Welcome to the community of faith, the family of God!

People: We come as families, large and small in number, seeking God’s love.

L: God’s love is here for you.

People: Help us to understand how we are connected to God.

L: We abide in Christ Jesus, in love and compassion.

People: May our spirits be renewed and our connection to God be strengthened through our worship today. AMEN.

God of Provision and Unconditional Love, on this day when we acknowledge the importance of motherhood among us, we first give thanks that you are a loving parent to us all.

We give you thanks for the mothers among us, and ask that you strengthen them in their daily tasks. Grant them wisdom in the lessons they teach, patience in the discipline they foster, and persistence in their promotion of decency and compassion, both by word and example.

We thank you for all motherly figures: grandmothers, aunts, sisters, wives, step-mothers, foster mothers, guardians, babysitters, teachers, health care providers, neighbors, friends, loved ones, and many others, who practice self-sacrifice and embody compassion to all who are privileged to be in their influence.

For some, this day brings the sorrowful awareness of their own inability to conceive biological children. Draw your tender spirit near their feelings.
We pray for those who have suffered miscarriages, those fatigued by fertility treatments, and those struggling through the process of adoption.

For some, this day is marked by loneliness and grief, as they spend this first Mother’s Day as a widower, an orphan, or a parent who has lost a child. Bring to them a steady restoration of their broken hearts, allow them to live into their future with hope.

For some, this is a day that surfaces ongoing tensions that exist within our personal relationships and family dynamics. We ask for healing from the wounds of our past, a path of forgiveness for wrongs both experienced and committed, and the rebuilding of trust forged in honesty, authenticity, and love.

Remind us to live with a child-like faith, curious to every wondrous mystery, attentive to your instruction, obedient, and willing to share with every one of your children. We give you thanks, O God, who is a loving Mother and Father to us all, and in whose name we pray,

Amen.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Offer up your own prayer. Offer praise and thanksgiving to God. Share your worries and concerns with God. Pray for other people. Pray for people who are sick, lonely, and afraid. Pray for medical professionals, medical researchers, first responders, and community leaders who are working so hard to keep us well. Ask God to help you find creative ways to reach out to people and share God’s love via phone, card, email, or social media, etc.