Worship for 27 March 2022, Mothering Sunday, 4th in Lent

by Jane Smith and Ruth Croft 27 March 2022

Welcome to our worship for Mothering Sunday service, which is based around the recent Women’s World Day of Prayer service. The theme of the service is God’s promise, found in the book of Jeremiah: ‘I know the plans I have for you’. Focusing on freedom, forgiveness , justice and God’s peace, let’s see how this promise can be a sign of hope for all. You might like to have some paper and a pencil to hand.

Call to Worship
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, God said “Let there be light!” The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 

We pray
God, our Mother and our Father, we light a candle of hope to celebrate with all your people as we watch and wait for your plans and promises to be fulfilled.

God of hope, in our busy- ness may we find space to see you at working our lives and in our world. May we be people who radiate your hope as we worship in celebration today. Amen

Hymn: Thy hand, O God has guided

The prophet Jeremiah lived some 600 years before the birth of Christ, at a time of great political crisis. The southern kingdom of Judah had been invaded by the Babylonians and many of its people taken from Jerusalem into exile. The people had lost the land they believed God had given to them and they longed to return, but the future looked bleak. Today’s bible reading is part of a letter from Jeremiah to the exiles setting out God’s plan for them: they are to stay where they are and make new lives for themselves in this foreign land.

Reading: Jeremiah: 29:1-14

Prayers of Confession
God told the exiles from Judah to care for the people and the place where they had been sent. Often we fall short of caring for God’s world and God’s people. So let us bring those times to God and ask His forgiveness. 

Merciful God, we come to you in confession.We are aware that much of the suffering faced by our sisters and brothers across the world is a result of the actions of the past. We acknowledge this and are sorry that we have often put ourselves first at the expense of others. Gracious God forgive us, in your mercy forgive us.

We think of your beautiful world and how we have taken it for granted and squandered it resources. Gracious God forgive us, in your mercy forgive us.

Our sisters and brothers cry out to you; we have failed to love them well. We have not loved our neighbours as you taught us. Sometimes we have not even loved ourselves. Compassionate God, forgive us, in your mercy forgive us. 

God, in you mercy, help us to act on your call for repentance

Jesus, thank you that through your sacrifice we are forgiven. Holy Spirit, transform our hearts and minds, so that we may live and love as Jesus showed us. Amen

The people of Jeremiah’s time found them in a place they did not want to be: away from their homeland and excluded from their culture, worship and homes. In a land of prosperity, there are still many who are poor. And in the midst of our crowded cities many are lonely. How can we tell their stories?  We cannot, but we can hear their voices telling is to listen to what it means to be excluded.

Song: Longing for light

There are times in our lives when we find ourselves in situations where we don’t want to be. Sometimes, like the exiles from Babylon, we can’t see a way forward and long for God to intervene. When he does, it is often in ways that we could never have imagined and not at all as we expected. Here are the true stories of two mothers who found themselves living in difficult situations - in exile due to poverty and fear - and read how God’s plans for them have blessed them in very unexpected ways.

Lina’s Story
I have helped my son to bring up my four grandsons after their mother left them. My son struggles with mental health issues and can not work, so there is very little money for even their basic needs. I used to go without food myself in order to buy food for him and the boys.

Five years ago, my grandsons attended an event at the local church, where they were warmly welcomed. Since then, this church has become our wider family. They help with regular donations of food from the foodbank and have helped with clothes and holidays for the family. A member of the congregation is a retired teacher and has helped with homework once a week. Through the love of this church, we have found a safe space, people who love us and will not let us down. I thank God for the way he has worked out his plans to bless us and give us hope and a future through my local church.

Natalie’s Story
It doesn’t always feel like fear when I am with him. Mostly I feel uneasy, like I am treading on eggshells, unsure of what he is going to do next what he is going to make me do next. His indifference towards me stingsHis unkindness shrivels me up inside. His threats make me paranoid. I am a shell of who I used to be. 

When I was pregnant, he hurt me so badly that the baby was born early. In the days I spent in hospital, not knowing if my child would live, God spoke to me; “Stop praying for your child to live. Instead pray for my will to be done.” I said, “Yes” to God who offered only to be present, with no promises that everything would be okay. And yet…
…my baby is now 13 years old, happy and healthy. My life has been filled with more joy and  beauty than I ever thought possible and I am free from the man who abused me so terribly. No longer do I fear; God has good plans for me.

We pray again
God, our Mother and our Father, we light a candle of hope celebrate with all your people as we watch and wait for your plans and promises to be fulfilled. Amen

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light… 

Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.  John 8:12

God’s promises of freedom, forgiveness, justice and peace are fulfilled in Jesus. He is the life-giving light which even the deepest darkness cannot extinguish. It is through Jesus that we are able to come close to God and discern his plans for us. 

Prayers of Thanksgiving
God of the past, present and future, we thank you that you love us faithfully and uniquely. You loved us before we knew anything about you: you care for us in every moment of our lives; you know our deepest thoughts, our highest hopes and our greatest fears. You know the best and the worst in us and still you love us.

Thank you that you never let us go. Thank you for the plans and promises you have made for us, which give us hope for today and tomorrow. God of the past, present and future, receive our thanks and praise, which we offer in Jesus’ name. Amen

Song: Give thanks with a grateful heart

We are now going to spend a few minutes reflecting on God’s promise to the people of Judah and what it might mean to us today followed by our prayers for others. You might like to play this hymn quietly as you reflect.

Song: Make me a channel of thy peace

‘For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.’ Jeremiah 29:11 

After each statement feel free to write or draw your thoughts, or simply pause and think quietly.

What might God be saying to you? 

What hope does God have for you and your future? 

We pray for what is in our hearts…

What stops you hearing God’s call? 

We pray that we might hear God’s voice…

Where do seeds of hope need planting in your life? in your community?  

How can these seeds be nourished? 

We pray for these places and situations…   Amen

We pray 

• for all who are hungry, who do not have enough to live with dignity: may they find generosity in their communities. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

• for all whose homes or places of study or work are not places of safety, but of fear; may they be strengthened and freed from fear and abuse. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

• for all who live in loneliness or isolation; may they know friendship and community. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

• for all who are shunned, from whom people turn away; may they be included and know themselves loved as children of God. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
  
  For all who have been displaced, who live in exile and in fear of losing everything they have ever known; may they know God’s peace and strength in their lives. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Let us commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God. In the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Hymn: Thine be the glory!

Blessing
We thank you, loving God, that we have been gathered in your presence and shared in worship. Now may we go forth into the world, confident that we are your children, knowing that you have called us by name. In our daily life may we align ourselves to your will, seeking direction to follow your plan and patience in the waiting. In the challenges and joys we face, may we be assured that we do not face them alone.

Let us go in peace, hope and love, in the name of God, in the name of Jesus Christ and in the name of the Holy Spirit. 
Amen