SERVICE OF THE WORD – 22 March 2020
The FOURTH Sunday in Lent (MOTHERING SUNDAY)

A live stream of this service may be found on the Nun’s Cross, Killiskey Parish Facebook page from 11am on Sunday at
https://www.facebook.com/KilliskeyParish/

   Preparation

INVITATION TO WORSHIP
Praise God who loves us.
Praise God who cares.

PRAISING AND THANKING GOD
We praise you, our God, for all mothers who have loved and laughed and laboured as they cared for their children.
Blessed be God for ever.

We praise you, our God, for all mothers who have wept in sorrow and joy for their children.
Blessed be God for ever.

We praise you, our God, for Jesus, born of a woman and nurtured in her love, and for Mary, a reminder of your patient, waiting love.
Blessed be God for ever.

SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE
As a mother comforts a child so will I comfort you, says the Lord. 
									         Isaiah 66:13

INTRODUCTION
We thank God for mothers and carers around the world. It takes a very special love to care for a family. Today we’ll celebrate that love and thank God for his own perfect love for us all.

We’re not all mothers ourselves but we all have a mother, whether or not they are still with us, and we are all children of God. He is our loving Father but is also the one who remembers and comforts us as a mother comforts her child, and draws us close as a hen protects her chicks.

OPENING PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
We thank you for mothers and carers everywhere,
and for the special love they have for their children.

We thank you Jesus for your special care and comfort 
and the perfect love you have for us all.

Help us all to show your love to those who care for us,
and to the people that we meet in our lives.  Amen.

SORRY
We call to mind our sin, our failure to value the love of others
and our failure to love as Christ has loved us.

Silence for reflection

Your love gives us life from the moment of conception.
We fail to live as your children.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

You call us to do good. 
We seek our own good.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

You hear us when we cry for help. 
We ignore the cries of others.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn of Praise: CH712 “Tell out, my soul” 
Listen to and sing along with this hymn at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ji4y9Q-K0

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord: 
unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice; 
tender to me the promise of his word; 
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name: 
make known his might, the deeds his arm has done; 
his mercy sure, from age to age to same; 
his holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might: 
powers and dominions lay their glory by; 
proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight, 
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word: 
firm is his promise, and his mercy sure. 
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord 
to children's children and for evermore.
Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926)
based on the Canticle ‘Magnificat’ (Luke 1: 46-55)
PRAYER OF MOTHERING SUNDAY
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 our Lord. Amen.

Ministry of the Word

The First Reading: 1 Samuel 1: 20-28
The reading below may be read, or an audio version listened to at:
https://www.biblica.com/bible/niv/1-samuel/1/

So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’

When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfil his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, ‘After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.’

‘Do what seems best to you,’ her husband Elkanah told her. ‘Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.’ So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, ‘Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshipped the Lord there.

The Psalm:  Psalm 127: 1-4
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,•
those who build it labour in vain.
2 Unless the Lord keeps the city,•
the guard keeps watch in vain.
3 It is in vain that you hasten to rise up early
go so late to rest, eating the bread of toil,•
for he gives his beloved sleep.
4 Children are a heritage from the Lord•
and the fruit of the womb is his gift.

The Second Reading: Colossians 3: 12-17
The reading below may be read, or an audio version listened to at:
https://www.biblica.com/bible/niv/colossians/3/

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hymn: CH517 “Brother, sister, let me serve you” (vs 1-5)
Listen to and sing along with this hymn at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_ufwqwquqY

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.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

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.

When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Richard Gillard (b. 1953)

The Gospel: John 19: 25-27
The reading below may be read, or an audio version listened to at:
https://www.biblica.com/bible/niv/john/19/

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing near by, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

COLLECT OF THE READINGS
God of mercies, 
your only Son, while hanging on the cross,
appointed Mary, his mother, 
to be his beloved disciple’s mother too.
May we follow her good example 
and always care for others
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour
through whose name we pray. Amen.

Response

THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn of Faith: Thanks & Praise 52 “He’s got the whole world in his hands”(adapted)
Listen to and sing along with this hymn at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDBJNQiugnM

He's got the whole world in his hands,
he's got the whole wide world in his hands,
he's got the whole world in his hands,
he's got the whole world in his hands.

He's got you and me, brother, in his hands,
he’s got you and me, sister, in his hands,
he’s got you and me, mother, in his hands,
he's got the whole world in his hands.

He's got you and me, mother, in his hands,
he's got you and me, father, in his hands,
he's got you and me, mother, in his hands,
he's got the whole world in his hands.

He's got the little tiny babies in his hands,
he's got the little tiny babies in his hands,
he's got the little tiny babies in his hands,
he's got the whole world in his hands.

Anonymous

THANKS
We thank God for giving us others to share in our lives:
For parents, and the love which brought us to birth:
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.

For mothers who have cherished and nurtured us:
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.

For fathers who have loved and supported us,
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.

For brothers and sisters with whom we have shared our home:
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.

For children and their parents:
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.

For relatives and friends, who have been with us
in our hopes and joys and times of sadness:
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.

For all who first spoke to us of Jesus, and have drawn us
into the family of our Father in heaven:
We praise you, O Lord;
and bring you thanks today.
Help us to live as those who belong to one another,
and to you, our Father, now and always. 
Amen.

ARCHBISHOP’S PRAYER IN THE TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS
Almighty and All-loving God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we pray to you through Christ the Healer
for those who suffer from the Coronavirus Covid-19
in Ireland and across the world.
We pray for all who reach out to those who mourn the loss
of each and every person who has died as a result of contracting the disease.
Give wisdom to policymakers,
skill to researchers,
comfort to everyone in distress
and a sense of calm to us all in these days of uncertainty and distress.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord
who showed compassion to the outcast,
acceptance to the rejected
and love to those to whom no love is shown. Amen.

A GENERAL COLLECT
Lighten our darkness, O Lord, we pray,
And in your great mercy defend us
From all perils and dangers
For the love of your only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
We pray the prayer Jesus taught us, saying:
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, the power, and the glory
for ever and ever. 
Amen.

Dismissal

Closing Hymn: CH570 “Give me oil in my lamp” (vs.1, 2 and 4)
Listen to and sing along with this hymn at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br0qEm2H4jk

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning,
give me oil in my lamp, I pray;
give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning,
keep me burning 'til the break of day.

Sing hosanna, sing hosanna,
sing hosanna to the King of kings!
Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna to the King!

Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising,
give me joy in my heart, I pray;
Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising,
keep me praising till the break of day.

Give me love in my heart, keep me serving,
give me love in my heart, I pray;
give me love in my heart, keep me serving,
keep me serving 'til the break of day.

Traditional
v. 1 based on Matthew 25: 8

DISMISSAL PRAYER
Let us rejoice
that we are precious to God.
May his blessing touch our families 
and all who are precious to us.
May we, as the family of God,
shine as precious stones
reflecting his love to the world. Amen.