Monday, May 13, 2013

Mother's Day Prayer

Mother’s Day Prayer
Rev. Laurie Furr-Vancini

O God,
This morning we sing for joy!

We give thanks for mothers. All mothers.
Mothers who raise us up,
birth mothers,
adoptive mother,
step-mothers,
foster mothers,
mothers-in-law,
grandmothers,
mothers to be, aunts,
mothering neighbors,
friends’ mothers with motherly advice and love,
all those women who have cared for us.
We pause to think of those in our lives who have mothered us in ways big and ways small…..


….And we give thanks that you are a mothering God who loves us before you know us and writes our name on the palm of your hand so you are always with us.

We pray for those who cannot mother as they would like.
Those who yearned for children who did not come.
Those who wait still.
Those who chose to mother nieces and nephews and pets and humanity
and feel as if they have to explain their choice.
We pray for mothers who cannot mother as they would like
because they live in poverty and cannot feed their children every day,
who cannot protect their children from war and violence and disease.
We pray for mothers who are not good mothers.
Who, because of addiction,
disease,
mental illness,
broken hearts,
anger,
feelings of helplessness or loneliness
could not and cannot mother their children as they needed to be mothered.
We pray for them and we pray mightily for their children.

We pray for mothers who mourn the loss of their children
and for children who mourn the loss of their mother.

We give thanks that you cause the mountains to sing and have comforted us, your people.
We pray for hearts of compassion for us and we pray that others have compassion for us.
Amen.