Prayer of Thanksgiving, Lament & Confession: –

We thank you, Loving Friend,

for encouragement and fellowship far beyond our dearest expectation.

At morning, noon and night, you are perfect grace and joy,

You are compassion,

our cup overflows.

You are our hope,

our cup overflows.

You are our truth,

our cup overflows.

You are our life,

our cup overflows.

You are our freedom,

our cup overflows.

You are our happiness,

our cup overflows.

At morning, noon and night, you are perfect grace and joy.

As a community, we take time to pause and give thanks for the gift of mothers.

Shining a light on the gift, shadows fall, and we acknowledge the shadows, too.

We celebrate and give thanks, each of us, for our mother.

The woman who carried us in her womb, gave birth to us, brought us into life.

We lament, each of us, separation from our mother at different times, through conflict, distance of place, death.

We lament, seek to forgive and be forgiven.

We celebrate and give thanks, each of us, for those who have been as mothers to us; our aunts and pseudo-aunts, big sisters, friends, mentors and teachers.

The women who have nurtured, taught, encouraged, shaped us with love.

We lament, each of us, the women who have caused us pain, who have abandoned or neglected us, mistakenly or intentionally caused us harm.

We lament the hurt we have caused to women, our friends, colleagues, neighbours, sisters, aunts and mothers.

We lament, seek to forgive and be forgiven.

We celebrate, those of us who are mothers and grandmothers, the joy and privilege it is to collaborate with you in the creation of life.

We give thanks for our children, their uniqueness, the delight we find in watching and helping them grow.

We lament, those of us who are not mothers and want to be, or who are mothers of children who have died.

We lament, and have no words for our grief.

We celebrate, we give thanks, for you, our mothering God, whose wings enfold us like those of a mother hen, who gives birth to all that lives, who loves fiercely, protectively, and with great delight.

We celebrate what we know of you as like a mother.

God who shepherds us,

 you must wonder how long we will continue to live the way we do.  We snatch hope out of the grasp of those who need it most.  Our acts of kindness are offered only to those we think to be deserving of our generosity.  We lament our turning from you and causing you pain, our rejection of your gifts of life and love in so many ways.

   Yet you refuse to keep forgiveness a mystery, Gracious God, but offer it to us without any hesitation.  You gather us in the green pastures of mercy, so we might find hope; you offer us a drink of the living waters so we might become still enough to listen to your heart; you send the Spirit to take us by the hand to lead us on the paths of justice; the goodness and mercy of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, follow us all the days as we seek to be faithful in our calling to serve him.  Amen.

Holy and most wonderful is your name,

far above all other names on earth or in heaven;

and by your grace, holy is our gratitude,

through Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Amen!

Adapted from http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocC/C31east4.htm & Celebration and Lament for Mother’s Day by Rev Sarah Agnew (from In Prayer and Protest (Pocket Poets #8) – https://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/?p=403&fbclid=IwAR2j-lL6lWJA-ff8ttFn3mvuRdBY1BOuGOQD4eM4RhhUWzKy89hLmDcc_qo & http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/2019/05/liturgy-with-communion-for-may-12-2019.html

Assurance

My friends, it is good to be here in the flock of Christ Jesus, where saving grace abounds, and our cup is full and running over. 

Here we “fear no evil’ for God forgives our sins and “restores our soul and leads us in the paths of right living for his name’s sake.”

In his name I declare the forgiveness of sins and the renewal of your true humanity, made in the very spiritual image of God.

Thanks be to God!

http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocC/C31east4.htm

Prayers of the People

Let us come before God with our cares and our concerns.

Gracious God, we express our grateful thanks for those Mothers who raised us, who held us and fed us, who cared for us and kissed away our pain.  We pray that our lives may reflect the love they have shown us.

We pray for Mothers whose children are grown,
Grant them joy and satisfaction in how their children’s lives unfold.

We pray for those with adult children, but whose lives are still shaped by their children’s needs and cares,
Grant them strength, patience and wisdom.

We pray for new Mothers experiencing changes they could not predict,
Grant them rest and peace and confidence as the days unfold.

We pray for pregnant women who will soon be Mothers,
Grant them patience and good counsel in the coming months.

We pray for Mothers who face the demands of single parenthood,
Grant them strength and wisdom.

We pray for Mothers who enjoy financial abundance,
Grant them time to share with their families.

We pray for Mothers who are raising their children in poverty,
Grant them relief and justice.

We pray for the challenge of blended families, and those who take on the care of other’s children,
Grant them patience and understanding and love.

We pray for Mothers who are separated from their children,
Grant them faith and hope.

We pray for Mothers in marriages that are in crisis,
Grant them support and insight.

We pray for Mothers who have lost children through illness, or death come too soon,
Grant them comfort that their children are held in divine embrace.

We pray for Mothers in developing countries who die in childbirth due to inadequate maternal health care, or whose children die too young,
Grant that generosity may abound, that money will be released for resources, and to attract skilled personnel who can support these women and children.

We pray for Mothers who gave up their children for adoption,
Grant them peace and confidence that the children will be held in good care.

We pray for adoptive mothers,
Grant them joy and gratitude for the gift of life entrusted to them.

We pray for women who think about being Mothers,
Grant them wisdom and discernment.

We pray for women who desperately want, or wanted, to be Mothers,
Grant them grace in their particular and often private sense of loss and grief, and hope.

We pray for all women who have assumed the Mother’s role in a child’s life,
Grant them joy and the appreciation of others.

We pray for those people who are grieving the loss of their Mother in the past year,
Grant them comfort, and confidence that loving continues in how we live our lives.

(Adapted. Source: http://worshiphelps.blogs.com/worship_helps/2006/05/a_mothers_day_l.html)  Mothers’ Day Liturgy Mothers’ Day Liturgy

We pray for the Church, that we may recognize your voice in our lives, distinguish it from the many other sounds which demand our time and attention, and follow the invitations of Jesus to a fuller life.

We pray for all who have shepherded us, particularly parents, pastors, teachers, and mentors, that you will continue to work through them and guide them in helping others may grow.

We pray for all who preach amidst opposition and peril, that you will embolden their hearts, empower their words, and inspire them in announcing God’s mercy and unbounded love.

We pray for freedom from fear, that we may rely upon the Holy Spirit’s strength as we face challenges and negative messages in our work and society.

We pray for the grace to share our gifts: that we may place our gifts at the service of others for your glory even if they are not accepted.

We pray for healing of the divisions in the Human family, that you will heal the wounds of racism and ethnic discrimination so that there may be one crowd of people from every land offering praise and worship to you with a common voice.

We pray for all who serve in pastoral ministry, that you will guide them in the service of the community, help them to follow Jesus more closely, and continually renew their strength and energy.

We pray for all mothers and those who have been like a mother to us, that you will bless and strengthen them and inspire us to greater love by their witness of love and concern.

We pray for greater care of earth’s resources, that you will move hearts to greater awareness of the fragility of the air and freshwater so that they may be preserved for our children and grandchildren.

We pray for peacemakers, that the Holy Spirit will inspire all who are working to end violent conflicts, open avenues for the safe moments of the vulnerable, and help everyone to recognize the dignity of every human life.

Copyright © 2022. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/

We pray for the peoples of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.  We are thankful for the magnificent expanse of mountains, grasslands and deserts in these Central Asian countries, for the rich natural resources, the incredible ethnic diversity, cultural traditions and practices that have been preserved for centuries amid the challenges of modernization, and Christians who, although they are a tiny minority, have courage to witness to the gospel and find the strength to live according to God’s word and who, in spite of danger, dedicate their lives to serving others.

We pray for relief for the people in these lands who suffer from poverty and repressive rule, for an end to clashes related to tribalism, traditionalism, and modernization, for the restoration and preservation of the land, air and water that have been damaged by Human abuse, for good relations between Muslims and Christians, and for an end to oppression and violence.

[Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)]

We thank you for the volunteers at The Leprosy Mission Belgium, as it encourages Christians of all denominations and languages in Belgium to join the vision and mission of The Leprosy Mission to defeat leprosy and transform the lives of people affected by leprosy.  We thank you for their support for projects in Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Nigeria, Nepal and in Indonesia.

  (The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary 2022) 

We pray for your support and guidance for the United Church in Papua New Guinea as they provide health and education services in the River District, clean water and sanitation projects in many districts, disaster preparation, poverty alleviation projects and leadership projects throughout the country, in conjunction with Uniting World.

  (Uniting World) 

We pray for the new intake of students for the Certificate in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care courses, for enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and to serve you.

  (SU Prayer guide) 

We pray for your blessing on the 16^th UCA National Assembly currently being held on the Sunshine coast, and for the upcoming 36^th State Synod in Session.  We pray for renewed fellowship for those who are attending, for good health and safety, and for your inspiration to commit to meaningful plans and programs for the future.

  We pray for Kylie Conomos and her work as Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that she is receiving the necessary support from the School and the volunteers helping her, that she is finding that what she is doing is making a difference in the lives of children and families with whom she is coming into contact.  We pray for continued financial and prayer support for her from local Churches.

  We thank you for those who have dedicated their time to the leading of RI classes at Bald Hills State School.  We thank you for their answering the call to share the Gospel in this way, and pray that you will bless their efforts and that the Holy Spirit will reach out and touch the hearts of the children who attend the classes.

  We pray for those whom we have not seen for some time.  We pray for your continuing care for them, and thank you that we can still maintain contact via email or telephone call.  May they be assured of our continuing concern for their well-being.

We pray for encouragement for Jillian as she continues her work with the Church Council and the people of the Congregation to clarify our vision and mission goals as your people in the Bald Hills area.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

now and forever.

Amen.