| Dear friends and members of University UMC:
This weekend is Mother’s Day. It is a beautiful and joyful weekend for so many as plans are made to celebrate their mothers or lovingly remember those who have passed away. And as we know, Mother’s Day can also be a difficult day for others for a variety of reasons. Below is a prayer I discovered from a United Methodist Church in Florida. For each of us, different words and phrases will resonate: |
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| Kindred members of one human familyMother figuresSorrowful awarenessLoneliness and griefOngoing tensionsWide spectrum of motherhoodChild-like faith |
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| At this time of the year, I remember an early Methodist named Ann Reeves Jarvis. Because of her commitment to humanity, Ann Reeves Jarvis dedicated her life to ensuring that all infants had basic needs met including diapers, food, and health care. During the Civil War she was steadfast in her commitment to care for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War. And because of all she saw and experienced, her faith led her to also be a committed peace activist. I love the way Presbyterian pastor Carol Howard Merritt put it in a tweet years ago:
Other women joined the cause including Ann’s own daughter (also named Ann) who carried on her mother’s work, campaigning tirelessly for a national day to honor all mothers. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she knew that caring for moms and caring for children went hand in hand. It was in 1914 that Mother’s Day was signed into law. Within days businesses began selling items like flowers and greeting cards. Who doesn’t like flowers and cards? I know I do! But Ann Jarvis was crestfallen, worrying that the real reason for Mother’s Day (humanitarian relief and prioritizing the common good) would be lost. |
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| There’s room for both greeting cards and humanitarian relief. And in this time of great suffering and war in our world, it is a fitting time to remember the original reason behind Mother’s Day. You can learn more by watching the video below about these amazing, pioneering women in early Methodism.
What a joy to be your pastor!
Teresa |
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| May the God who mothers each of us be a source of life for all who long for hope. – Emmy Kegler |
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| | A Mother’s Day Prayerfrom the team at Hyde Park UMC, Florida
God of Provision and Unconditional Love,
On this day when we acknowledge the importance of motherhood among us, we first give thanks that you are a loving parent to us all. From your being all life was born, and from your bosom all creation is nurtured. You have formed us in your image as your children, and gathered us together as a brood under your wing. You have united us as kindred members of one human family, and we celebrate how your love is reflected in human expressions of motherhood.
We give you thanks for the mothers among us, and ask that you strengthen them in their daily tasks. Grant them wisdom in the lessons they teach, both by word and example. Give them patience in the discipline they provide, and persistence in their daily labors. May they be given the honor and thanks they deserve but often do not receive.
We thank you for all mother figures: grandmothers, aunts, sisters, wives, step-mothers, foster mothers, guardians, babysitters, teachers, neighbors, and friends, who practice self-sacrifice and compassion to all within their influence. Grant them vigor and satisfaction in their work. We acknowledge, God, that even amid our grateful celebration, many of us come with restless spirits, reluctant to name the difficulties of this day.
For some, this day brings the sorrowful awareness of their own inability to conceive biological children. Draw your spirit near their feelings of self-betrayal and grief, and remind them that those who struggle with infertility have always shared a special place in your heart. We pray for those who have suffered miscarriages, those fatigued by fertility treatments, and those struggling through the process of adoption. May they remember that in your power and through your church, they can still leave a lasting legacy beyond themselves.
For some, this day is marked by loneliness and grief, as they spend this first Mother’s Day as a widower, an orphan, or a parent who has lost a child. To those who live in the wake of the death of a loved one, grant glimpses of the resurrection. Bring to them a steady restoration of their broken hearts, allow them to live into their future with hope, and empower them to carry out the legacy of lessons instilled within them.
For some, this is a day that surfaces ongoing tensions that exist within our own families. We ask for healing from the wounds of our past, a path of forgiveness for wrongs both experienced and committed, and the rebuilding of trust forged in honesty, authenticity, and love.
We give you thanks for the wide spectrum of motherhood represented among us today: new mothers and young mothers whose children are in their most tender years; mothers of grown children who transition into empty nests and a new chapter of self-discovery; mothers and grandmothers of advanced years, whose twilight of life is marked by frailty of body but a potency of spirit. Theirs is a cumulative reminder that though our lives are marked by transition and change, your nurture and affection for all your children remains the same.
God, remind us to live with a child-like faith, curious to every wondrous mystery, attentive to your every instruction, obedient to your every command, and willing to share with every one of your children. We give you thanks, O God, who is a loving Mother and Father to us all, and in whose name we pray,
Amen. |
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