Heavenly Father we thank you for our earthly mothers. We will all have a different relationship with our mothers, but we know that without them we would not be here gathered in prayer today and that is wonderous and we give you thanks. We thank you, God, that every moment that passes a woman brings new life in to this world, it is truly a miracle.
Pour out your blessings on all those right now beginning the journey of motherhood.
We thank you Lord for all the mothers in our lives; biological, adopted, chosen. We thank you for each person whose maternal instinct shapes and informs their relationship with us. We thank you for all the mothers who care for us and nurture us. We thank you for the mothers we know and those we are yet to need. We thank you for those who have loved us in a motherly way, for those who have been there with a motherly word or hug just when we need it.
Holy Spirit, be here amongst us and bring the maternal seed in all of us to the forefront and turn it into a roaring flame. Show us today where we need to go and bring a mother’s love, where can we take love? Where can we bring sustenance? Who needs to hear that they are precious and that they are loved unconditionally? Give us the courage to go out and say those words and spread that message of unconditional love.
Heavenly Creator, we give you thanks for Mother Earth, the source of all that feeds and forms us. Mother Earth is perfect and balanced and we pray that we her children continue to learn how to love and respect her. God give us the wisdom to build healthy relationships with Mother Earth, this wonderous ecosystem. In doing so may we not drain our planet of all its resources, but keep it healthy and strong for each generation that follows.
Lord Jesus, on Mothering Sunday, we often think of homecoming, returning, what it means to belong. We pray that you give each of us time today to reflect on what this means for us. Where do we belong? What do we need to return to? How can a sense of homecoming change how we journey through the rest of Lent, the rest of this year, the rest of our lives?
By your feet, at this cross, this altar, wrapped in your motherly hug, may we know what it is to return home.
Amen.
The Unexpected Prayer 