"How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings."
(Matthew 23:37)
As a pastor, Mother's Day is always bittersweet for me.
Mother's Day for many is a day of celebration. For others it is a vivid reminder of pain.
We pastors have a sacred calling to stand in between these two poles of feeling and foster both celebration and comfort with the words we choose concerning all that is "motherhood."
As churches all over the nation gather to celebrate motherhood tomorrow, I would encourage clergymen/women everywhere to remember everyone in your worship. Remember not only those for whom the word "mother" is joyous, but also those for whom it conjures up feelings of regret, loss, and grief.
I am including a prayer below that we will be praying for our mothers tomorrow morning. Feel free to steal it. I won't tell anyone. I promise.
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Eternal God, Seer of all, today we celebrate motherhood here in this sacred place and across our nation.
The word "mother" conjures up different feelings for us all.
We thank You for mothers who modeled for us what it means to be compassionate, loving, and more fully human, shaping us into who we are today.
We thank You for every new mother who is experiencing the gift of new life. We ask that You would grant them space to enjoy this newness amongst the beauty and the challenges that come with navigating parenthood for the first time.
We ask You to give comfort to those coping with the heartbreak of infertility or the grieving of a miscarriage.
We ask You to give hope to mothers who are estranged from their children.
We ask You to give strength to every mother who is caring for a terminally ill child.
We ask You for peace for those who are grieving the loss of a mother.
We ask You for grace for those who are reminded today of the abuse or neglect inflicted by a mother.
We pray for courage for those who feel the societal pressure to bear children when that is not what they desire.
We look to You as we remember motherhood today and what it means for us.
We thank You for life and for Your maternal heart for all people, wherever we are on our journey.
Amen.
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