Mothering Sunday
On Mothering Sunday our topic was Adoration, Praise, and Thanksgiving. It was a part of our prayer series, and so the focus was on praising God, but it was a pretty good topic for Mothering Sunday, given that our praying shapes who we are.
Our worship was infused with Psalms, and my Scripture leading us into the sermon was Psalm 136:1-9. A worship leader once led through this Psalm with a rhythm...and it almost worked. I tried adding rhythm once before...and it almost worked. This Sunday, it worked with a little help from Robert Altar's translation, which I intertwined with the TNIV. We created a common rhythm: stomp, stomp, clap...stomp, stomp, clap...stomp, stomp, clap. And then we spoke the Psalm as a call and response:
Psa. 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 who alone performs great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who makes the heavens in wisdom,
His love endures forever.
6 who stamps firm the earth on the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who makes the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun for dominion of day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars for dominion of night;
His love endures forever.
Our prayer on this day is for all "Mothers," and I am re-posting from https://re-worship.blogspot.ca/2017/04/mothers-day-liturgy-for-two-voices.html
On this day, we honour those who have mothered us and cared for us.
For some, this will be a birth mother,
and we may wish to express our grateful thanks.
We pray that our lives may reflect the love they have shown us.
For others, it will be the women who raised us,
who were our mothers in childhood –
an adopted mother, older sister, aunt, grandmother,
stepmother or someone else.
We may wish to express our thanks for those women
who held us and fed us, who cared for us and kissed away our pain.
We pray that our lives may reflect the love they have shown us.
We pray for older mothers whose children are grown.
Grant them joy and satisfaction in how their children’s lives unfold.
We pray for those with adult children,
but whose lives are still shaped by their children’s needs and cares.
Grant them strength, patience and wisdom.
We pray for new mothers experiencing changes they could not predict.
Grant them rest and peace and confidence as the days unfold.
We pray for pregnant women who will soon be mothers.
Grant them patience and good counsel in the coming months.
We pray for mothers who face the demands of single parenthood.
Grant them strength and wisdom.
We pray for mothers who enjoy financial abundance.
Grant them time to share with their families.
We pray for mothers who are raising their children in poverty.
Grant them relief and justice.
We pray for the challenge of blended families,
and those who take on care of others children.
Grant them patience and understanding and love.
We pray for mothers who are separated from their children.
Grant them faith and hope.
We pray for mothers in marriages that are in crisis.
Grant them support and insight.
We pray for mothers who have lost children through illness,
or death come too soon.
Grant them comfort that their children are held in divine embrace.
We pray for mothers in developing countries
who die in childbirth due to inadequate maternal health care,
or whose children die too young.
Grant that generosity may abound,
that money will be released for resources,
and to attract skilled personnel who can support the women and children.
We pray for mothers who have terminated pregnancies.
Grant them healing and peace.
We pray for mothers who gave up their children for adoption.
Grant them peace and confidence
that the children will be held in good care.
We pray for adoptive mothers.
Grant them joy and gratitude for the gift of life entrusted to them.
We pray for girls and women who think about being mothers.
Grant them wisdom and discernment.
We pray for women who desperately want, or wanted, to be mothers.
Grant them grace in their particular and often private sense of loss and grief.
We pray for all women who have assumed the mother’s role in a child’s life.
Grant them joy and the appreciation of others.
We pray for those people present
who are grieving the loss of their mother in the past year.
Grant them comfort, and confidence
that loving continues in how we live our lives.
All are invited to come forward and light a candle for those who have mothered us and/or for those who have particular concerns about individuals.