Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is a day honouring mothers and mother churches, celebrated in the British Isles and elsewhere in the English-speaking world on the Fourth Sunday in Lent since the Middle Ages. It takes it's name from the first verse of this Sunday's epistle reading: the Jerusalem above is free and she is our mother (Galatians 4.26).

On Mothering Sunday, Christians have historically visited their mother church—the church in which they were baptized. Please pray for the clergy, people and mission of your own 'mother church' this Sunday.

Modern observance of Mothering Sunday revived in 1913 to honour Mother Church, mothers and grandmothers of our earthly homes, godmothers, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Nature. 

It is also a time to pray for mothers who are bereaved of their children, estranged from their children, women who wish to have children but cannot, and mothers in abusive domestic situations.

+++

God of compassion,
whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,
shared the life of a home in Nazareth,
and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:
strengthen us in our daily living
that in joy and in sorrow
we may know the power of your presence
      to bind together and to heal;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.