A simple service for Lent 4 - Mothering Sunday

You may wish to light a candle at the start of this time of worship.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God says,  'As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.'  May the peace of the Lord be with us always.

Theme Prayer

Lord, on this Mothering Sunday we think of mothers and of all who care and nurture others - their skill, their patience, their kindness and compassion. We especially thank you for all who are looking out for others and finding ways to help during this time of stress and anxiety with Coronavirus.

Praise God who loves us and cares.

And we thank you, Lord, for those who care quietly, selflessly and without thinking of themselves.  Please hold all mothers and carers in the light of your presence. Bless and encourage them in all that they do. 

Praise God who loves us and cares. Amen.

Confession

Loving Father, we are sorry for the times when we fail to care as we should, or are thoughtless or unkind;  teach us to care as you do, forgive our mistakes, and restore us to friendship and peace with you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Give thanks to the God of love. Today he is calling us back to himself: today he washes away our sin and shame, and he grants us forgiveness in his redeeming love, revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12 to 17 :-

Put on garments that suit God’s chosen and beloved people: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgiving, if any of you has cause for complaint: you must forgive as the Lord forgave you. Finally, to bind everything together and complete the whole, there must be love. Let Christ’s peace be arbiter in your decisions, the peace to which you were called as members of a single body. Always be thankful.  Let the gospel of Christ dwell among you in all its richness; teach and instruct one another with all the wisdom it gives you. With psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing from the heart in gratitude to God. Let every word and action, everything you do, be in the name of the Lord Jesus, and give thanks through him to God the Father.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

A Reflection on the Reading

In this excerpt from his letter, Paul wants to make very clear to the Colossian Christians that following Jesus requires of the believer a radical transformation.  Their old way of life is put to death, nailed to the cross of Christ, and they have entered the new life of their risen Lord.  “Put on garments,” writes Paul - but in reality he is talking about something that is much more, and much deeper than any superficial change or fashion accessory. This isn’t just about looking different, it’s about being different.

The present situation has seen some of the bad and uncaring traits in human life make headlines: empty shelves, the refusal to share even with those who are obviously in need. But it’s also seen huge numbers of people offering just to be there to help when vulnerable people self-isolate, quite apart from the sheer selflessness of health workers doing extra shifts and accepting an element of risk because there’s a job to be done.

So if sin is naturally part of what it is to be human, so too are the “garments” of which Paul writes. This isn’t something foreign to ourselves, this is how we were made to be, how God wants us to be. Care and compassion for others, humility that puts others first, and forbearance that sorts things out when there’s an argument - and love that holds all of this in place. These are the things that prove Christ’s Lordship of our lives.

For Paul, everything always depends on Christ: his example inspires us to forgive, his peace helps us resolve our conflicts, his word is there to guide our thinking and inspire our joy, and his name makes us and all we do holy.  And this is all good practical stuff: Paul’s writing about the serious business of living together. These garments aren’t best clothes,  they are our workwear.

Statement of Faith

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.          

We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. 

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.  

We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Anthem 

   

Response [R]:  Gather your little ones to you, O God,
as a hen gathers her brood to protect them.

Jesus, like a mother you gather your people to you;
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.

Often you weep over our sins and our pride,
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement. [R]

You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,
in sickness you nurse us, and with pure milk you feed us.

Jesus, by your dying we are born to new life;
by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy. [R]

Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;
through your gentleness we find comfort in fear.

Your warmth gives life to the dead,
your touch makes sinners righteous. [R]

Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us;
in your love and tenderness remake us.

In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness,
for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us. [R]    

Prayers

Pray for the needs of the world: for all in places of leadership and authority, that they may love justice, act with mercy and strive for peace. Pray for those with difficult economic and social decisions to make, in these uncertain and unsettled times.

Pray for the Church of God: for its witness and mission to be marked by compassion and love, and for gentleness and courage as we live and share the Gospel message. Pray for Bishop Richard as he begins his work in our diocese, and for his wife Deborah as they settle in among us.

Pray for those in need today: for those who are sad and grieving, for those who are worried and anxious, and for those who are alone or afraid. Pray for all who are ill, and especially for those who have been infected by Covid-19. Give thanks for all who tend them and care for them, and that they may kept free from harm and infection themselves.

Pray for the community around us: for mothers and for all who care for children, and for our own families and those who live around us. Pray too for those who jobs, homes and settled lives are put at risk by the Coronavirus outbreak and the shutdown of so much of our community life.

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.

A Prayer for Mothers

Praise God who loves us:                 Praise God who cares.

For the care of mothers:                 Thanks be to God.

For their patience when tested: Thanks be to God.

For their love when tired:                 Thanks be to God.

For their hope when despairing: Thanks be to God.

For their service without limit:         Thanks be to God. Amen.

May God the Father, who gave birth to all creation, bless us. 

May God the Son, who became incarnate by an earthly mother, bless us. 

May God the Holy Spirit, who broods as a mother over her children, bless us. 

May almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.   Amen.