Mothering God, Love me anew into life Bearing the birth Of a new beginning I cannot yet see Nor fully understand Yet know I need. Press into me a pulse Enlivening every deadness Shedding every fear Bearing necessary pain For new beginnings Required for this life You renew to rise. Grant me grace O Mothering […]
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While current society cashes in on our sentimentality, my mother always reminded me that Mother’s Day (in the USA) had its start in the peace movement. Julia Ward Howe’s rallying words call women to activism, to intentional peacemaker work. While Julia Ward Howe uses language specific to wives, sons and husbands, her message reminds us […]
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To be read responsively by a leader and group, or divided into two groups of voices (e.g. left & right) Mothers come in many different forms, and today we celebrate them all! Thank God for mothers! Everyone here is either a daughter or a son. Thank God for our mothers! For those women who have […]
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Mothers’ Day Proclamation 1870 – Julia Ward Howe While Julia Ward Howe uses language specific to wives, sons and husbands, her message reminds us how a day conceived as an anti-war activist’s cry for peace can be sentimentalised and re-directed over time. I post this in honour of my mother, Dotty Dale, who continued to […]
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What words work on Mothers’ Day, a Sunday observance (second Sunday in May) many worship leaders find challenging? As we prepare to celebrate Mothers’ Day, our horizons broaden as we become familiar with the history of the day. (Click here to read the full biography of Julia Ward Howe from which this text is taken.) […]
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Go now in the comfort and peace of the One who gave birth to us. Go in the assurance that the Comforter is with us always. Go to give comfort and peace to others. Divine Wisdom guide us as we go forth on Her paths of peace. May She give us blessings more precious than […]
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When using this reflection, ‘Mothering Sunday’ may replace ‘Mother’s Day’ throughout. Mother’s Day is complicated. Mother’s Day brings with it many varied emotions. Hallmark [greeting card manufacturers] would have us believe that it is all roses, breakfast-in-bed and hand-drawn cards. But we know and acknowledge that it is much more complicated than that. Some of […]
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Inspired by Psalm 23 Lectionary: Lent 4A, Easter 4 ABC, Proper 23 A, Proper 11 B God is our shelter, protection, and guide. We want for nothing, and we will practice thanksgiving! God invites us to places of peace and beauty where wildflowers bloom and mountain streams flow. God will restore us, and we will […]
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A prayer for Mother’s Day and Mothering Sunday The prayer may be divided into multiple voices, read by individuals or sections of the gathered congregation, e.g. left & right or east & west. Thandiwe has written this for a congregation with clear sections known familiarly as west, mid, east and choir. Replace those designations with […]
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This litany was prepared for use by the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. Click here for a printable copy. Based on Genesis 1 (included in the Sunday lectionary for Epiphany Year B, Trinity Sunday Year A, and Easter Years A,B and C) Using the maternal reference for God, this reading was originally written for Mothering […]
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Written to be shared with parents and carers at a church-sponsored child care centre. Easily adapted for Mothering Sunday, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. If you made it on time to drop off, you are blessed. If you made it to drop off before pick up, you are blessed. If you made it with bits of […]
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Words from a woman passionate about gender inclusivity… Inspired by Proverbs 3:13-15, 17-18 “We come today seeking Wisdom. If we seek Wisdom, She will come to us. Come, Wisdom! ….” For the full text in a ready-to-print form click here – Call to Worship link.
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This ready-to-use Café Church Mothering Sunday worship service weaves together scripture, drama, reflection, conversation & communion. It has been designed for worship around tables, but is easily adaptable to a more traditional setting. This service includes everything you need — an Order of Service to handout, leader script sheets, reader printouts, song suggestions, a list […]
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Originally written for use in worship on Mother’s Day/Festival of the Christian Home. God, the faith which lives in each of us first lived in others: it lived first in our mothers or those who mothered us; it lived first in the inspired writers of our sacred texts. it lived first in theologians who wrote […]
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Inspired by Julian of Norwich Ready-to-use printable copies: WORD Mothering prayer, Cara Heafey PDF Mothering prayer, Cara Heafey Mothering God, you birthed the universe into being. Home-maker, your creation is habitat and sustenance to all that lives. How costly for you our freedom must be. How painful the separation From the parent who has numbered […]
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Tune: Rivaulx For the lyrics, music and a power point, click here. These lyrics work well on Mother’s Day. With the simple substitution of ‘father’ for ‘mother’ in the last verse, it fits in well on Father’s Day. For all the blessings in our life, For peace and calm amidst the strife, A thankful hymn […]
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Life winds in many connected strands, Most controlled by other hands, We’re often pulled this way and that, Minds changing like the drop of a hat. Their expectations running high, We can only strive and try, Comes a time we clearly see, This is not a life meant for me. The things that matter beyond […]
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