22nd March 2020
(Most of the liturgy is taken from the Mothers’ Union Liturgy ‘Nurturing hope in a broken world’ written for Mothering Sunday 2019)
Opening words We have come together today to give thanks to God for all those people who have nurtured us, and to offer ourselves to nurture others, with God’s help. We have also come to acknowledge the pain of a hurting world, where we have failed to nurture each other. We come to receive again from the God of compassion and mercy.
Prayer of Preparation Loving, compassionate Father, As a mother hen gathers her chicks, so you draw the whole human family to yourself. Bring us together now, Lord, that we may today and forever be united under your wing in all our sorrows and joys. Amen.
Some words of comfort Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7
Collect - a special prayer for Mothering Sunday God of love, passionate and strong, tender and careful: watch over us and hold us all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Reading (for our Lent series on God’s creation) Genesis 1:14-19 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let
them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
New Testament Reading 2 Corinthians 1.3-7 Paul describes the Christian community as one where we nurture each other in good times and bad. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.
Reflection Today on Mothering Sunday is a special day of saying thank you to those who nurture and care for us, when we like to be with family and others to celebrate the blessings we receive. On the other hand, for many others, today is especially hard and a reminder of pain or loss. So it seems that we hold this tension as we are separated physically due to the coronavirus. In these unprecedented times when our ‘normal’ understanding of life is having to be adjusted and we are learning to live ‘at a distance’ from one another, I pray that we may know something of the love and protection that God offers us. The bible describes God like a mother hen, longing to gather her chicks under her wings to protect and care for them. As most of us are now at home and working out new patterns of living, it seems appropriate that our Lent series on creation and how we care and steward for our planet, looks today at the stars and seasons. “Let there be lights in the sky”. As well as providing light (the theme of week 1), the sun, moon and stars divide time into day, night, seasons and years. The week we are thinking about how attending to the rhythms can help us live in greater harmony with God and nature.
As the pubs, restaurants, leisure centres all have had to close due to the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps we are appreciating the chance to get out into our gardens or go for a walk and discover new rhythms to our life. What better way to connect with God’s creation. I love the story of Abraham who looks up in wonder at the stars and God says to him; “Look up at the sky and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.”(Gen 15:5). What an amazing promise to give to an old childless man! God tells Abraham that his offspring will be countless in number. Abraham had no knowledge as we do in the 21st Century of the mind-blowing number of stars, planets, galaxies and universe that science has shown us, but Abraham trusted in God’s promises - however impossible they seemed. Perhaps that is a message for us today, as we face the fear and unknown of this coronavirus. That God who created the universe, the galaxy of stars is above all things and that God knows our fears. We can hold onto God’s promises that he will never leave us or forsake us. May the words from Philippians be a comfort to us this week; Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7
As God created the rhythm of the sun and moon and seasons, so God is in control of this season of all our lives. This Mothering Sunday, may you rediscover God’s creation as we appreciate the sunshine and spring flowers appearing. May you also know nurture and comfort from your neighbours and friends, through phone calls, WhatsApp messages and bags of shopping delivered to your door step. Amen.
Some prayers which you may find helpful to use
Prayers for our broken world
Father of mercy and God of all consolation, turn your gaze towards us as we humbly lift our prayers to you saying:
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
We praise and glorify you for your steadfast love and the nurture of all your children. Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
We thank you for the body of your Church and we pray you will teach us how to console and cherish each other as followers of your beloved Son.
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
May the voices of all Christians be united as one voice, proclaiming a message of love and hope.
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
May your Spirit of Truth enrich our Bible reading and prayer with the light of your wisdom.
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
May the circle of your love close around those whose relationships are broken and in need of your healing.
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
May the light of Christ shine into the darkness of injustice and suffering. Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
Teach us to hold pain with the compassion and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
May the faithful departed know the fulfilment of their hope as you receive them into your Kingdom to live with you forever and ever.
Abide in our hearts Show us your love.
May you fill our hearts with the assurance that our prayers will rise up to you as a fragrant offering and be pleasing to you.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Some special prayers for Mothering Sunday
Loving God, thank you for mums and children and for all the joy of family life. Be with those who are grieving because they have no mother; Be close to those who are struggling because they have no children; Be near to those who are sad because they are far apart from those they love. Let your love be present in every home, and help your church to have eyes to see and ears to hear the needs of all who come. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you God for the love of our mothers: thank you God for their care and concern; thank you God for the joys they have shared with us; thank you God for the pains they have borne for us; thank you God for all that they give us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Some special prayers for the coronavirus
A prayer about the Coronavirus outbreak Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
A prayer for the world God of love and hope, You made the world and care for all creation. But the world feels strange right now. The news is full of stories about Coronavirus. Many people are anxious because of it. Many people are anxious that they might get ill. Many people are anxious about their family and friends. Be with them in their worries and help them to find some peace. We pray for the doctors and nurses and scientists who are working to discover the right medicines to give hope to those who are ill. Thank you that even in these strange and worrying times, you are with us. Help us to look for the signs of your goodness and love towards us. Amen.
For those in isolation God of compassion, be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation. In their loneliness, be their consolation; in their anxiety, be their hope; in their darkness, be their light; through him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For those who are worried Lord Jesus Christ, you taught us to love our neighbour, and to care for those in need as if we were caring for you. In this time of anxiety, give us strength to comfort the fearful, to care for the sick, and to assure the isolated of our love, and your love, for your name’s sake. Amen.
For ourselves Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. From St Patrick’s Breastplate
Blessing Great God, you are one God, and you bring together what is scattered and mend what is broken. Unite us with the scattered peoples of the earth that we may be one family of your children. Bind up all our wounds and heal us in spirit, that we may be renewed as disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master and Saviour. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
A prayer and song for children to celebrate Mothering Sunday
Dear God, We thank you for mothers and carers everywhere, and for all they do to help us to grow up well. We thank you that they love us and show us how to learn to stand on our own two feet. We pray that mums will feel really special today; that they will know how much we love them and how much you love them too. Most of all, we thank you, God, that you are our heavenly parent who loves us and helps us all to grow well and make the very best of life. Amen
Thank You Song To the tune of “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands”
Thank you God for all who care for us each day (Thank You!) Thank you God for all who care for us each day (Thank You!) We will thank God when we pray We will clap, and shout hurray Thank you God for all who care for us each day (Thank You!) Thank you God for giving what we need to grow (Thank You!) Thank you God for giving what we need to grow (Thank You!) We will stamp our feet to show God knows all there is to know Thank you God for giving what we need to grow (Thank You!)
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