For Mother’s Day
Lord, we give you thanks for our mothers and maternal caregivers,
for all they mean or meant to us,
for the intensity of the love they have shown us,
for the ways they have encouraged and challenged us,
and for their willingness, like your Son, to forgive us and sacrifice for us.
We also pray for those whose mothers have died
and who feel their absence from their lives
this day and every day.
We uphold those for whom Mother’s Day
is a time of heartache or awkwardness,
especially those who have never known their mothers
or have difficult relationships with them,
those who long to be mothers and are not,
and those for whom parenting is a source of pain and self-doubt.
Let us not forget the example of Mary,
who as a young woman raised your Son as her own
and who later in her life became the mother to the disciple, John.
Help us recognize that loving, sheltering relationships take many forms.
God of Love, hear our prayer.
Amen.
(Arleane Ralph, 2018)
A Prayer for Ukraine
Lord God,
We ask you to hold the people of Ukraine deep in your heart.
Protect them, we pray;
from violence,
from political gamesmanship,
from being used and abused.
Give, we pray,
the nations of the world the courage
and the wisdom
to stand up for justice
and the courage too,
to dare to care―generously.
Lord, in your mercy,
take from us all
the tendencies in us
that seek to lord it over others:
take from us those traits
that see us pursuing our own needs and wants
before those of others.
Teach us how to live in love
and dignity
and respect―following your example.
In your name and for your sake,
Amen
―Issued by Lord Wallace, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the Very Rev. Dr. Susan Brown, convener of the Faith Impact Forum, Church of Scotland
Pandemic Prayer Ideas
1/ Think of those who are struggling or working hard during the pandemic. These might be individuals known to you or groups of people (for example, frontline workers, ICU workers, those who have lost income, the sick, the lonely, vaccine clinic staff). Write each name or group on a sticky note, and post them up some place you will see them everyday. Each day touch the notes, one at a time, and pray for the people named there. Pray for God’s protection of them. Give thanks for them. Pray that they will have strength to be able to persevere. You may wish to send a message of thanks and encouragement to anyone you may know personally, and let them know that you have prayed for them and their work.
2/ Find a large piece of paper and, at the end of each day, write down something (or some things) for which you are thankful on that day. Use coloured markers, simple sketches, or fancy lettering. Be creative. Eventually you will have a personalized piece of artwork and a reminder of the way God continues to bless you.
3/ Make use of these prayers for specific pandemic situations or add some relevant poetry to your daily prayer practice.
