Mothering Sunday 2020

Sunday 22 March 2020: Fourth Sunday of Lent,

Mothering Sunday

Today we give thanks and pray for our mother church, for the parish of St Nicholas’ and for the Church of England.

We also pray for mothers—our own, and those in our community who face additional challenges at this time.

As we come to worship at a familiar time, if not a familiar building, you might like to light a candle, a reminder that Christ the light of the world is with us. Take a moment to still yourself. We then begin with the Prayer of Preparation, which reminds us that God knows our desires—to be with our mothers today, if we could; to receive bread and wine, which, physically, we cannot; to be of service to our neighbour…

Prayer of Preparation

Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Now we come to Confession, confessing our need for God. We confess for ourselves, and on behalf of our neighbours; and receive God’s mercy. Doing so is the antidote to judging others in anger.

‘Kyrie’ Confession

God be gracious to us and bless us,

and make your face shine upon us:

Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on the earth,

your saving power among the nations:

Christ, have mercy.

You, Lord, have made known your salvation,

and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations:

Lord, have mercy.

Absolution

The Lord enrich us with his grace, and nourish us with his blessing;

the Lord defend us in trouble and keep us from all evil;

the Lord accept our prayers, and absolve us from our offences,

for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Amen.

Now we pray the Collect, the prayer for this Sunday.

Collect prayer for today

God of love,

passionate and strong, tender and careful:

watch over us and hold us all the days of our life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Having prepared ourselves, we listen to God’s word to us. You’ll find one reading in full, and the reference for the Gospel reading, along with some questions to reflect on. I’ll post the readings and questions separately on the St Nicholas Church facebook page, and encourage people to post their reflections in the comments, to enable conversation.

Reading

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

Gospel reading

John 19:25b-27

‘And from that hour the disciple [John] took her [Mary, the mother of Jesus] into his own home.’

When have you needed consoling, and how did it feel to be consoled?

Is there a mother you might call today?

What makes for a home? How do you feel about being taken into your home in this time of national distress?

Having heard and received God’s word to us, we join in affirming our shared faith.

Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

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.

Prayers of Intercession

We take time to pray for the needs of the world, the life of the Church, our community, and all those on our hearts this day.

Today, we are not able to receive bread and wine physically, but we receive them spiritually, if we desire to do so (remember the Prayer of Preparation). And so we take a moment to do so, saying the Post Communion Prayer.

Post Communion Prayer

Loving God,

as a mother feeds her children at the breast

you feed us in this sacrament

with the food and drink of eternal life:

help us who have tasted your goodness

to grow in grace within the household of faith;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As we conclude, receive this blessing:

Christ give you grace to grow in holiness,

to deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow him;

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.