Trying to preach on Mothering Sunday, after a terrorist attack

This week our country has been rocked by the actions of Khalid Masood, driving at speed down the pavement over Westminster bridge, killing and injuring dozens, running into the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, before being confronted by the unarmed PC Keith Palmer, whom he killed with a knife before being shot himself.

Two every day things, a car and a knife, have been used to make widows and orphans this week.

But for me and probably for many of us, the thing that has stood out has been the extraordinary reactions of ordinary people.

From the tube messages, that for years have gone beyond grim announcements of service delays and cancellations, to ironic commentaries on London life,

 to the expressions of solidarity poured out on Twitter, to an MP – a politician, that most mistrusted breed of people – trying desperately to save PC Palmer’s life.

People have been good this week. They have shown that within us all there is a reservoir of kindness and generosity that us buttoned up Brits seldom show.

And in the candles in Trafalgar Square, and in the embrace of Muslim and Christian leaders, I see something that I want to thank God for. Because I believe that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, in whom there is no shifting shadows. Whether it’s the kindness of a stranger or the love of a mother, those things that nourish our souls more than anything else, are God’s gift.

So we heard 1 Corinthians 13 this morning, very appropriate for Mothering Sunday. But if you read it in the light of Wednesday in Westminster, how does it sound?

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Keeps no record of wrongs? Can we do this?

 Yes we can. We can rejoice, not at injustice, but whenever the truth wins out. We need never give up, never lose faith, we can endure through every circumstance, not because our love is enough – it isn’t – but because God’s love stands behind it.

God’s love ensures that we can go on presenting our credit card of love at every opportunity, and God will make good the debt. We can go on pouring out love and goodness, and the well will never run dry.

Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? Maybe she can. But even if that were possible, I would not forget you, God says.

So today we say thank you, Lord God. Thank you Jesus for the blood you shed, for the battle you won. Standing in its victory we sing salvation’s song.