TEXT OF SERVICE
Preparation
INVITATION TO WORSHIP
Praise God
who loves us. Praise God who cares.
PRAISING AND THANKING GOD
We praise
you, our God, for all mothers who have loved and laughed and laboured as they
cared for their children. Blessed be God for ever.
We praise
you, our God, for all mothers who have wept in sorrow and joy for their
children. Blessed be God for ever.
We praise
you, our God, for Jesus, born of a woman and nurtured in her love, and for
Mary, a reminder of your patient, waiting love. Blessed be God for ever.
SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE As a mother comforts a child so will I
comfort you, says the Lord.
Isaiah 66:13
INTRODUCTION: We thank
God for mothers and carers around the world. It takes a very special love to
care for a family. Today we’ll celebrate that love and thank God for his own
perfect love for us all.
We’re not all mothers ourselves but we
all have a mother, whether or not they are still with us, and we are all
children of God. He is our loving Father but is also the one who remembers and
comforts us as a mother comforts her child, and draws us close as a hen
protects her chicks.
OPENING PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
We thank you for mothers
and carers everywhere,
and for the special
love they have for their children.
We thank you Jesus
for your special care and comfort
and the perfect love
you have for us all.
Help us all to show
your love to those who care for us,
and to the people
that we meet in our lives. Amen.
SORRY
We call to
mind our sin, our failure to value the love of others and our failure to love
as Christ has loved us.
Silence for
reflection
Your love
gives us life from the moment of conception. We fail to live as your children.
Lord, have
mercy. Lord, have mercy.
You call us to do good.
We seek our own good.
Christ, have
mercy. Christ, have mercy.
You hear us when we cry for help.
We ignore the cries of others.
Lord, have
mercy. Lord, have mercy.
May the
Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in his image to
the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn of Praise: CH712 “Tell out, my
soul”
Listen to and
sing along with this hymn at
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord:
unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name:
make known his might, the deeds his arm has
done;
his mercy sure, from age to age to same;
his holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his
might:
powers and dominions lay their glory by;
proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to
flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word:
firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children’s children and for evermore.
Timothy Dudley–Smith (b. 1926) based
on the Canticle ‘Magnificat’ (Luke 1: 46–55)
PRAYER OF MOTHERING SUNDAY
God of
compassion, whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary, shared the life of a
home in Nazareth, and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:
Strengthen us in our daily living that in joy and in sorrow we may know the
power of your presence to bind together and to heal; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Ministry of
the Word
The First Reading
So in the course of
time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,
saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’
When her husband
Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord
and to fulfil his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, ‘After the
boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will
live there always.’
‘Do what seems best
to you,’ her husband Elkanah told her. ‘Stay here until you have weaned him;
only may the Lord make good his word.’ So the woman stayed at home and nursed
her son until she had weaned him.
After he was weaned,
she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three–year–old bull,
an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord
at Shiloh . When the bull had been sacrificed,
they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, ‘Pardon me, my lord. As
surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the
Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.
So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the
Lord.’ And he worshipped the Lord there.
The Psalm:
Psalm 127: 1–4
1 Unless the Lord
builds the house,• those who build it labour in vain.
2 Unless the Lord
keeps the city,• the guard keeps watch in vain.
3 It is in vain that
you hasten to rise up early go so late to rest, eating the bread of toil,• for
he gives his beloved sleep. 4 Children are a heritage from the Lord• and the
fruit of the womb is his gift.
The Second Reading : Colossians 3:
12–17
Therefore, as God’s
chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive
one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord
forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all
together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of
Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to
peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you
teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs
from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you
do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through him.
Hymn: CH517 “Brother,
sister, let me serve you”
Listen to and
sing along with this hymn at
Brother, sister, let
me serve you,
let me be as Christ
to you.
Pray that I may have
the grace to
let you be my
servant, too.
We are pilgrims on a
journey,
and companions on
the road;
we are here to help
each other
walk the mile and
bear the load.
I will hold the
Christ–light for you
in the night–time of
your fear;
I will hold my hand
out to you,
speak the peace you
long to hear.
I will weep when you
are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll
laugh with you;
I will share your
joy and sorrow,
till we’ve seen this
journey through.
When we sing to God
in heaven
we shall find such
harmony,
born of all we’ve
known together
of Christ’s love and
agony.
Richard Gillard (b.
1953)
The Gospel:
John 19: 25–27Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his
mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw
his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing near by, he said to
her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’
From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Sermon
Greetings again from St. Finian’s Church of Ireland Straffan
Church Mother Church
How appropriate then on this Mothering Sunday that we as a
parish focus on this place for our shared worship in these unsettling times
that we find ourselves in.
The origins of this Sunday are in the 16th
century when people annually returned to their mother church for
a service in either the church where they were baptized,
or the local parish church, or the nearest cathedral. In time Mothering
Sunday became a day when domestic servants were given a day off to visit their
mother church, usually with their own mothers and other family members. It
was often the only time that entire families could gather together, since on
other days they were prevented from doing so by conflicting working hours.
Children and young people who were "in service"
(as household servants) were given a day off on that day so they could visit
their families and mother church. The children often picked wildflowers along
the way either to place in the church or to give to their mothers. Eventually,
the religious tradition evolved into the Mothering Sunday secular tradition of
giving gifts to mothers.
And so it is a day to be together with loved ones
and to return to our roots but at the moment that is not possible for a lot of
people and today is quite poignant for many.
Not just those who may have lost their mothers in
recent time but also those who have to be separate from their mothers and
grandmothers and indeed fathers and grandfathers in order to protect those whom
they love from the Coronavirus.
I spoke to a man this weekend, a grandfather who
told me how he now meets his son in a supermarket carpark to collect the
shopping that his son had done for him -
they keep their distance from one another and his grandchildren wave out of the
son’s car at their grandfather and he waves back and wonders how long it will
be before he can hold them and hug them again.
It is ironic that on this Mothering Sunday the
best thing we can do for our loved ones is to distance ourselves from them and
to stay away from church.
But thankfully we do live
in a digital age and we are finding new ways to be present to each other and to
be Church even when we cannot share the same physical space. I can honestly say
that I have experienced a level of fellowship, friendship and altruism in the
past week greater than I have ever experienced before, either in church or in
the wider community.
The readings chosen for today reflect the values
of mothering and motherhood – In the lesson from 1st Samuel we see
the sacrificial love of Hannah in presenting her son Samuel to the Lord. There are many people making sacrifices today
for not only their loved ones but also total strangers – there are people on
the front line in fighting this virus who themselves are in the at risk
category and yet they keep on giving of themselves, and many as we see in Italy
and elsewhere have paid the ultimate price.
In the Epistle from Colossians 3 we hear of the
attributes required of God’s chosen people – compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.
I have seen those attributes in spades since this
crisis began – it reassures me of the basic goodness of humanity reflected in
the countless offers from within our community to reach out to our more
vulnerable members and protect them by running errands and delivering groceries
and medication etc as required. Some offered to write to those who are alone,
or children to send their pictures and drawings or to give them a phone call to
let them know that they are not forgotten.
There is a real sense of that body of Christ
referred to in the epistle – as members of the one body you were called to
peace and so many people are helping to bring peace to troubled hearts.
And the Gospel – that
poignant passage at the foot of the Cross where Jesus declares to his mother
and the beloved disciple “Woman – here is your son, and to the disciple, Here
is your mother” and we are told that from that time on the disciple took her
into his home.
There is a lot of this adoptive mothering going
on at the moment where as Church and community we are reaching out to one
another with the values that are traditionally associated with mothering and
they are not unique to the female sex.
Compassion, kindness and generosity are in
abundance as we rediscover a truth that has always been and that is that we are
all of us (not just the over 70s or those with medical conditions ) we are all
of us vulnerable human beings who rely on and need each other and we are all
loved by a God who as Matthew 23 v37 states: How often have I desired to gather your
children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings
This time will pass as
other times of trial that this building has witnessed have passed, wars,
famines, plagues and disasters and it is still here and the people of God are
still here – Why? Because of Love – The love that God has for us and the love
that we are showing towards one another at this difficult time. We are the Body
of Christ and united with Christ we need not be afraid. He will still the storm
and he like a mother will cherish every one of us as if we were the only one.
Amen
Response
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father
almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only
Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended
to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is
seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the
living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn of Faith: Thanks &
Praise 52 “He’s got the whole world in his hands”(adapted)
Listen to and
sing along with this hymn at
He’s got the
whole world in his hands,
he’s got the
whole wide world in his hands,
he’s got the
whole world in his hands,
he’s got the
whole world in his hands.
He’s got you and me,
brother, in his hands,
he’s got you and me,
sister, in his hands,
he’s got you and me,
mother, in his hands,
he’s got the whole
world in his hands.
He’s got you and me,
mother, in his hands,
he’s got you and me,
father, in his hands,
he’s got you and me,
mother, in his hands,
he’s got the whole
world in his hands.
He’s got the little
tiny babies in his hands,
he’s got the little
tiny babies in his hands,
he’s got the little
tiny babies in his hands,
he’s got the whole
world in his hands.
Anonymous
THANKSGIVING
We thank God for
giving us others to share in our lives:
For parents, and the
love which brought us to birth:
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
For mothers who have
cherished and nurtured us:
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
For fathers who have
loved and supported us,
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
For brothers and
sisters with whom we have shared our home:
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
For children and
their parents:
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
For relatives and
friends, who have been with us
in our hopes and
joys and times of sadness:
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
For all who first
spoke to us of Jesus, and have drawn us
into the family of
our Father in heaven:
We praise you, O
Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
Help us to live as
those who belong to one another,
and to you, our
Father, now and always.
Amen.
ARCHBISHOP’S PRAYER
IN THE TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS
Almighty and
All–loving God,
Father, Son and Holy
Spirit,
we pray to you
through Christ the Healer
for those who suffer
from the Coronavirus Covid–19
in Ireland and
across the world.
We pray for all who
reach out to those who mourn the loss
of each and every
person who has died as a result of contracting the disease.
Give wisdom to
policymakers,
skill to
researchers,
comfort to everyone
in distress
and a sense of calm
to us all in these days of uncertainty and distress.
This we ask in the
name of Jesus Christ our Lord
who showed
compassion to the outcast,
acceptance to the
rejected
and love to those to
whom no love is shown. Amen.
A GENERAL COLLECT
Lighten our
darkness, O Lord, we pray,
And in your great
mercy defend us
From all perils and
dangers
For the love of your
only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
We pray the prayer
Jesus taught us, saying:
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
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Closing Hymn: CH570 “Give me oil
in my lamp” (vs.1, 2 and 4)
Listen to and
sing along with this hymn at
Give me oil in my
lamp, keep me burning,
give me oil in my
lamp, I pray;
give me oil in my
lamp, keep me burning,
keep me burning ‘til
the break of day.
Sing hosanna, sing
hosanna,
sing hosanna to the
King of kings!
Sing hosanna, sing
hosanna
Sing hosanna to the
King!
Give me joy in my
heart, keep me praising,
give me joy in my
heart, I pray;
Give me joy in my
heart, keep me praising,
keep me praising
till the break of day.
Give me love in my
heart, keep me serving,
give me love in my
heart, I pray;
give me love in my
heart, keep me serving,
keep me serving ‘til
the break of day.
Traditional v. 1 based
on Matthew 25: 8
DISMISSAL PRAYER
Let us rejoice that we are precious to
God.
May his blessing touch our
families
and all who are precious to us.
May we, as the family of God,
shine as precious stones
reflecting his love to the
world. Amen.
AND CAN IT BE – SUNG BY ROBIN
MARK
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