to be about mothers or not? Mother's Day: My talk by Kaimi Wenger May 5, 2009 23 Comments It's hard to strike the right balance, between affirming Moms who really need to be told that they made a good decision; and letting others (especially women) know that they're okay, too. Until I see a longer lasting cease fire, Im staying home MD (with my mother and daughters). Nuts. Thank you for being the kind of people you are and doing the things you do. Latter-day Saints to Attend Sacrament Meeting Only on Christmas Day Church Newsroom November 10, 2022 Church The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has. We should not celebrate anything unless it is universally acknowledged around the world. The rest of us mortals should stick with real.. I actually feel it is not so dissimilar on fathers day, particularly since the disparity between them can demean men. Im sort of hoping that the person before me goes too long and I have to wrap up with my testimony. Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice. This year in our ward we are having a missionary farewell for Mothers Daynot the old kind where the new missionary and all his/her family speak, but the new kind where the new missionary will be given a topic. At a certain point, their best has to be enough. Uchtdorf. Geesh! It very gently re-addressed several of the points that were flying in the newspapers and throughout the church in the Mothers Who Know backlash. Ive never objected to any Mothers Day program, and in my ward, all women get a gift, married, single, divorced, widowed, with or without children. For sacrament meeting, we can give the men a sternly worded warning about the danger of tehpernogriffiez. Steve P, Im not going tomorrow. It seems like every time theres a church scandaland especially one that concerns moneypeople start arguing that the scandal-ridden church (or even churches in general) should lose their tax exemptions. and read for the dayLOL, isnt that a nice dream?? I know of no better answer to [the] foul practices that confront our young people than the teachings of a mother, given in love with an unmistakable warning.. Variations included a verse for when mommy comes home stoned, with descriptions of bratty violent Mormon children and a terrible version only whispered with stifled giggles including titillating, lolita overtones. #93 Ruth The talks are mostly bearable (though no picnic), but the worst is when the youth would spread out in search of women who were not holding whatever flower or chocolate. Just sharing those times with women in the scriptures and what we can learn from them - and NOT have a focus on mothers. Tracy M posted an amazing video that deals with the general concept of this post in a really insightful way. Honestly, considering how touchy this subject is (women w/out kids, abusive moms, separated/divorced men who don't want to be, moms who've passed, etc), I'd focus on Womanhood. It would be much easier for me to hear mothers day talks if they were real instead of ideal, though Id prefer a good sermon on Christ, instead. How did your Mother's Day Sacrament meeting turnout, Rockpond? LDS Ministering Message Mother's Day Printable - Jonesing2Create Pres Hinckley and apparently Mark has it right. What do you think when you see a used car lot with a sign like this: Honest Abes Used Cars! Last year we did two songs for the Mother's Day sacrament meeting, and they turned out beautifully, so I thought I would share them with you. All my daily tasks fulfilling, Can I suggest NOT sending the youth out hunting all women? A later version of the holiday occurred in Europe where they would celebrate the Mother Church (the church as the bride of Christ and as the mother of their spiritual rebirth through baptism) and they would decorate the church with flowers and jewels. End of rant. It is Mother's Day and yet the day is supposed to about everything about women EXCEPT being a mother. As the son of a mother who was destroyed every Mothers Day, and seeing many similar experiences here, I plan to stick to the Christ-centric meeting next year. His explanation was not to offend any sister. It was the service ofthe sisters that made the talk memorable. Motherhood as a path to choose to be a better disciple of Christ by caring for those Christ lives.feed my sheep, etc. If you personally need one, thats fine, but not everyone needs a model for something that is experienced differently by everyone. Too much idealism masks reality and can quickly become propaganda and lies. 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 cookie in a baggie? Personally, I like cookies. Its always the wives. My wife and I were not in his ward to hear the talk, but he told us about it later. What do you think should be handed out for Mothers Day? from Pres. Oh and starting with Anthropologist Hrdys observations on what a plane full of chimps rather than humans would look like. A year later he died in a car accident, and the children went back to mom, whose life was now very different. They always see what they havent done instead of what they have because they are constantly reminded of what they should be doing. There have been one or two General Conference talks in the last couple of years that briefly addressed that situation. on Mothers Day and donate it to a womens shelter. I thought my husband (Sonny) had already posted this, but maybe not, or Im just blinder than usual. And I did use some of the suggestions here. Ive decided to see if I can discern consistent reasons why the good ones are good and the bad ones are terrible. At my ward the angel mothers were to aspire to. Our HC speaker will be talking about forgiveness this Sunday at the special request of our Leadership. Beware the philosophies of Hallmark, mingled with scripture. After a lot of thought and prayer I called two sisters to speak on some of the blessings and also the challenges of raising children in the gospel. So how does tax exemption relate to churches, and especially churches that [], You are so much more than the worst thing youve everdone., http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/daughters-of-god?lang=eng, http://dandelionmama.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/this-this-is-what-i-believe/, Inside the UK's Mormon missionary bootcamp - BBC, Former mayor, LDS bishop gets prison for child sex abuse - Salt Lake Tribune, The anti-racist Mormon trying to teach his fellow LDS church members - NPR, Mormon Church fined over claim it hid $32bn of investments - BBC, Linda King Newell, Feminist Scholar of Mormon History, Dies at 82 - The New York Times. Not necessarily mothersjust women. Some of the stories were simple acts of kindness and some were extraordinary examples of love and sacrifice. It was part of the talk. But her mother held a yardstick, and if her daughter played the wrong key, her mother smacked her across the back ofher hands, thus providing sufficient negative reinforcement to motivate her to do it right the next time through. I gave a MD talk one year and focused on Emma Smith, Naomi the MIL of Ruth and my daughter who was a young mother at the time. The answer has been taught by the Lords prophets. More often than not, his assumption is correct. Flowers were also given to anyone who wanted to wear one in honour of their mothers. Someone explain this. How cool someone reading my rambling! "We express our love to those in this congregation and our prayers for the victims and their families. Women have mothers too! Which isnt necessarily a bad thing. Every year someone has to pick up the flowers for my ward. What does this mean about women? I agree with the chocolate, lack of talks, and the third hour refreshments! Being Both a Disciple & a Daughter: Balancing Formality in Prayer. Teach Me to Walk in the Light - Mother's Day Song I chuckled, but was not surprised when I saw that chocolate was the most popular! The Damage of Mormon Mother's Day Myths - Zelophehad's Daughters Our old ward in NY would take the funds normally used to purchase flowers, chocolate, etc. I dont remember terribly well, but at the Episcopal church I attended for a while, I dont think Mothers Day was nearly as emphasized as it is in the LDS church, because its not part of the liturgical calendar. I dont want to hear Sister Becks controversial mothers who know talk, or president bensons talk come home talk. After living with me for almost 17 years, hed better get it right! For years the tradition in my ward was a simple gift for all sisters 18 and older. Modal title . Integrate how Jesus takes care of his mother's future well being while hanging on the cross with the scripture John 19:26-27. 1 Dead, 1 Injured in Shooting During LDS Sacrament Meeting in Nevada. Many said not to assign "mother" or "female" focused messages in sacrament meeting, others said to keep your efforts simple as long as it is sincere. Less than nothing because the message of such a gift is that the person is not important. Wards/branches can use this app to create and print traditional . Last year, I did an arrangement of "I Often Go Walking" for the Primary children and our ward choir to perform together. 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 accidently hit the quote button and so nothing is there..you guys can fill in the blank.. My wife and I will be on an Alaska Cruise. Loverboy was gone, she was outside of the church, and she had no means of support. And out the door I flee. Ideals ALL! Ere the sun goes down. Mormon women are harder on themselves than any other group of ladies I have associated with. 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. I would love tohear from you. I think it turned out great. Only for the second time he also included a segment about how if his wife was a better homemaker maybe his kids wouldnt have such screwed up lives. LDS Sacrament Meeting Talks - 34 Ideas - Nat Harward Available Now: 2023 Temple Calendar. Elder Perry uses personal stories and memories of his own mother to illustrate the importance of teaching the gospel inside the home. Theologies have consequences. Lewis moments ago which speaks directly to those thoughts: I would love to avoid Mothers Day meetings, just because they are usually tedious, but I love to go for the sake of seeing my kids sing. 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. The water is a reminder that the Savior shed His blood in intense spiritual suffering and anguish, beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane and concluding on the cross. My own father would probably appreciate a plant, but fortunately he enjoys cookies too. She talked about how when she was single she was very shallow, only cared about clothes and makeup and boys, didnt prepare herself spiritually, didnt have much of a testimony, and then upon marrying found herself extremely immature and woefully unprepared to be a spiritual leader in her home. So for over a decade, Ive loved Mothers Day, just because I know it wont end with all of us crying. Please add to the possibility of what LDS women are dealing with: they didnt have the best mothers themselves, they are the adoptive parents of mothers who, for whatever reason couldnt be a mothers, (adoptees and foster children or adults that have been in foster care could be particularly vulnerable as well); they work outside the home and love it, they work outside the home and hate it, they cant stand being mothers, the list could go on and on. My mom still to this day says it was the best Mothers Day talk ever. May 6, 2017 Latter-day Saint pianist Monica Scott has arranged a touching Mother's Day medley in honor of Stephanie Pope, a mother of five who recently passed away . Im also a High Councilor, who always tries very much not to speak in rose-colored platitudes that, sadly, you associate with High Council speakers. We once had a bishop hand out frozen TV dinners! It was both simple and profound. It was so honest and hopeful all at once. And chocolate. It was a great idea and something I will always remember and a great way to honor mothers on Mothers Day. 3rd hour had all of the PRI & YW leaders including the YW themselves in RS with homemade lemon cakes from the teacher. Sacrament - LDS Living 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? Disciples of Christ know what they want and there is not need to celebrate Christmas in front of others that are not faithful. Well give you an honest deal! Which meeting do you think would be more meaningful to the participants? Focus on womanhood and examples of strong women, not on a perfect homemaker mother. I have heard good talks and bad talks, and really dislike the sacralizing of the universal and perfectly average activity of mothering. Too often folks with food allergies, diabetes, and similar challenges are left feeling like second class saints in our food-laden church culture. Forgive me for not understanding the blessing part of it. It falls short when it is not delivered with love, patience, acceptance, humility, an understanding of the limitations of REALITY, and the the Gift of the Holy Ghost. My Sacrament Meeting Prayer - Rational Faiths | Mormon Blog They cannot eat it, and in fact just having the stuff around is a serious temptation to do so. You can still give the women the day off. Then she spoke with conviction about the grace of Godthe grace that helped her forgive herself for the serious problems she caused her children that could have been prevented if shed prepared herself, and the grace that helped her achieve later in life the spiritual depth she had lacked when her children were young. . Weve had sermons based on bumper stickers, Willy Wonka, the Grinch, and quite possibly Chicken Soup for the Soul, etc.