Dear God,
Thank you for the moms in my life.
Thank you for my mother, who was a working parent with significant responsibilities, but who gave herself to loving me and others. Thank you for her decision to begin a program for speech therapy at our home when I was small, so she could be with me. Thank you that she dragged me with her to camps and schools as she worked as a speech therapist, so that I might interact with all sorts of folks. Thank you for her decision to become a mother to my cousins when my aunt and uncle died. Thank you for the chance to watch her work as an executive every day after school and learn what it means to lead. Thank you for the love showed to me in every cooked breakfast waiting on a hot plate when she had to be at work before I woke up. Thank you for her commitment to be a single parent to me when that was the challenge life dealt her. And thank you for her life now, as she allows me to love her in return.
Thank you for the mother of my children, who is the hub of our family’s spinning wheel. Thank you that she has held me accountable for being a partner with her in parenting, so that I would not miss out on the joys of that love. Thank you that she managed to herd five girls through childhood and adolescence with passion and authenticity. Thank you for how much she loved and still loves being a mother, and how she demonstrates what is like to live from the heart. Thank you for the model of motherhood she provides, and for the thousands of hours she spends in contact with our children, so that our family bonds remain strong.
Thank you for the mothers of my grandchildren, four young women who are the most incredible mothers in the world. Thank you for the hundreds of photos and videos that ping onto my phone, allowing me to be a part of their families, just as they will always be a part of mine. Thank you for the joy I see in their eyes as they parent, and the way they take such delight in their own children. Thank you for the hard decisions and sacrifices they make daily for their sons and their daughters. Thank you that they try to be better parents than we were.
Thank you for the other women who mother me. Thank you for those women who took a special interest in me as a child, surrounding me with both encouragement and guardrails as I veered off course regularly. Thank you for my mother-in-law, who broke free from her own pattern of upbringing to witness to the power of love and of a tightknit family. Thank you for the mothers of the congregation who still want to straighten my tie and remind me to sit up straight.
And God, above all, thank you for being a heavenly mother, as well as father, to me and all of your children, gathering us under your wings as a hen would gather her brood.
In the name of my brother, your son, Jesus who is the Christ,
Amen.
SOME THOUGHTS TO SHARE
This Sunday, May 13, we begin a new sermon series called “Keeping Your Amateur Status.” The word “amateur” comes from the French word meaning “lover.” Do you do what you do because you love it? Do you still approach life and others with passion? Or has life and relationship and faith become just a job for you? The last three weeks of May – Mother’s Day, Senior Sunday, and Memorial Day Weekend, we will challenge ourselves to make a choice to love – love one another, love life, and love God. This week, we will look at our relationships, and the discipline of choosing to love one another with both heart and hand.
Lots of important things coming up as we head into summer…
- Consider doing one of our Adult Summer Studies: Equipped to Serve, Bible in 90 Days, Bible 101, Financial Peace, and Leadership Lessons for the Second Half of Life. Sign up here.
- Join our Scripture + Shared Summer Bible Reading Program during June, as we study the Psalms. Look here to join in.
- Vacation Bible School is coming and you need to sign up now, and we would love your help. Jump in here.
KEY VERSE FOR THE WEEK
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. –John 13:1
QUESTIONS FOR CONVERSATION AND REFLECTION
Which relationships in your life are primarily transactional rather than authentic love? What values do you think your life models for those whom you love?
PRAYER CALENDAR
Sunday, May 13 – Mother’s Day
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures in our lives. We pray that you would bless them all today. Please give them rest and peace. Help them to know how much we love and appreciate them. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Monday, May 14
Lord, we pray for the immigration situation in our country. Give our leaders wisdom to choose what is best for all sides. Help us to show your love to the world who needs it so badly. Amen.
Tuesday, May 15
Father God, please provide job opportunities for those who have been looking for a long time. Open doors so that they will be valued by society and productive in their day-to-day lives. May they know that their identity and value resides in you alone. Amen.
Wednesday, May 16
Lord, we pray for those who are in need of healing. So many of your people struggle with being anxious about their health, give them the peace to know that you are in charge and that they are secure in your arms. Amen.
Thursday, May 17
Heavenly Father, we pray for those who have broken relationships. Help them to make the right decisions for their future. Guard their hearts and protect them. Amen.
Friday, May 18
God, we pray that you would guide our future and bless us with good health. Be with each of us as we raise our families up in your name. Guide us so that we can guide our family better. Amen.
Saturday, May 19
Heavenly Father, we pray for those who are hurting today. Help them to know that they are loved by you and by their family. Place people in their lives to be a comforting presence. Send them renewed joy and hope for the future. Amen.
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