Mothering Sunday Sermon - A Christian Family - 14th March 2021 Mothering Sunday 2021

Mothering Sunday Service

14th March 2021

All Hymns in most hymnals and on Spotify

Prayers for use with this sermon below the Order of Service

Order of Service

Psalm 34:17-19

Hymn: All Praise to Our Redeeming Lord

Prayers

Lord’s Prayer

Hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness

1st Reading: Ruth 1:6-18

2nd Reading: Mark 2:20-35

Hymn Great Shepherd of Thy People Hear

Sermon

Hymn God of Eve and God of Mary

Prayers of Intercession

Hymn Now thank we all our God

The Grace

 

Prayers 

Prayer of Adoration

Unto You Our God do we render our praises, here gathered once more glad of the light that you bring unto our hearts. We praise You as the Father above, who gathered all creation into its place and was mindful as much of the atoms of a flower as the planets and stars. We praise You as the Son, the living proof, whose glorious tales still resound amongst us all so long after your birth. We praise You as the Holy Spirit, alive in us as bright and busy as the sunlight in the spring. We adore You as our God, the one we worship and declare plainly to be the Lord of All Creation. Praise be unto You, for all time, Amen

Prayer of Confession

Forgiving Father, we bring before You the sins that burden our hearts and afflict our lives. We confess all the wrongful things we have done. We admit the times we have left our hands idle when they should have been busy, when our tongues have let loose cruel words, all those times we have let our thoughts stray into viciousness and cruelty. We admit all our sins, and we admit that we are sorry for them. As we confess them, and seek forgiveness, we open our hearts to that most blessed forgiveness that You give unto us all, as You say “Our Sins Are Forgiven”, not because we are worthy, but because your love is sufficient to forgive us anything. We thank You that the sacrifice of Your Son washes away our sins, leaving us free to go about cleansed in the world, and we ask You to aid us to resist sin and do good in its place. These we ask, in the Name of the Father, with thanks to the Son, and the aid of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We pray God to give our thanks for all the gifts you give unto You. We thank You for the gifts of hearth and home, where we may rest ourselves, and Church where we may revive our souls. We pray for the mercies poured out for us in the wondrous gift of the Cross, and the joys of this day when we remember those who mother. We thank You for all the things You have given us thus far, and all those yet to come. Thanks be Unto You Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen

Prayer for Mothering

Lord God, this day we especially pray for those who are tasked with mothering, in all its forms. We pray for the first-time mothers in all their uncertainties and worries. We pray for the mothers with many children, may they know strength. We pray for all who do the duties of mothers, adoptive parents, family and friends of parents who are charged to bring up baby. We pray for those who have no children of their own, yet set about looking after the children of others with much cheerfulness. We pray for those who long for a child, mindful of the miracles of faith and science that mean such hope is not in vain for many nowadays, adding often to the sorrow of others. We pray for all those who have no mother to run to, may they know the certainty of Heaven and the mothering Church, wherein all may know help and support. Lord, we ask Your care and guidance upon them all, and strength to all who need it. Amen

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, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Prayers of Intercession

We bring our prayers of Intercession before God to ask his help in the world, as in the traditional way there is a response, after the words “Lord Hear us” the response is, “Lord, Graciously Hear us”

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Those in Want

O Lord we bring before You those who are in want of material things, be it of food, of water, of shelter or anything else that is necessary to life. Lord, we know that their stories are many and varied, as are their needs. So we ask that where we can help their relief from want, we shall know how to do so, and shall set to it with a will. Where we cannot help them with our hands, we pray for the hands and hearts of others to be moved to help with all possible speed. We pray for all who are afraid in this difficult time, asking for their comfort. We remember especially all those who are afeared each night in the dark, Lord, move those whose duty it is to make our streets safe to do so.

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Those in Sickness

We pray for those who are ill. We pray for those whose sickness is but seasonal or of short duration. We pray for those whose ailments are long lasting or slow to heal. God grant them healing if it be possible, and comfort in all cases. We pray too for doctors, nurses, carers, porters and all those who work in healthcare to the aid of others, give them strength and keep them from tiredness and error. We pray too for those who labour to find new cures and treatment, please God, bless their hands and their efforts, that they may know much success and never want for ideas. We pray especially for the roll out of the vaccines, Lord, help the supplies to flow in abundance and for competence to guide the distribution throughout the world.

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Those in mourning and despair

We bring before You those who mourn, Lord, we ask that they may know the comforts of Your Gospel and its truth, that they may be shielded from despair, sure in the knowledge of Heaven and of places prepared for Christian folk the world over there, praying for those who lose those they care for in this time of pandemic, whatsoe’er they may have been taken from us by.

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Those who labour unto God

We pray Lord God for all those who work for the Church. We pray for this Church and Circuit, tending the flame of the Spirit amidst our broad skies and comfortable homes. We pray for the Church throughout Britain, that it may grow and prosper as never before, for we see again and again in history how the Church can revive, and we ask for such again. We pray for the Church in lands abroad, for we know that we have brethren in every land, under every flag and crown, for all wreaths of Empire meet upon Your Brow. We ask that the Church may flourish in every corner of the world, and be safe from those who would work for the Evil One amongst the sheep. We pray for those who lack the knowledge of You our God, whether they be in total ignorance, know but little of the Gospel, or if they know all but the surety of faith. We ask God that we may be a help to those we can to know You, as Father Son and Holy Ghost. For those we cannot reach, we pray for the armies of preachers, ministers and clergy, missionaries, Sunday School Teachers and honest Christians who are abroad in the world and able to help spread the news of You, that their tongues might speak freely and that ears may be open to them.

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Those who labour unto the World

We pray for those who endeavour to keep this world going. We pray for governments and administrations, especially remembering our own as a new age for our land looms, may those able to make decisions be guided to make the right ones, and may those who must labour to make things happen see the works of their hands prosper. Please God, bring better times to the world. May the desire to be a Godly people light the hearts of all, so that evil shall be stopped. We pray too for the Royal Family, Lord, guard and guide them just as You do us, and May they all know and faithfully serve you. We pray especially for Prince Philip in his illness, may He be restored, and we pray for peace amongst that whole family, as we pray for it for every family.

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Our close kin and neighbours

We pray for those folk who are around about us, for one another, our neighbours, varied in their needs and wants, that those who are in need may be helped, and that they may know always that they may come to come us for aid, no matter their need. We especially remember to You…(here name any you have an especial prayer for)

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Ourselves

We pray for our own needs Lord, for we are so often weak and weary. We ask that You help us all in our difficulties, whatever they may be. We ask to be strong for ourselves and others, that we may know much help and relief and be strong and sure in the faith. We ask that those things we long for may be known to us as fulfilments of Your promises.

Lord Hear us

Lord Graciously Hear us

Assurance of prayers being heeded

Lord we pray, knowing that when we pray, You hear us, and our prayers shall not want for answer. Thanks be unto You, Father Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

 

The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, And the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Be With Us All, Ever More, Amen