Call to Worship  (from 1 Samuel 2: 1 to 10) 

Hands up those whose Mother gave birth to them?

That is everyone!  And it is upon that basis that we can all celebrate Mother’s Day, in memory of our Mothers who raised us, nurtured us and prepared us for being the person we are, in the World in which we live.

The Lord has filled my heart with joy, I hold my head high because of what He has done!

I deride those who opposed me; how joyful I am because God has saved me!

No one is holy like the Lord;

There is none like Him, no protector like our God.

Stop your loud boasting; silence your proud words.

For the Lord is a God who knows, and He judges all that people do.

Strong men stand in mute dismay,

But those who faltered grow strong.

The people who once were well fed now hire themselves out to get food,

But the hungry are hungry no more.

The childless wife has borne seven children,

But the mother of many is left with none.

The Lord kills and gives life,

He sends people to the World of the Dead and brings them back again.

He makes some people poor and others rich;

He humbles some and makes others great.

He lifts the poor from the dust and raises the needs from their misery.

He makes them companions of princes and puts them in places of honour.

The foundations of the Earth belong to the Lord;

Upon them He has built the World.

He protects the lives of His faithful people, but the wicked disappear in darkness;

A person does not triumph by their own strength.

Those that stand against the Lord will be terrified

When God thunders against them out of Heaven.

The Lord will judge the whole World;

He will give power to His King, He will make His anointed King victorious.

This is the prayer of Hannah, following the birth of Samuel, the child for which she so dearly sought, the gift from God for which she so earnestly prayed the previous year.  Note that while she joyfully celebrates the birth of Samuel, her prayer concerns not herself nor her son, but God.  Her focus is not on the gift, as precious as the gift may be to her, but on the Giver.  Hannah expresses the understanding that “life consists in praise to God for what God has done and for what God characteristically continues to do.  She expresses her praise of God‘s sovereignty over His Creation, of His demonstration of His Cosmic Power and of His concern and attention to the marginal in society.”  She also praises God for His ultimate demonstration of His power to transform, of his willingness to intervene in Time and History, of his capacity to bring about Life, through her reference to God’s “anointed King”, through whom God will give the “most astonishing gift of resurrection life”.  It is that “resurrection life” that we share as believers of The Gospel.  That is the reason why we gather together today, to offer our own thanks and praise of God, and gratefully acknowledge before God His gift of life to us.

(Walter Brueggemann in First and Second Samuel, p16 & 20)

Prayer of Praise    

Life giving and sustaining God, we are grateful and thankful today for mothering,
for the feminine touch of parenting, for the special connection of Mother and child.

We give you thanks for the gifts women bring, for the caring love that is given, for their cradling of children, for their willingness to give and not count the cost, for their tenderness and warm embrace, for their encouragement and support.  We thank you for their words of wisdom, and acknowledge that our lives are the richer because of their influence and example.

We ask this day that you would strengthen our families.  We know that no family is perfect, that mothering is hard, and not all are able to do so as they would like.  Heal our families where they are broken.  May You be present in our families, guiding and sustaining us, this day and into the future.  We thank you for the ongoing leadership of women, and ask that you would uphold and strengthen all Mothers this day, remembering the important role they play in our families and in the life of the church and community.

Thank you for those who have been Mothers to us in nurturing our faith, who have helped us know and experience Your love.  We honour them this day and ask that you would help us follow the example of love they have shown.

Strong and compassionate God, like a Mother you tenderly care for your children.  You pick us up when we fall over.  Your face smiles on us, you sing songs to us of your love.  Like our Mother, you feed us from your hand, you search for us when we are lost, you bind up our wounds, you comfort us when we are hurting.

May all of us have the comfort of knowing that your mothering love is constant, that your understanding is perfect, and that your compassion is never-ending.  We pray in the name of Jesus, who spoke of himself as a mother hen who seeks to gather her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:37).  Amen.

 (Source: Jon Humphries, Prayers that Unite)  (Source: Helen Richmond, posted on Prayers that Unite Facebook page May 2018)  (Christine Sine, Godspace)

Mother’s Day resources | pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au

Hymn

“Jesus!  The name high over all”  TiS218  AHB150  MHB92

[sung to the tune Lydia – there is no introduction and an additional verse than is in TiS/AHB]

Verse 1 of 6

Jesus! The name high over all,

In Hell, or Earth, or sky;

Angels and Humans to it fall,

And devils fear and fly,

And devils fear and fly.

Verse 2 of 6

Jesus! The name to sinners dear,

The name to sinners given;

It scatters all their guilty fear,

It turns their Hell to Heaven,

It turns their Hell to heaven.

Verse 3 of 6

Jesus! The prisoner’s fetters breaks,

And bruises Satan’s head;

Power into strengthless souls it speaks,

And life into the dead,

And life into the dead.

Verse 4 of 6

O that the World might taste and see

The riches of his grace;

The arms of love that compass me

Would everyone embrace,

Would everyone embrace.

Verse 5 of 6

His only righteousness I show,

His saving truth proclaim;

‘tis all my business here below

To cry, “Behold the Lamb!”

To cry, “Behold the Lamb!”

Verse 6 of 6

Happy, if with my dying breath

I may but gasp his name;

Preach him to all, and cry in death:

Behold, behold the Lamb,

Behold, behold the Lamb!

Charles Wesley

Prayer of Confession   

God of all Living and Loving, we pray of our sorrow for families that do not express amongst the love that you have for us.

We acknowledge that mothering is hard, and not all are able to do so as they would like.  We acknowledge that we all fall short in life and love, and that Mothers are no exception in this.  We confess our faults and fragility, we confess those times when we seek to judge and not to understand or to offer compassion.

For those times when we do not live together in unity.

We express our sorrow and regret.

For those times when we do not sincerely express our gratitude for the gifts of life and love.

We express our sorrow and regret.

For those families who do not experience the noise of laughter but only the silence of sadness.

We express our sorrow and regret.

For those families who do not find it a sanctuary from danger and judgment.

We express our sorrow and regret.

For those families where words of love and openness are not the rule of their life.

We express our sorrow and regret.

For those families where violence and rejection are living realities; where hearts are broken, and dreams are shattered.

We express our sorrow and regret.

We grieve for families, where walls of protection become fortresses of isolation, where language is a weapon of destruction and hate.

We express our sorrow and regret.

We grieve for those Mothers who suffer but whose suffering is covered up.  We grieve for those Mothers who have been humiliated, harassed and stigmatised and who dare not tell.  We grieve for those Mothers who have been beaten, tortured, and threatened, and who cannot tell.  Forgive us, and your church, for our complicity in silence and concealment.
Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Help us to understand, those families whose identities are different from ours;
Help us to understand the ways of loving, parenting, partnering and working together for peace.
Help us to dare to stand strongly against hate and divisiveness, to encounter our differences with love and respect.
This we believe: that love is stronger than hate, that hope is stronger than despair, and that good is stronger than evil.
In the name of the One who is Loving and Living.
(Source: Church of Scotland Starters for Sunday)  (Source: Jon Humphries, Prayers that Unite)  (Source: Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart)  (women of the Presbyterian Church in Colombia, sourced on OLSH website)   [altered]

You, O Lord, have called us to watch and pray.
Therefore, whatever may be the sin against which we pray,
make us careful to watch against it,
and so have reason to expect that our prayers will be answered.
In order to perform this duty aright,
grant us grace to preserve a sober, equal temper,
and sincerity to pray for your assistance.  Amen.

A PRAYER OF SUSANNA WESLEY

Mother’s Day Worship and Sermon Resources (desperatepreacher.com)

Assurance of Forgiveness  (from 1 John 5: 5 and 11)  

John writes that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and the source of eternal life that God has promised.  Let us be assured than that, having confessed our sins before God, we are forgiven and cleansed in His sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination  (from Holy Communion Two in Uniting Church Worship Services p21) 

O Lord, our God, you have given your Word to us that it may be a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.  Grant us grace to receive your truth in faith and love, so that we may be obedient to your Will and live always for your glory, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Proverbs 31:

10  How hard it is to find a capable wife!  She is worth far more than jewels!

11  Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor.

12  As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.

13  She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth.

14  Like the ships of the merchant, she brings home food from out-of-the-way places.

15  She rises before dawn to prepare food for her family and to allocate tasks for her servant girls.

16  After careful thought she purchases a vineyard out of her earnings.

17  She is a hard worker, strong and industrious.

18  She ensures that her business is profitable and works late into the night.

19  She spins her own thread and weaves her own cloth.

20  She is generous to the poor and needy.

21  She doesn’t worry when it snows because her family has warm clothing.

22  She makes bedspreads and wears clothes of fine purple linen.

23  Her husband is well respected and one of the city’s leading citizens.

24  She makes clothes and belts and sells them to merchants.

25  She has dignity and respect, and is not afraid of the future.

26  She speaks with gentle wisdom.

27  She is always busy and looks after her family’s needs.

28  Her children show their appreciation and her husband praises her.

29  He says, “Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all.”

30  Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honours the Lord should be praised.

31  Give her credit for all that she does.  She deserves the respect of everyone.

Isaiah 66:

5a  Listen to what the Lord says, you that fear Him and obey Him,

7  “My holy city is like a woman who suddenly gives birth to a child without ever going into labour.  8  Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a thing?  Has a nation ever been born in a day?  Zion will not have to suffer long, before the nation is born.  9  Do not think that I will bring my People to the point of birth and not let them be born.”  The Lord has spoken.

10  Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad for her, all you that love this city!

Rejoice with her now, all you that mourned for her!

11  You will enjoy her prosperity, like a child at its Mother’s breast.

12  The Lord says, “I will bring you lasting prosperity; the wealth of the Nations will flow to you like a river that never goes dry.  You will be like a child that is nursed by its Mother, carried in her arms, and treated with love.  13  I will comfort you in Jerusalem, as a Mother comforts her child.  14  When you see this happen, you will be glad; it will make you strong and healthy.  Then you will know that I, the Lord, help those who obey me, and I show my anger against my enemies.”

Ephesians 6:

1  Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do.  2  “Respect your Father and Mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added:  3  “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”

4  Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry.  Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 16:

19  Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said to them, “I said, ‘In a little while you will not see me, and then a little while later you will see me.’  Is this what you are asking about among yourselves?  20  I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the World will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness.  21  When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the World.  22  That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness that no one can take away from you.”

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

Whether we gather in person in our Church building or whether we gather in spirit in our homes, we remain one body, one people of God, one in fellowship and one in worship.  With that in mind, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and those who cannot be here: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Hymn

“Now thank we all our God”  TiS106  AHB14  MHB10

[to the tune Nun Danket – there is an introduction

Verse 1 of 3

Now thank we all our God

With hearts and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things has done,

In whom His World rejoices;

Who, from our Mother’s arms

Has blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love,

And still is ours today.

Verse 2 of 3

O may this bounteous God

Through all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts

And blessed peace to cheer us.

And keep us in His grace,

And guide us when perplexed,

And free us from all ills

In this world and the next.

Verse 3 of 3

All praise and thanks to God

The Father now be given,

The Son, and Holy Ghost

One Lord in highest Heaven:

The one eternal God

Whom Earth and Heaven adore,

For thus it was, is now,

And shall be ever more.

Martin Rinkart

translated by Catherine Winkworth

Sermon

“I’ve had a stereo system in my car for years,”, one bloke was telling his mate, “my wife in the front and my mother-in-law in the back.”

[ from The World’s Best Mother-in-Law Jokes by Des MacHale]

  Humour is one way of teaching lessons in life.  Here is something that I found on the internet about the way Mothers pass on life’s lessons to their children.

Screen 1

Things my Mother taught me

 My Mother taught me LOGIC… ‘If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me.’

My Mother taught me INTUITION… ‘Put your sweater on; don’t you think that I know when you’re cold?’

My Mother taught me HUMOUR… ‘When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.’

My mother taught me about GENETICS… ‘You are just like your Father!’

My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE… ‘When you get to be my age, you will understand.’

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION… ‘Just wait until your Father gets home.’

My mother taught me about JUSTICE… ‘One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU…then you’ll see what it’s like.’

And she thought no one was listening!

NOTES (uca.org.au)

  I thought that what would be of value, on a day on which the focus is on Mothers, would be to explore what the Bible has to tell us about Mothers and about our relationship with our Mother.

Screen 2

Psalm 127: 3  Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a blessing.

  The writer of this Psalm seeks to stress two aspects of God’s nature: God rules and God gives, God exercises His sovereignty over His Creation and His grace upon His Creation.

  In that light, children are to be seen as God’s gift, a gift entrusted to parents.  Parents are, therefore, responsible to God for how they shape and mould their children.  But, just as importantly, children are not to be viewed as a burden thrust upon parents, they are to be a source of joy and blessing, as any gift should be.

(Artur Weiser in Psalms p766 and Leslie McCaw and John Motyer in Psalms in New Bible Commentary p532)

Screen 3

Ephesians 6: 1  Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do.  2  “Respect your Father and Mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added:  3  “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”  [also Exodus 20: 12, Leviticus 19: 3, Deuteronomy 5: 16, Mark 10: 19]  [see also Colossians 3: 20]

4  Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry.  Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.  [also Proverbs 22: 6, Colossians 3: 21] 

  On two occasions, Paul writes to Gentile Christians imploring them to heed a Jewish Commandment.  To the children within the Churches in Ephesus and Colossae, Paul doesn’t just quietly encourage them to respect their parents, he strongly addresses the need for respectfulness by them towards their parents, as their “Christian duty”.  This duty arises from the basis for this relationship between parents and their children that God established in the time of the Exodus from Egypt.  The fifth Commandment wasn’t written as some sort of cultural obligation only for Jews to follow, but is the basis for stable family relationships, leading to stable wider social interactions.

  As Francis Foulkes writes in his Commentary of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, “then, as in any generation, it could be seen that the strength of family life, and the training of children to habits of order and obedience, were the means and the marks of the stability of the community and nation.  When the bonds of family life break up, when respect for parents fails, the community becomes decadent and will not live long.”  (Francis Foulkes in Ephesians p165) 

  Just as importantly, children cannot be influenced by the faith of the parents in God if children do not seek to listen to or to mirror their parents in the development of their own trust in and obedience to God.

  To the Israelites at the time when God commanded Moses to write down His Commandments, this was crucial if God’s Covenant with the People of Israel was to be passed on to the next generation.  When children do not have respect for the faith of their parent, the belief system that the children establish for themselves can only be based upon what is worthless and upon a deception away from the truth of God as the one true Creator God.

Screen 4

Proverbs 1: 8  pay attention to what your Father and Mother tell you.  9  Their teaching will improve your character.  [also Proverbs 6: 20]

Proverbs 23: 22b  when your Mother is old, show her your appreciation.

Proverbs 23: 25  Let your Father and Mother be proud of you; give your Mother that happiness.

  The writers of the proverbs expand upon this need for children to demonstrate respect to parents by drawing attention to children that this responsibility is not to be viewed as a restrictive obligation upon them, but as a means towards their own personal development, “Their teaching will improve your character.”.  It is foolishness to presume that what parents have learnt in the decades of their life so far could not possibly have any relevance to them in their decades to come, that the accumulated learning of parents is somehow ‘out-of-date’ and therefore irrelevant.  Surely, the writer of this proverb can only be writing from personal experience and therefore is writing of what is truthful and dependable.

  As well, it is only natural to demonstrate your gratitude towards the persons who demonstrated boundless love towards you and sacrificially provided for your needs and for your development as a person, as a member of the family and as a member of the community.  And, at the point in their lives when they are increasingly unable to provide for themselves, it is only natural that you repay them what they have given to you.  To view your relationship with your parents otherwise and to deny such a responsibility towards them does not demonstrate maturity and independence but, rather, ungratefulness and self-centredness.

Screen 5

Exodus 21: 15  Whoever hits their Father or their Mother is to be put to death.

Exodus 21: 17  Whoever curses their Father or their Mother is to be put to death.

Deuteronomy 27: 16  God’s curse on anyone who dishonours their Father or Mother.

Proverbs 30: 17  Anyone who makes fun of their Father or despises their Mother in her old age ought to be eaten by vultures or have their eyes picked out by wild ravens.

  When the 10 Commandments are discussed, the focus is usually placed on ‘what should be done’ and on the correspondingly positive sounding promise, “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”  Seldom is attention given to the opposite focus, ‘what should not be done’.  I find these verses fascinating, not from any morbid consideration of imagining that I was living in a village and watching someone being stoned to death or having their eyes pecked out by ravens because they hit their mother or publicly despised their Mother, but, rather, how such disrespect towards your Mother was considered so serious that it warranted such severe consequences. 

  John Walton writes that “honouring and respecting parents consists of respecting their instruction in the Covenant that God established with His People.  The home is seen as an important and necessary link for the Covenant instruction of each successive generation.  Honour is given to parents as representatives of God’s authority and is for the sake of the preservation of the Covenant.  If parents are not heeded or their authority is repudiated, the Covenant is in jeopardy.  It is not the religious heritage but the fabric of society that is threatened when there is no respect for parental authority and if filial responsibilities are neglected.”  (John Walton in Deuteronomy in The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament p194) 

  We need look no further than our own society with the breakdown in family relationships and the consequent breakdown in the exercising of social responsibilities.  However, to call for someone to be eaten by vultures on the basis that they showed disrespect towards their parents, would, today, most likely result in your social media page being blocked.

Screen 6

Deuteronomy 21: 18 to 21  Suppose a man has a son who is stubborn and rebellious, a son who will not obey his parents …. The men of the city are to stone him to death, and so get rid of this evil.

  In like manner, when the cohesion of the family unit is threatened, and a son “refuses to give his parents the obedience and support to which they were entitled, it becomes a threat to the community as a whole”.  Effective village or city life for the People of Israel could only be guaranteed if each subsequent generation continued to provide for their parents “the respect, food and protection they deserved”.  (John Walton in Deuteronomy in The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament p98)  The community had the responsibility to address any such behaviour on behalf of an individual, as is generally the case today.  Such was the high value placed on respect for parents.  Too little attention today is given to learning from ‘your elders’.  Too much attention is given to self-development and self-awareness, to self in general, in isolation from how you can build upon what advice your parents can provide.

Screen 7

Proverbs 31: 10  How hard it is to find a capable wife.  She is worth far more than jewels.  31  Give her credit for all she does.  She deserves the respect of everyone.

  Andrew Walls writes that this concluding passage in the Book of Proverbs, “exalts the honour and dignity of womanhood and the importance of a Mother’s teaching.”  He continues by saying that it is “a remarkable picture of women in Israelite society:

 trusted implicitly by her husband and amply rewarding that trust,

 hard-working and shrewd, with a liberty of choice and action in a wide range of affairs,

 directing her efforts for the family’s good, while remaining generous and kind-hearted,

 being a wise and faithful teacher,

 praised by husband and children whose sustenance, comfort, reputation, and knowledge of God have all been enhanced by her.”  (Andrew Walls in Proverbs in New Bible Commentary p569) 

  A false picture is presented of Israelite Society as being ‘Patriarchal’ and, therefore, by inference, ‘repressive’ of women.  This passage reads otherwise, not just that it was God’s intent for women to have the scope to exercise their skills and capabilities to provide for their family, thereby earning the respect and praise of family and community, but that the wisdom required by a mother to achieve this outcome was based on the Mother’s respect and trust in God.  (The Lion Handbook to the Bible p361) 

Screen 8

The son’s responsibility for their Mother’s welfare

Mark 1: 29 to 31  Jesus and his Disciples went .. straight to the home of Simon and Andrew. … Simon’s Mother-in-Law … began to wait on them.

John 19: 25 to 27  Standing close to Jesus’ cross was his Mother … From that time on John took her to live in his home.

  We have two occasions recorded in the New Testament that illustrate the son’s responsibility for their Mother’s welfare.  We read in Mark 1 of Jesus and his Disciples being in Capernaum and going to the house of Simon and Andrew to stay the evening.  We read that Simon’s Mother-in-Law was present in the house, showing to us that Simon had accepted the responsibility for providing a home for her and providing for her needs.

  Likewise, the final Earthly task undertaken by Jesus, being the eldest son in the family, was to ensure that his Mother was provided for in her old age.  While on the cross, Jesus appointed John, to be her custodian for the future; and John writes that “from that time on (he) took her to live in his home. 

  As long as the eldest son in the family accepted and undertook the role of providing a home for their Mother, she was provided for, at a time when she was increasingly unable to provide for herself.

Screen 9

Roman 16: 13  I send greetings to Rufus, that outstanding worker in the Lord’s service, and to his Mother, who has always treated me like a son.

2 Timothy 1: 5  I remember the sincere faith you have, the kind of faith that your Grandmother Lois and your Mother Eunice also had.

  We also read of just how much influence a Mother could have on someone.  Paul sends greetings to a Rufus, a well-known and well-respected member of the Church in Rome, and to his Mother, who we understand was also in Rome at that time.  Whether this Rufus was the same Rufus, the son of Simon of Cyrene, mentioned in Mark 15: 21, cannot be clearly determined.  But just as confounding is the question of how and under what circumstances Paul had met and was influenced by the Mother of Rufus, “who has always treated me like a son”.  There is no mention of Rufus nor of his Mother anywhere else in Luke’s or Paul’s writings, but we gain the understanding from this short account just how much it meant to Paul to have received the support and generosity given by the Mother of Rufus.

  We also gain the understanding that Timothy’s growth and development as a reliable and effective leader in the early Church in Turkey was due in no small part to the leading and influence of his Grandmother Lois and of his Mother Eunice. 

Screen 10

Isaiah 66: 12  You will be like a child that is nursed by its Mother, carried in her arms, and treated with love.  13  I will comfort you in Jerusalem, as a Mother comforts her child.  14  When you see this happen, you will be glad

God uses the imagery of a Mother to describe His relationship with the People of Israel at the time when he will restore Jerusalem to its former glory.

  God describes himself as providing for His People, as a Mother provides for her child when she feeds them.  (verse 12)  He will support them, as a Mother supports her child when she carries them in her arms.  (verse 12)  He will comfort them, as a Mother comforts her child.  (verse 13)  He will love them, as a Mother loves her child.  (verse 12)  The imagery of the tender and all-sustaining relationship between a Mother and child was the most effective means for God to portray His intent and his capacity to ensure the ongoing welfare and prosperity of the Nation of Israel, His People, His child.

Screen 11

John 16:21  When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the World.  22  That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness that no one can take away from you.

  A similar imagery is used by Jesus to reassure the Disciples.  He talks of their anguish in the near future, at the time of his death and burial, using the imagery of the suffering experienced by a Mother during childbirth.  (verse 21)  But, Jesus explains, when the baby is born, the Mother’s anguished is forgotten, and replaced by joy at the birth of new life, a joy that transcends any anguish they had felt.  In the same manner, Jesus infers, upon his resurrection, the Disciple’s anguish will be replaced by joy at his ‘new birth’. 

  Derek Kidner goes so far as to argue that when Jesus speaks of “their hearts being filled with gladness”  (verse 22)  , he is claiming that the reference to the gladness experienced by the People of Israel in Isaiah 66: 14 finds its ultimate fulfillment in him.  (Derek Kidner in Isaiah in New Bible Commentary p625) 

Screen 12

A Mothers Day Creed (from South Yarra Presbyterian Church, author unknown)

  I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary.

  I believe in the love Mary gave her Son that caused her to follow Him in His ministry and stand by His cross as He died.

  I believe in the love of all Mothers, and its importance in the lives of their children.  It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside.  It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.

  I believe that this love, even at its best, is only the shadow of the love of God, a dark reflection of all that we expect of Him in this life and the next.

  And I believe that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a Mother who lets this greater love flow through her to her child, blessing the World with the tenderness of her touch and the tears of her joy.  Thank God for Mothers, and thank Mothers for helping us understand God!

NOTES (uca.org.au)

  I came across this “Mother’s Day Creed” in my reading and thought that it encapsulates what the Bible seeks to present in its teaching about the role of Mothers and our response to Mothers.  So, let us read together this Creed as a means of affirming our stance of expressing our thanks and gratitude towards our Mothers.

Hymn

“Sing praise to God who reigns above”  Tis 110  AHB27  MHB415

[Sung to the tune Mit Freuden Zart ]

[I could not find a YouTube recording that matches the words in either TiS or AHB or MHB so I have opted to use a recording of the music only.  You will need to play the recording through a second time and stop it after the fifth verse – there is no introduction]

Verse 1 of 5

Sing praise to God who reigns above,

The God of all Creation,

The God of power, the God of love,

The God of our salvation;

With healing balm my soul He fills

And every grief He gently stills

To God all praise and glory!

Verse 2 of 5

What God’s almighty power has made

That will He ever cherish,

And will, unfailing, soon and late,

With lovingkindness nourish;

And where He rules in Kingly might

There all is just and all is right:

To God all praise and glory!

Verse 3 of 5

The Lord is never far away,

But, through all grief distressing

An ever-present help and stay,

Our peace, and joy, and blessing;

As with a Mother’s tender hand

He leads His own, His chosen band;

To God all praise and glory!

Verse 4 of 5

Come, you that name Christ’s holy name,

Give God all praise and glory;

And all who own his power, proclaim

Aloud the wondrous story.

Cast each false idol from its throne,

The Lord is God, and He alone:

To God all praise and glory!

Verse 5 of 5

So come before His countenance

And leap in exultation;

Now gladly pay your due of praise

In joyful celebration.

Take courage in the Lord, my heart;

Refreshed in Him, play your full part:

To God all praise and glory.

Johann Schultz

translated by Frances Cox

altered by Honor Thwaites

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  [to be sung to the tune ‘Austria’ – refer to TiS772]

[disregard the words – only the one verse is needed]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

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

  God be with the Mother who sits long nights beside those who cannot sleep, who holds in aching arms the hurting child, who carries in her heart the burden of care and worry, and comforts without words.
  God be with the Mother who listens and does not judge, who forgives and bears no grudge, who opens the door to her heart no matter what the cost.
  God be with the Mother, grant freedom from anxiety, grant peace and understanding, give hope and perseverance, give patience and unlimited grace.
  God be with the child who enters an exciting world, who has much to learn, who has much to share, who is becoming.
  God be with the child who looks up to the Mother, who takes in all the Mother does, who learns from the wisdom shown, who has boundaries to learn and stretch.
  God be with the child, grant freedom from anxiety, grant peace and understanding, give hope and perseverance, give patience and unlimited grace.
  God be with us all, may we learn to be all that we can be, may our respect be always there, may our gratitude be endless, may we love and be loved.
(Adapted from a prayer from “God Be With The Mother – A Mother’s Day Prayer”)

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 others 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 girls and 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

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

The 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.

Hymn

“Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy”  TiS613

[sung to the tune Slane – there is no introduction]

Verse 1 of 4

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,

Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,

Be there at our waking and give us, we pray,

Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Verse 2 of 4

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,

Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,

Be there at our labours and give us, we pray,

Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Verse 3 of 4

Lord of all kindness, Lord of all grace,

Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,

Be there at our homing and give us, we pray,

Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Verse 4 of 4

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,

Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,

Be there at our sleeping and give us, we pray,

Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Joyce Plazek (Jan Struther)

Benediction    

Mother is a word called love and all the world is mindful of

The love that’s given and shown to others is different from the love of Mothers.

For Mothers play the leading roles in giving birth to little souls,

For though small souls are heaven-sent and we realize they’re only lent,

It takes a Mother’s loving hands and her gentle heart that understands

To mould and shape this little life and shelter it through storm and strife.

So Mothers are a special race God sent to Earth to take His place,

And Mother is a lovely name that even saints are proud to claim.

[Mother is a Word called Love  a poem by Helen Steiner Rice from To Mother with love, p9]

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

“For from Him, and through Him”  Scripture in Song volume 1 number 15

[I could not find a YouTube recording of this song nor of the tune]

[Ian Kerr will play the music for this song during Sunday Worship]

For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things,

To God be the glory for ever, Amen.

For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things,

To God be the glory for ever, Amen.

Ena Thompson