Sunday, May 10, 2020

5th SUNDAY OF EASTER
Festival of the Christian Home and Mother’s Day

Observed the second Sunday in May, this day honors all mothers.  It began in its present form with a special service in May 1907 at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia.  The service was organized by a Methodist laywoman, Anna Jarvis, to honor her mother, who had died on May 9, 1905.  By 1908, Anna Jarvis was advocating that all mothers be honored on the second Sunday in May, and in 1912 the Methodist Episcopal Church recognized the day and raised it to the national agenda.  It has some parallels with the old English Mothering Sunday in mid-Lent, which focused on returning home and paying homage to one’s mother, and with Mother’s Day for peace, introduced in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe in Boston as a day dedicated to peace.


CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The Congregation at Worship


PRELUDE


MINISTRY OF LIGHT


* CALL TO WORSHIP based on 1 Corinthians 13

Leader: We gather here out of love for God;
let us not forget the importance of our love for one another.
People: Love is patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude.
Leader: If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost.
People: You will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your ground in defending them.
Leader: Let us be mindful of our love relationship with others. Let us express our love for God through our words of praise and song


* HYMN OF PRAISE “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”  No. 384
  Hymn is available by clicking here


SCRIPTURE READING Luke 2: 41-52
    Scripture is available by clicking here


MORNING PRAYER
Lord, on this day set aside to honor and remember mothers, we give you thanks for our mothers.  We are grateful that you chose to give us life through them, and that they received the gift of life from your hands, and gave it to us.  Thank you for the sacrifices they made in carrying us and giving us birth.  We thank you for women who raised us, who were our mothers in childhood.  Whether birth mom, adoptive mom, older sister, aunt, grandmother, stepmother or someone else, we thank you for those women who held us and fed us, who cared for us and kissed away our pain. We pray that our lives may reflect the love they showed us, and that they would be pleased to be called our moms.   Amen.


THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.


LITANY FOR MOTHER’S DAY
God made many mothers and today we celebrate them all!
Thank God for mothers!
Everyone is either a son or daughter.
Thank you, God, for my mother!
We remember those women who have joined God in heaven and whom we miss dearly here on earth,
Thank you, God for the mothers of the past.
We affirm every woman who is working day and night to raise her children,
Thank you, God for the mothers of today.
We celebrate all the women who are expecting, and will be mothers soon!
Thank you, God for the soon-to-be mothers.
We admire the women who take in others’ children through adoption and foster care.
Thank you, God for mothers with loving hearts.
We grieve with and respect those women who have lost a child to death and must carry on.
Thank you, God for mothers who grieve.
Remembering all the women who have desperately wanted to have children of their own, but cared for and loved others’ children instead,
We thank God for mothers in spirit.
With confidence in grandmothers who bring love, wisdom, and experience
to assist their daughters and grandchildren,
We thank God for the matriarchs of our families.
ALL: 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. Amen.


WORSHIP WITH TITHES AND OFFERINGS may be mailed to the church with thanks to you and our Lord. As you do so, pray, “All things come of thee of God, and of thine own have we given thee.”


SPECIAL MUSIC “For the Beauty of the Earth” arr. by John Rutter
Music is available by clicking here


SCRIPTURE LESSON Acts 7: 55-60
Scripture Lesson is available by clicking here


SERMON Rev. David Harper
Message from Rev Harper is available by clicking here
Had some audio issues, so you may need to turn up the volume…sorry


CLOSING HYMN “Happy the Home When God Is There” No. 445
Hymn is available by clicking here


BENEDICTION
May the nurturing, fatherly love of God always hold you in strong, everlasting arms; the costly, brotherly love of Christ ever walk beside you and deliver you from all evil; and the dependable, motherly love of the Spirit ever enfold you with holy warmth. Amen.


POSTLUDE


In addition to Stephen’s story in Acts 7, these are the lectionary texts for today: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; and John 14:1-14. Since they are not being used in the service, they are here for your devotions this week if you so choose.


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