Loving God, we give thanks today for mothers!
Thank you for mothers who gave birth to us,
and women who have treated us as their own children.
You teach us how to be good mothers,
cherishing and protecting the children among us.
Help us mother lovingly, fairly, wisely and with great joy.
Help us raise our children to be the people they are born to be.
Thank you for mothers who gave birth to us,
and women who have treated us as their own children.
You teach us how to be good mothers,
cherishing and protecting the children among us.
Help us mother lovingly, fairly, wisely and with great joy.
Help us raise our children to be the people they are born to be.
We need your comfort here today, Lord,
because some are missing mothers, some are missing children,
some are parted by distance or death.
Comfort those who have given up their child for adoption,
or who chose not to give birth, and had an abortion.
Comfort those who longed to be biological mothers, and could not.
We pray for those here whose mothers have disappointed them;
we ask for grace in relationships where there is pain and bitterness,
for healing in relationships where there is abuse and violence.
Help our congregation be a space where people can feel mothered,
their gifts and talents appreciated and nurtured.
because some are missing mothers, some are missing children,
some are parted by distance or death.
Comfort those who have given up their child for adoption,
or who chose not to give birth, and had an abortion.
Comfort those who longed to be biological mothers, and could not.
We pray for those here whose mothers have disappointed them;
we ask for grace in relationships where there is pain and bitterness,
for healing in relationships where there is abuse and violence.
Help our congregation be a space where people can feel mothered,
their gifts and talents appreciated and nurtured.
Finally, we pray today for mothers around the world;
mothers who cannot feed their children,
mothers who are homeless or without a homeland;
mothers who must teach their children about the dangers of bombs and bullets.
Help us create a world where mothers can raise their children in peace and plenty.
God of mothers, who created mothers, who came as a child and had a mother,
God our Mother, loving us with a sweeter and deeper love than we have ever known,
hear our prayer this day, Amen.
mothers who cannot feed their children,
mothers who are homeless or without a homeland;
mothers who must teach their children about the dangers of bombs and bullets.
Help us create a world where mothers can raise their children in peace and plenty.
God of mothers, who created mothers, who came as a child and had a mother,
God our Mother, loving us with a sweeter and deeper love than we have ever known,
hear our prayer this day, Amen.
Carol Penner
www.leadinginworship.com
www.leadinginworship.com
In reflecting on what it means to be a daughter I was inspired by four brief passages in the Bible. To begin with, the Bible says something very significant about children of God in John 1:13. According to this passage we are daughters “born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”. Some of you know that I grew up in the Middle East (Syria) where your identity is primarily perceived as whose son or daughter you are. The house to which you belong strongly defines who you are. Biologically I am a daughter of the house of Kassem El Rifai, but spiritually and through the Lord Jesus, I belong to the house of God.
ReplyDeleteIt is Jesus who, when told that His mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to Him, asked: “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Then he looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s Will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35) Jesus very clearly places the spiritual family before the biological family. And this means for us that we need to become the spiritual daughters that God wants us to be.
“To mother” is a verb signifying to care for someone as a mother does. There is unfortunately not a similar verb describing the care of a daughter for her parent, although this is precisely what we are called to do. The Bible gives us a beautiful story about a young woman who has chosen to be a daughter to an older woman, who had lost her husband and sons. Ruth demonstrates the values of loyalty, family and generosity. The story of Ruth is an Adopt–A–Mom story. “Where you go I will go, where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16b). This was Ruth’s pledge to her adopted mom, not to her biological mother.
Another Adopt–A–Mom story is told in John 19:26 when Jesus on the cross entrusts his biological mother into the care of his disciple John and says: “Here is your mother”. Now Mary is a child of God and needs to be cared for by someone who is also in the spiritual family of God.
The question these four passages leave us with today is: “am I the spiritual daughter to the mothers God has placed into my life?” In other words, could the Lord have placed a woman in my life who like the widow Mary at the cross, or the widow Naomi in Moab, needs me to be her daughter?
As daughters of God we need to consider if He has blessed us with temporal things like health, finances and time for the sake of needy biological or spiritual parents, whom He wishes to cast upon our care.