A Mothers’ Day Litany
All: God with a mother’s heart, You gather us as your children.
Pastor: You comfort and hold us in your warm embrace. When we hurt, your arms enfold us. When we are afraid, your wings protect us. When we are hungry, you feed us with the bread of life.
All: God with a mother’s heart, Your love surrounds and supports us.
Pastor: In good times and in tough, in the midst of joy and pain, always and everywhere. You will never leave nor abandon us.
All: God with a mother’s heart, Your love is eternal.
Pastor: Bless all mothers, that their love may be deep and tender, and that they may lead their children to know and do what is good, living not for themselves alone, but for you and for others.
Pastor: To those………………….
To those who gave birth this year to their first child, we celebrate with you.
To those who lost a child this year—we mourn with you.
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains—we appreciate you.
To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away mourning with you.
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with tears and disappointment, we walk with you.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, rainbow moms, and spiritual moms—we need you.
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children, we celebrate with you.
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children, we sit with you.
To those who lost their mothers this year—we grieve with you.
To those who have experienced abuse or neglect at the hands of your own mother, we acknowledge your experience.
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood—we are better for having you in our midst.
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year—we grieve and rejoice with you.
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising—we anticipate with you.
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst.
All: God with a mother’s heart, we pray to you today! Amen.
Gospel John 10.22-30
22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.30 The Father and I are one.’
Sermon: “The Voice We Listen To.”
There are so many voices to listen to. There are so many voices to listen to in our age and time that it sometimes is hard to listen to the right voice or even find calm to listen to your own inner conscious or compassionate voice of truth.
The modern technology brings the world to the palm of our hand. With our smart phones, iPad in our hands and hidden ear buds in our ears, we are constantly bombarded with voices. Worldly voices of opinion, anger, politics, ego, trends and personal interpretations of what is right or wrong. Or even what we conceive to be the truth. There are so many conspirations theories, fake news, AI generated photos and stories, self-proclaimed prophets of the time that makes it so difficult to truly listen. If we have technology in our life, - and who has not, it is impossible to completely shut these voices out.
When I am out walking Saxo our dog, it is my time to shut all these voices off. My phone is off, my ears are not plugged with ear buds and my eyes are not glued to the screen, but my eyes and ears are open with senses to listen to the morning sounds of the neighborhood and nature and to see the neighborhood, the gardens, the trails and greet my fellow morning walkers.
But every so often I am confused when I meet somebody on the trail eagerly talking to himself until I realize he is having a meeting with ear buds, He is not a disturbed human being hearing voices and talking to himself, he is a common modern human being on his phone. Or she is too busy texting or posting that she is indeed out walking or exercising, so none of them see me or greet me.
Technology is that blessed curse of being connected and available all the time in a time where we are so afraid to miss out. FOMA is indeed a curse in our time that makes us constantly available, connected and bombarded with information, that we are missing out on a lot of the simple joys of life. That is why I sometimes focus on JOMA instead: joy of missing out.
JOMO is an emotionally intelligent antidote to FOMO. JOMO is about being present and being content with where you are in life. No need to compare and being intentional with your time and energy. Be present. Listen intentionally not only sporadically – listen with care and commitment.
When we gather for worship, it should be a Joyful timeout of the endless voices and noise of the world. Not only to silence your smart phone but also to focus on worship.
Here in church, we have the voice of God speaking. His words and wisdom through the stories of the Bible and the teachings and life of Jesus.
This voice is powerful, but quiet.
It is relevant, but subtle.
It is nourishing, but slow.
It is transformative and constant.
Every day, the sun comes up.
Like the day before.
Every day, I fill my cup.
Stand up straight and walk through the door.
Every day, my mother’s voice
Talks to me
Every day, I make my choice.
What to do and how to be.
Every morning as I get out of bed and go to the kitchen to make my morning coffee before walking with Saxo, I hear my mother’s voice: “Do you want a cup of coffee? I baked morning rolls. You need to eat your breakfast.”
The Voice of my mom is and was always to caring, giving, encouraging you sit for a while and drink your coffee. And even now when my dear mom no longer can care for others but rely on others’ care, that is still who she is and always will be. That motherly voice of calm, care and love.
So, this morning on Mother’s Day, for a moment, remember the voice of your mother. Remember how gentleness was in her voice when she comforted you or her relentless strictness was in her voice when she corrected you. Remember the voice of your mom. She might still be with you – she might be gone. But her voice is there.
We all have different memories and experiences of our mothers. I hope most of you have happy, comforting and loving memories today – but we also recognize the pain of hurtful relations between mothers and children. So, as we remember our mothers’ voices: remember with love and gratitude or with love and forgiveness. WE pray for those who are alienated in life or in memory by harsh words, distance or misunderstandings.
Paul Kelly says it so beautifully in the song “Every day my mother’s voice.”
Every day, the sun comes up.
Like the day before.
Every day, I will my cup
Stand up straight and walk through the door.
Every day, my mother’s voice
Talks to me
Every day, I make my choice.
What to do and how to be.
The good voices to talk to us every day to make our choice on what to do and how to be.
“My sheep hear my voice.” Jesus said in the Gospel this morning. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
Jesus knew the beloved old Psalm 23 and the strong image of God as The Good Shepherd who leads and looks for the lost ones; who lays his life down for the sheep; who stays through stormy days and dark nights; who leads to the green pastures.
The Voices of the Good Sheperd is calm and comforting. Consistent and committed. Strong and yet subtle. Transformative and protective.
When we gather for worship, we come to listen to that voice. Not all the other voices loudly proclaiming to know the truth, to know the way, to know what is right and good.
When we gather for worship, we were called by the Good Shepherds voice to come, to congregate, to sing, to pray and lay down our weary hearts and soul.
We gather to be reminded of that voice that tells us the truth about our lives and shows us the way.
A voice telling us what to do and how to be.
To be reminded that we are indeed loved and blessed, safe and protected, seen and heard. What a Joy to believe that we are indeed not missing out but indeed have found the voice we need to listen to. A voice that can calm the fear of missing out, the fear of not belonging, not being loved, not being important or like the rest. A voice that reminds us how to be and what to do in life: compassionate, gentle and mild. To be inclusive and not exclusive. To be hopeful and not fearful.
A voice that calls us to be in his flock or black and white sheep, gray and rainbow colored, young or old.
A Voice that embraced us with Motherly love.
Every day, the sun comes up.
Like the day before.
Every day, I fill my cup.
Stand up straight and walk through the door.
Every day, the Good Shepherd’s voice
Talks to me
Every day, I make my choice.
What to do and how to be.
AMEN.