Family Communion service for Mothering Sunday

THE GATHERING

Welcome by Canon Liesbeth Oosterhof

The Greeting

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Praise God who loves us.

Praise God who cares.

Praise and Thanksgiving

A candle is lit.

Praise and Thanksgiving

We light this candle to remind us

that the love of God is like a light in our darkness. Blessed be God for ever.

We praise you, our God, for all mothers

who have loved, laughed and laboured,

who have wept in sorrow and joy for their children, as they cared for them.

Blessed be God for ever.

We praise you, our God, for Jesus, born of Mary and nurtured in her love. Blessed be God for ever.

Prayers of Penitence

When we have failed to nurture people in need,

Lord, have mercy.

When we have failed to make space in our lives for the broken-hearted,

Christ, have mercy.

When we struggle to forgive those

who have withheld their love from us.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ came into the world to forgive people just like us. May the God of love

bring you back to himself

forgive you your sins

and assure you of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Collect

Praise God who loves us.

Praise God who cares.

God of love,

passionate and strong,

tender and careful:

watch over us and hold us

all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

Reading[I]

Julia reads the story of Moses' birth and rescue from the reeds after Pharaoh had commanded every boy born to the Hebrews to be thrown into the Nile (Exodus 2.1-10).

A man from the Levi tribe married a woman from the same tribe, and she later had a baby boy. He was a beautiful child, and she kept him inside for three months. But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar. She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge of the River Nile.

The baby's elder sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

About that time one of Pharaoh's daughters came down to take a bath in the river, while her servant women walked along the river bank. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent one of the young women to pull it out of the water. When Pharaoh's daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby and felt sorry for him because he was crying. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies" At once the baby's elder sister came up and asked, "Do you want me to get a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby for you? "Yes," Pharaoh's daughter answered.

So the girl brought the baby's mother, and Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Take care of this child, and I will pay you." The baby's mother carried him home and took care of him. And when he was old enough, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him. She named him Moses because she said, "I pulled him out of the water."

At the end of the reading Julia says:

In this is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

[I]We listen to the sermon. Jo plays some music.

Adam leads our prayers.

At the end he says:

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers, for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Julia reads Luke 22.14-19

Sermon Prayers of Intercession

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke

Glory to you, O Lord.

When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, he said to them, "I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. I tell you that I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God's kingdom."

Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, "Take this wine and share it with each other. I tell you that I will not drink any more wine until God's kingdom comes."

Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!"

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Affirmation of Faith

Let us affirm our faith

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family

in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,

who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us

with power from on high.

We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT

The Peace

We share God's peace saying The peace of the Lord be always with you

and also with you.

HYMN 1. Brother, sister, let me serve you let me be as Christ to you;

pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

1. We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow trav'llers on the road;

we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

1. I will hold the Christlight for you in the night-time of your fear;

I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

1. I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh, I'll laugh with you.

I will share your joy and sorrow

till we've seen this journey through.

1. Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you;

pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.

Preparation of the Table Taking of Bread and Wine

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is always right, wherever we are, to give you thanks and praise, God our Father,

holy and strong,

king for ever.

Through your Son,

you made us and the whole universe.

When his time had come,

Jesus suffered, and died on the cross. On the third day

you raised him from the dead,

and crowned him Lord of all.

You send your Spirit

to bring new life to the world,

and fill us with power from on high.

And so we join on earth

with saints and angels in heaven to praise your name and sing:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth

are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Father, on the night before he died, Jesus had a meal with his friends.

He took bread and thanked you.

He broke it, gave it to them, and said: Take this and eat it;

this is my body, given for you.

After the meal, Jesus took the cup of wine. He thanked you, gave it to them and said: Drink this, all of you.

This is my blood, the new covenant of God's love. Do this to remember me.

Jesus Christ has died.

Jesus Christ is risen.

Jesus Christ will come again.

Father, as we remember his death and resurrection, send your Holy Spirit, that the bread and wine we bring before you may be for us Christ's body and his blood.

Pour your Spirit on us that we may live as children of your heavenly kingdom.

Help us to love one another, as we work for the peace of the earth, and wait for Jesus to come in glory.

For all honour and glory belong to you, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son, with the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The Lord's Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, an the glory are yours now and for ever.

Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

This bread is broken so all may share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

Giving of Communion

The body of Christ, broken for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you.

A short silence is kept.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, we have broken your bread and received your life.

By the power of your Spirit keep us always in your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE DISMISSAL

HYMN:

1. Father, I place into your hands the things that I can't do.

Father, I place into your hands the times that I've been through. Father, I place into your hands the way that I should go,

for I know I always can trust you.

1. Father, I place into your hands my friends and family.

Father, I place into your hands the things that trouble me. Father, I place into your hands the person I would be,

for I know I always can trust you.

May God, who gave birth to all creation, bless you:

may God, who became incarnate by an earthly mother, bless you: may God, who broods as a mother over her children, bless you. May almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ.

Amen.