Mothers Day Deph

Norman Unsworth

Lent • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Call to Worship

I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.' Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. Blessed are they who dwell in your house. They will always be praising you.

264 JESUS THE NAME OVER ALL

Gathering Prayer

We gather in the name of Christ. In him we are restored to God. In him we are made new. In his name we rejoice. Through his love we are forgiven. In his presence we are united. May his name be praised for ever. Amen.

Prayers of Confession with Absolution

Nurturing God, we praise you for the way in which you care for each one of us. Like a good parent, you love us whoever we are, whatever we do. Even though we frequently disappoint you, you are always there, concerned for our welfare, forgiving us. Nurturing God, we praise and thank you.

Forgive us for the times that we take you for granted, when we do things to hurt others, particularly members of our family and friends. Forgive us for running away, for getting so involved in the activities, pleasures and concerns of our lives that we forget that you are there. Nurturing God, forgive us. Bring us home again to you. As we praise you. Amen

Silence. Thank you for welcoming us when we stray, for forgiving us and celebrating our return. Thank you for your love that seeks and restores. Amen.

The Lord’s prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done:

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,

Forever and ever, Amen

691 COME LET US SING OF A WONDERFUL LOVE

Exodus 2 1-10

Moses in the basket

1 Samuel 1 20-28

Samuel given to the Lord,

Both passages speak of a Mother giving their child away.

Luke 2 33-35

Christ on the Cross

86 TELL OUT MY SOUL,

Sermon

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Mothering Sunday is a day when we give thanks for our mothers and for those of us who have lost their mother it is a day to recall them and give thanks for their lives and the influence on us.

But some women may never been able to have children, or it just wasn’t in their life plan, some people may never have known there mother and been an orphan. Some relationships may have been strained and resentments may run deep.

It is always inspiring as we leaf through the pages of history to see the great influence that mothers have had on their sons and daughters. Our own founder and spiritual mentor, John Wesley, was deeply influenced by the godly character of his mother, Suzanna.

Every mother here this morning knows that mothering brings more joy and love and fulfilment than seem possible.

But every mother here this morning knows that the role of mothering brings more fears and sorrows and heartbreak than ever imagined.

It is all part of the continually changing, growing, extending, exhausting, exhilarating job description of motherhood.

In the book Ghost Soldiers, there's a scene where soldiers starving for food enjoy a spiritual feast by calling out their favourite foods cooked by their mothers. Let's try it this morning. When you think of mom's cooking, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

For me its actually my Grandmothers cooking I remember best, simple potato ash that I have never found anywhere else, followed by the sweetest custard that could melt your teeth.

But the image of her spills back even at the thought of this simple meal.

I always feel it’s a funny time of year to celebrate this day as we recall memories of our parents, when we are in the middle of lent when we look forward to what Jesus is about to undertake, and the suffering that his mother will face.

If we look at the readings from this morning the first one was about Moses, and the challenge is what would have happened if his Jochebed hadn’t put him in the basket?

She may have had no choice, but it would still have been a great sacrifice for her to let her child go. Can you imagine the pain she felt?

How do you think it must have been setting her son adrift? Anything could have happened!

As it transpired; he was adopted by Pharaoh’s sister and brought up with the palace, educated trained alongside the palace household. But fully aware of his heritage, but Jochebed’s sacrifice led to the freedom of a whole nation, when God used Moses to lead his people to the promised land. All this was able to be done by the actions of a Mother’s attempt to save her child.

Our second reading about Samuel who’s, mother, Hannah had prayed for a child for years and years and promised God that if she was blessed with a son, he would be given back to serve him. Once he was of age she kept her promise, probably only seeing her son once a year and giving a new set of clothes.

Samuel as we know was used greatly by God, in fact God had been silent for may year before he spoke to Samuel and as we know he went on to be a great prophet. Hannah’s sacrifice again was used by God to be a blessing to many people.

What about other women in the bible?

Eve, - the first woman who had to deal not only with losing a son, then having a murderer in the family.

Rebekah – Isaac’s wife struggled with favouritism with Jacob and Esau.

These are just a few examples.

We heard in our Gospel reading Jesus is presented to the temple and on this joyful celebration. Mary receives a blessing and a grim warning from Simeon.

The promise that he will raise people up but also, he will be a sword that will pierce her soul. I wonder if she imagined what that would mean, and later see this become true as she witnessed her son being crucified.

All the women we have looked at today speak of suffering and sacrifice.

For a moment let us think about our Church, the Church was at one time a place to build and encourage nurture and teach.

but now in todays world, we who call ourselves Christian’s are seen as out of step with society.

just as a mother the Church is called upon in times of crisis or need.

then becomes an embarrassment.

We don’t know the future

We don’t know what form Christian suffering will take in this twenty-first century, and that the days ahead we will face unseen challenges to our faith.

But we can endure more than we might dream possible when we do it out of love for Christ, love for this world he died for. We can do more than we might ever imagine when we stop trying to do it all ourselves and instead let God's mighty hand open the doors.

Today is Mother's Day and so we naturally think of those special qualities of life and love that make a mother. Perhaps it's also true that each of us as Christians, regardless of gender, are called to mother the world for Christ's sake. Jesus himself claimed the image of a mother hen who longs to cluck and call her scattered chicks up under the safe protection of her wings. Like good mothers we must all keep alert, a constant vigilance against the evils in this world. Like good mothers we will suffer for the sake of this. Like good mothers we must always be known by our love.

So, have you ever given something away you really love, I mean really love?

Most parents do this at some time in their lives,

They must do this for each of their children.

It may be the child goes to university.

They may meet someone and get married.

In most cases Mum and Dad must let their most precious gift go.

You have been given an envelope.

Now don’t open your cards.

Inside there are some seeds, I would like to ask you to plant them, nurture them and when the spout into lovely flowers Give them away to someone….

OFFERING DURING HYMN

739 MAY THE MIND OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR

Prayers of intersession

Loving God, we pray for your Church worldwide, for its leaders and all its people.

May it feed the faithful with your word, and nurture those who are hungry in spirit.

May it cherish the abandoned and rejected, protect the weak, and bind the wounds of those who look for forgiveness and healing.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We thank you for all who have formed and nourished our own faith. When we meet with challenge, doubt or difficulty, keep us always conscious of your love guiding and sustaining us.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer hardship or persecution for your sake. Give them courage and strength in the situations which force them to face the cost of loving you.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Loving God, we pray for your world. Teach us to value the earth and its gifts above the satisfaction of our own greed, so that the whole human family may share its fruits in peace. We pray for all those whose lives are ravaged by poverty, famine and disease.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray for nations and communities torn apart by war, (especially…) Uphold all who have lost family, homes or livelihood as a result of conflict or persecution. We pray especially for children orphaned by war, and for all refugees.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Loving God, we thank you for all who show us special love and care, in our families, our church, and the places where we live and work. Help us to realise the cost of that love, and to return it selflessly.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray for those in our community who are without family or friends and who long to be loved.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Loving God, we pray for those who live daily with grief and loss, especially those separated from children through quarrels, resentment or misunderstanding. We pray too for those who have lost a child.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray for those who live with pain and disability, and for those facing death. (Among those commended to our prayers we pray especially for…) We pray too for all who care for the sick, especially those who have sacrificed personal freedom to look after someone they love.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Loving God, we thank you for those of our families and community who have shared your love with us and who are now at peace. We pray too for those who have died recently (especially…) and for those whose anniversaries fall at this time (especially…)

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Finally, we pray for a moment in silence, bringing our particular thanksgivings and petitions to the Lord.

we commend ourselves and one another to your unfailing love.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

AMEN

(378) BE, THOU MY VISION

Blessing

May the blessing of God be with us as we love and serve one another; and as we share Christ’s unconditional love – in the name of God the Creator, Redeemer and Spirit. Amen.

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