Elements from this morning’s gathering

Call to Worship
Readings from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 5

I saw the Lord.

He was sitting on a lofty throne,
and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

Attending him were mighty seraphim –
they were calling out to each other:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty!
The whole earth is full of his glory!”

—

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea –

I heard everything everywhere say:
“Blessing, honor, glory, and power belong to the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever and always.”

Mother’s Day Prayer and Blessing

As we gather on this Mother’s Day,
We acknowledge the tapestry of emotions this day holds:

Threads of joy interwoven with sorrow,
Celebration alongside lament,
Remembrance holding hands with grief.

In the spirit of grace that embraces all hearts,
Receive this blessing:

Blessed are you on this Mother’s Day,
However you come, whatever you carry.

Blessed are you who rejoice in the gift of motherhood,
May your hearts overflow with joy and thanksgiving.

Blessed are you who have shown maternal love through countless acts of care:
The midnight comforters, the bandage-appliers, the story-readers, the lunch-makers.
May you feel seen in your daily and beautiful holiness.

Blessed are you who have mothered in ways the world may not recognize,
Whose nurturing spirits have helped others grow and thrive,
May you know the sacred worth of your loving presence.

Blessed are you whose mothers have passed from this life,
May your memories of precious moments together fill you with comfort and peace.

Blessed are you with deeply wounded hearts on this day,
May you be held in the gentle hands of compassion and understanding.

Blessed are you whose hearts ache with longing,
May you be met with the loving gaze of Jesus,
Who sees and sits with us in our deepest desires.

Blessed are the mothers carrying particularly heavy burdens,
May you find wells of strength and moments of sweet rest.

Blessed are you who have been like mothers to us:
Grandmothers, aunts, teachers, mentors, coaches, friends,
May your generous love return to you a hundredfold.

Blessed is our community, where we mother one another with kindness,
May we create spaces of belonging for every heart.

As we honor motherhood in all its forms,
We remember that love makes a family.

May we bless one another with understanding,
Knowing that each journey with motherhood is unique.

May we bless one another with compassion,
Making room for both celebration and lament.

May we walk alongside one another with presence and grace,
Knowing that to witness another’s story is holy ground.

May the God who gathers us as a mother hen gathers her chicks,
Cover us with wings of love, comfort, and care. 

May we carry this blessing forward, nurturing others
As we have been nurtured, today and always.

Amen.

Scripture Reading

Selections from Matthew 4-7

Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 

Large crowds followed him wherever he went, so Jesus went up on the mountainside and began to teach them. 

‘Flourishing are the poor and dependent,
  because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs.
Flourishing are those who mourn,
   because they will be comforted.
Flourishing are the humble
   because they will inherit the earth.
Flourishing are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice
   because they will be satisfied.
Flourishing are the merciful
   because they will be given mercy.
Flourishing are those whose hearts are pure,
   because they will see God.
Flourishing are those who work for peace,
   because they will be called the children of God.
Flourishing are the ones who are persecuted for doing right,
   because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs.’

You all are the salt of the land; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

You all are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket – they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. No, I came to fulfill their purpose.

But I warn you—unless your righteousness far exceeds than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of the Heavens!

You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not respond in kind to an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. 

If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even pagans do that. But you are to be teleios, even as your Father in heaven is teleios.

Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! So pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May what you desire be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And do not put us to the test,
but rescue us from the evil one.

So, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s way of living right by others, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 

You parents — if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

So in everything, do to others whatever you would desire that they do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,  for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.