Prayer of Intercession: Mothering Sunday

Here’s a prayer of intercession for Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday (4th Sunday in Lent).  It was written by Rev Margaret Whyte and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.

Prayer of Intercession: Mother’s Day

Loving God, you who are both Mother and father to us, in this time of prayer we thank you for your love. We thank you for Jesus who taught us of your all-encompassing parents’ love; the love that waits with anxiety for us to return home; the love that also runs down the road to gather us in your arms; the love that searches until we are found; that loved us so much you sent us Jesus.

We thank you that we are your children, called by name, called even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, called into your world-wide family, where there is such diversity, such individuality, such creativity, such beauty.

We ask that rejoicing in the diversity of humankind, we might always love as Jesus loved us; that we might always appreciate others of different faith and cultures, asking pardon for the times when we have failed you in love.

Remembering the world wide family we are so much part of, we pray for places around the world…

We give you thanks for our own families, remembering especially our own mothers or those who stood in her place who took care of us, who met our needs, not only nurturing our bodies, but also in love and security. For the love of those who are still with us and for the love that is in your nearer presence we give you thanks.

And knowing the imperfect nature of human kind, where there may a need of forgiveness that you would forgive and help us to forgive.

For mothers at the start of the adventure of motherhood that you will give them all they need.

For mothers who are stretched in patience and love, who find things hard, with too much to do and not enough time to it, with babies who don’t sleep, or children with special gifts, running out of energy and patience.

For mothers whose children do not have clean water, or enough food to eat, or proper medication;

For mothers experiencing miscarriage or babies still born, or those unable to have children, that their motherly natures would be used in nurturing others.

Loving God, in You we find life, health, and strength. Through Your gifts we have everything we need and so we bring our offerings to you. Take them and use them and use our all our good intentions for the growth of your kingdom on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~ written by Rev Margaret Whyte and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/