11:00am – 19th March Mothering Sunday
United Benefice of Altham and Clayton-le-Moors
Fourth Sunday of Lent and Mothering Sunday
This service is live in church, but it will be streamed so if you are unable to attend you can view it online. Now most of the words will also appear when you view the service on line so it will be easier to follow the service.
However, below are the day’s readings as there will not appear on screen.
First Reading: Isaiah 66: 12 – 14
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice
and you will flourish like grass;
the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants,
but his fury will be shown to his foes.
Second reading: Matthew 6:5 – 14
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Intercessions
God of compassion, fill us with your love.
Heavenly Father we bring to you in our prayers today all who we love, our families, our friends, and our neighbours.
Help us all to live so that we may strengthen and enrich the life of the family, help us to build with you the kind of family which welcomes the stranger, the lonely and the needy.
Today, we give special thanks for our mothers and for their love and care which is so freely given. We remember stepmothers, grandmothers, and our godmothers, and all who have fulfilled a motherly role in our lives. We are all sons or daughters, may the love that your son showed his mother Mary, shine in our lives too. And may our duty of care to our mothers be filled with love, affection, and gratitude.
God of compassion, fill us with your love.
We think of our Cathedral church as she watches over our diocese. May we be mindful of the leadership and example she sets. We pray for our United Benefice and other local churches with whom we are finding more ways to interact and share fellowship, and that together we may bring the good news to all those whose spirits are in need at this time.
We pray for the work and for the four million Mothers’ Union members around the world. In our wave of prayer today, we pray for branches in Madagascar, Uganda, Nigeria, Canada, and India, knowing that they are also praying for us.
We pray for the work in our own Mothers’ Union branch and for all the local and worldwide causes we support through our fundraising. Help us to grow our talents and to use them in your service. We ask you to teach us to recognise and nurture our own and other people’s skills. We are grateful for the work of the Mothers’ Union in our worship and fellowship, and we pray for all members and officers who have vision, insight and understanding of your will to bring this about.
God of compassion, fill us with your love.
We see in the media how our world has been devastated by natural and human disaster. We especially pray for mothers raising their children in places where there is war, famine, terrorism, and great uncertainty. For mothers who have been unable to meet with their children because of pandemic, and for those who have had to cope with life whilst still carrying out their everyday work.
Heavenly Father, you have given us the right to be called children of God. Help us to show your love in our homes, that they may be places of love, security, and truth. Your Son was born into the family of Mary and Joseph; bless all parents and all who care for children; strengthen those families living under stress, and may your love be known where no human love is found.
God of compassion, fill us with your love.
Father God, we remember that as we celebrate Mothering Sunday today there are those who do not share our happiness, those who are sick, those who are sad, those who are lonely, those who are separated from their families, and those who live in families where there is little joy. We raise before you now anyone who needs healing in their lives, and we give thanks where healing has taken place.
Today we especially pray for …. (Sick)
God of compassion, fill us with your love.
We remember before God those who have died, and we ask that they are now at peace with you.
We remember all those whose memory is especially dear to us on Mothering Sunday. Bring comfort to their family and friends and may they know your love, as we remember them and name them in our hearts.
We pray for the family and friends of …… (Departed)
God of compassion, fill us with your love.
On this Mothering Sunday as we go out into your world, we thank you for the love of our mothers, for their care and concern, the joys they have shared with us, the pains they have borne for us and for all that they give us.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
