MOTHER'S DAY RESOURCES

Prayer for Mothers on Mother’s Day

This day, our God, as we gather,
we pray for mothers.

We give thanks for mothers
who love and care for their children
and are loved and cared for right back.

But we also pray for women
who have longed for children
and don't and can't have them.

And we pray for women
who had children who shouldn't have—
for children who grew up
without the love and care they deserved and needed.

We pray for grandmothers—
for those for whom that turned out to be what they dreamed it would be
and for those for whom it didn't.

We pray for mothers with sick children
and children with sick mothers.

We pray for mothers with lost children and dead children—
children with lost mothers and dead mothers—
for those who grieve what they had
and those who grieve what they never had.

We pray for women who are afraid.

We pray for all the dilemmas and doubts
and fears, frustrations and heartaches
and richness and wonder
and sleeplessness
of parenting.

We pray for mothers who parent by themselves.
We pray for women who carefully negotiate life with step children,
and for women trying to adopt,
and women hoping fertility treatments will renew disappointed hope.

We pray for mothers whose children have grown up and moved out
and those whose children have grown up and not moved out.

We pray for women who mother the children of others,
and we pray for women who give birth
in every conceivable way—
to ideas and art and possibility
and wonder and joy—
to new life in job contexts and in relational ones.

This complicated day, our God,
we're reminded again
of just how much will not fit on a Hallmark card.
but does fit into Your full awareness of all that is—
that does fit into Your investment in love and grace
in and through all circumstances.

We pray for mothers
in all the fullness of what all it can mean—
informed by what we know
of all those we know—
gratefully trusting You to know so much more than we do or can—
gratefully trusting You with the hearts of those we love—
gratefully trusting You with all the deep pain and joy of this day,

in Jesus' name,

amen.

~ written by John Ballenger, pastor of Woodbrook Baptist Church (www.woodbrook.org ) in Baltimore, MD.  Posted on a preacher musing.http://preachermusings.wordpress.com/

Another Prayer

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 through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor 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 experienced abuse 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 are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be

To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths

To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart

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. We remember you.

An Open Letter to Pastors on Mother's Day

http://timewarpwife.com/open-letter-pastors-non-mom-speaks-mothers-day/