Sunday Worship Service
May 8, 2022 – 10:30am
We are RECEIVED as the Beloved of God
The actual worship service begins 15 minutes into the recordings.
WELCOME
MOTHER’S DAY LITANY
Pastor: All who gather here are sons or daughters.
People: We praise God for the women who gave us life.
Pastor: For mothers brave, strong, compassionate, full of wisdom and grace,
People: We give God thanks and praise.
Pastor: For mothers vulnerable, worried, frustrated, and hurried,
People: We pray for peace.
Pastor: For relationships that are strained and no longer a source of joy,
People: We pray for healing.
Pastor: For mothers who have died, that live no longer with us, but whose light shines on in our hearts and memories,
People: We pray for those that mourn, and give God thanks for life eternal.
Pastor: For mothers who grieve, who have lost children born or unborn,
People: We weep with those with broken hearts.
Pastor: For those who are struggling to raise children, who are tired and weary,
People: We pray that we may be their village, offering real help in hard times.
Pastor: For those who are preparing emptier nests,
People: We both celebrate and mourn with you, and hope their wings are as strong as their roots are deep.
Pastor: For stepmothers, navigating the pitfalls and joys of creating a new family,
People: We pray for wisdom and patience.
Pastor: For Grandmothers who are doing the hard work of raising children again,
People: We pray the caregivers have those who care for them.
Pastor: For those who are waiting and sometimes struggling with the biological process to bring new life, and for those who are waiting for adoptive process to be fulfilled.
People: We wait eagerly with you, and offer you our hand to hold in the trial.
Pastor: For women who do not have children, but instead teach, lead, care for, and guide the children of others,
People: We give God thanks and praise.
All: In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
OPENING SONG – The Gift of Love
OPENING PRAYER
SONG – Womb of Life – Faith We Sing (black book) # 2046
CHILDREN’S TIME WITH A MESSAGE FOR ALL AGES
ANTHEM – How Firm A Foundation
We are TRANSFORMED by the Word of God
SCRIPTURE READING – Isaiah 49:14-15
14 Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”
GOOD NEWS – Mothering God, Mothering Church
As we are celebrating Mother’s Day this Sunday, we are going to find the image of Mothering God in the Scriptures. And we are also going to learn what Mothering God means to us who is God’s Church.
SONG – Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth Faith We Sing (black book) # 2050
RESPONSE TO GOD’S GRACE (OFFERING)
Pastor: God wants our love more than God wants our offerings; God cares about our hearts not the amounts of our offerings. (Hosea 6:6)
All: As we count all the blessings God has already given to us, we cheerfully give our offerings to God, the Provider, with grateful hearts. Amen! (2 Corinthians 9:7).
BLESSING DIGNITY MATTERS
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS
THE LORD’S PRAYER – UM Hymnal (blue book) # 895
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
We are SENT by the power of God
LIFE OF ST. MATTHEW’S COMMUNITY
BLESSING AND SENDING
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you, my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
CLOSING SONG – Peace of Our Praying