Mothers' Day in church

Corporate Prayer for Mothers
For our mothers who have given us life and love, that we may show them reverence and love, we pray to the Lord...

For mothers who have lost a child through death, that their faith may give them hope, and their family and friends support and console them, we pray to the Lord...

For women, though without children of their own, who like mothers have nurtured and cared for us, we pray to the Lord...

For mothers, who have been unable to be a source of strength, who have not responded to their children and have not sustained their families, we pray to the Lord...

Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so You watch over Your Church. Bless these women, that their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honour them always with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Example of a mother in the Bible: Jochebed (Exodus 6:20)
"And when she could hide him no longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river's brink. And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children. ... And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, "Because I drew him out of the water." (Exodus 2:3-6,10 RSV)

My learning points
1. It was a difficult and challenging situation with the Pharoah wanting to kill all male Hebrew infants. But what was Jochebed's response? She entrusted God despite the situation with her child in a water-tight basket on a river.

2. And God honoured Jochebed and showed that He is in charge. He allowed the Pharoah's daughter to find the child and adopt him and in addition, allowed Jochebed to be appointed as the nurse for the child. God gave Jochebed more than what she had asked for as she entrusted the situation to God.

3. What was Jochebed's response when God gave her three children to nurture? She taught them well - to fear and honour God and her children, Moses, Miriam and Aaron, grew up to honour God and to serve Him mightily. Moses brought the Israelites out from Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, Aaron was appointed High Priest and Miriam, a prophetess.

4. My key learning point - What is my response when put in a difficult situation? Do I trust in God or depend on myself? Also, when given people to nurture, do I teach them well in the ways of the Lord? What is the legacy I'm leaving behind?

An excerpt of the lyrics from the hymn "Find Us Faithful" sums up my thoughts ...
May those who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprint that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Help me, Lord....