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Weekly Words for the Journey

Festival of the Christian Home…and Mother’s Day

God, in you every family on earth receives its name.
Illumine the homes of this earth with the light of your love,
granting courage to those who are hurt or lonely,
endurance to those who care for sick family members,
and wisdom to those in fearful times of change.
We thank you for gifts we have received
from mother, father, spouse, child or companion.
As we have been loved by you and by others,
so may we love.

God of peace and justice,
we long for the peace within, and without.
We long to find serenity of spirit in the midst of life’s struggles.
We long for harmony in our families and in all our relationships.
We long for the day when each family everywhere
might live in peace without fear,
enjoying the fruit of vine and tree.

Yet we confess that there is much anxiety,
fear, distrust, and even violence within us.
We are not willing to take the risks
and make the sacrifices which peace requires.
Look upon us with kindness and mercy;
rule in our hearts and our world;
and show us how to walk in your paths.
Amen
(from “Flames of the Spirit” by Ruth Duck)

This Sunday we will mark our celebration of Mother’s Day, or as it is called in the liturgical calendar of the church, Festival of the Christian Home. We will listen to a special message from a voice that may remind you of celebrations in the past; we will hear hymns that tell the story of love, and family, and friendship; we will receive our Blanket the World with love offering.

With faith in God’s future and hope in all that is yet to come, we look forward to next year’s celebration, with our children handing out carnations, women (and men) wearing fancy hats, all of us blessing new prayer shawls and blanketing the world with renewed love…Pastor Claudine