Diocese of North America & Europe of the Mar Thoma Church

1. Diocese of North America & Europe of the Mar Thoma Church Mother’s Day – Order of Worship Sunday, May 11, 2014

2. Call to WorshipInvocation: Gracious Lord, who made all the delicate, inner parts of our body and knit us together in our mother’s womb, we give you thanks for all mothers. With your own gift of life, she bore us in her womb and gave birth and brought us into this world.

3. With open hearts and minds, we offer thanks and praise for our mothers. We pray that you bless all mothers, so that their love may be deep and tender, and that they may lead their children to know our Creator and do His will. All: Amen

4. Opening Song

5. The Kauma – Adoration L: Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. C: As it was from the beginning, is now to the end of ages. Amen.

6. L: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might, Heaven and Earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the Highest. C: Blessed is He that has come and is to come again in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest.

7. L: Holy art Thou, O God.* C: Holy art Thou, Almighty Lord.* L: Holy art Thou, Immortal Lord.* C: O Lord, the Messiah, who was crucified for us, have mercy on us.* [*To be repeated three times]

8. L: O Lord, have mercy on us. C: O Lord, have mercy on us and bless us. L: O Lord, accept our prayers and worship, and have mercy on us. C: Glory be to You, O God.

9. L: Glory be to You, O Creator. C: O Christ the King, who has compassion on Your sinful servants, have mercy on us. Glory be to You. Bless us, O Lord.

10. L: Our Father in Heaven, (All) Hallowed be Your Name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins. As we forgive those who sin against us.

11. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory are Yours, forever and ever. Amen.

12.  Litany L: For Mothers who assume multiple roles for the family. P: We thank You Lord, for our Mothers!

13.  L: Every human being is molded and nourished by a mother. P: Thank God for my mother! L: For our mothers and Grandmothers who fashioned and molded us and who are no longer with us today. P: We thank God for the mothers of the past.  L: For every mother who is working tirelessly day and night to raise her children P: Thank God for the mothers of today.

14. L: For all the women who are expecting to become mothers P: Thank God for soon-to-be-mothers.  L: For the women who have adopted children as their own. P: Thank God for the mothers with hearts so big.  L: For those mothers who have lost a child, but must carry on P: Thank God for the mothers who remain hopeful amidst loss.

15.  L: For all the women who have longed to have children of their own, but chose instead to be a mother for everyone else. P: Thank God for the mothers in spirit.  L: We thank you, Lord, for the women who have influenced our lives in so many ways. We pray that we will honor them in everything we do. P: We thank You Lord for the wonderful women in our lives. Amen! Scripture Reading (Proverbs 31:10-12; 25-31) A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

16. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

17. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Prayer of Thanksgiving L: Gracious God, we thank you for adopting us into your family by your grace and for calling us to be brothers and sisters to each other. Gracious God, today and every day we pray for our mothers.  All: Who cared for us when we were helpless; who comforted us when we were hurt; whose love and care we often took for granted; who tenderly and patiently cared for us and taught us to walk and talk.

18. She read to me and made me laugh. No one delighted in my successes more; no one could comfort me better in my failures. I am so grateful for how she mothered me and mentored me, and even disciplined me. Dear Lord, we pray for those who are grieving the loss of their mother; those who have experienced happiness thorough adoption of a child who can experience motherly love and the blessedness of having a mother; for mothers who are separated from their children and families in the line of duty. Lord, protect them and give them Your special blessings.

19. Keep us united with you and with each other, so that we can be and become that which you intend us to be. Amen. Bible Verses L: Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; is not proud; is not conceited; does not act foolishly; is not selfish; is not easily provoked to anger; keeps no record of wrongs.   All: Thank you Lord for our mothers, whose patience, understanding and unconditional love remind us of the great sacrifice and love of Lord Jesus Christ towards us.

20. L: Love takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.  All: Lord, we thank You for our mothers who taught us to do the right thing and for Providing us hope in place of despair.  L: Mothers help us to seek the truth, honor, justice, purity of life, and virtues that are praise worthy.  All: Lord! Bless the mothers who instilled in us the values of life. L: May she who gave you birth be happy. All: Blessed be the womb which bore us and brought us to this world.

21. L: Mother’s efforts and good instructions in childhood will remain throughout life. All: We Thank You Lord for our mothers who patiently taught us Your ways. L: Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. All: Thank you Lord for the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit in our motherswho toiled and suffered to mold us so that we may be faithful to You.  L: As a mother comforts her child, God comforts those who lament. All: Thank you Lord for the example of our mothers that you will never forget us.

22. L: We remember Anna Jarvis, the woman credited with founding Mother’s Day and many others who promoted the idea of a national day of prayer for the mothers of this world. All: We thank you for the courage and wisdom of our foremothers and for all thosewhose experience helped us learn the pain and suffering of childbirth, the valueof motherhood and the essential meaning of life for us all. AMEN.

23. Prayer Gracious and Loving God, we thank you for, our mothers, which are your gift. Their love is so precious that it can never be measured. Their patience seems to have no end. May we see Your loving hand behind them and guiding them. We pray for those mothers who fear they will run out of love or time, or patience. We pray for the mothers who struggle daily to make ends meet for their families. Blessed be all mothers who have come into our lives whose kindness, care and love remain with us to guide.

24. We pray you to bless them with your own special love. We ask this in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Benediction May our God, Who in His Wisdom and love made all things, bless all mothers and may they be strengthened in their faith. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His faces hine upon us, Amen!