From a netfriend:

Are there any worship plans for Mother’s Day (May 9th) and will you be linking the Mother’s Day theme with the Lectionary?

My Theme For This Sunday is: “Love Shall Be Our Pedigree” /or/ “Let Love Be Our Pedigree”

It is based on the Lesson for Sunday: John 13: 31-35 “Love Will Be the Sign”

Other Readings appropriate for Mother’s Day:

MOTHER’S DAY [FAMILY LIFE or FESTIVAL OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME]:

Isaiah 54:1-8The Lord’s Love for Israel

Psalm 46God is With Us

Ephesians 5:25 to 6:4Wives, Husbands, Children & Parents

Mark 3:31-35Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

COLLECTS FOR MOTHER’S DAY:

God of Grace: in Your wisdom You made man and woman to be one in flesh in love. And through that love you have given us families, who have raised us to be like you. As in Jesus Christ You came to serve us, let husbands and wives, parents and children, serve each other, putting aside selfishness and separate rights. May we build homes where there is free welcome. At work or in leisure, let our families, both near and far, enjoy each other, forgive each other, and embrace each other faithfully, serving the Lord of love, Jesus Christ. AMEN.

/or/

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, whose Son Jesus Christ shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly home: bless our homes, we pray. Help parents to impart the knowledge of you and your love; and children to respond with love and obedience. May our homes be blessed with peace and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. [From Uniting in Worship]

FURTHER RESOURCES FOR MOTHER’S DAY (from Bass Mitchell):

http://www.homiliesbyemail.com/Special/Mothers/motherresources.html

and Richard J. Fairchild: http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/abc-mothers-day.html

FROM RICHARD J. FAIRCHILD:

MOTHER’S DAY – MOTHERING SUNDAY

Mother’s Day as it we know it in the 21st Century originated in the United States of America. On on May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” Since that time, for various reasons that we need not go into, many countries have unofficially adopted the observance – placing a certain pressure upon the Christian Church to recognise and observe “Mother’s Day” in its proclamation of the Word and in its Worship and Prayer. Some church’s, such as the United Church of Canada, have responded by designated the day as “Christian Family Sunday” and trying to avoid the commercial and sentimental excesses of the secular observances of Mother’s Day. Because of those excesses other churches have attempted to ignore Mother’s Day completely. Our own approach is to use the occasion as a chance to meet the people of the church at the point where they live with the Word that tells us how to live and which speaks to us about “honouring our mothers and fathers”.

A special day to express love and reverence for mothers is, of course, not entirely new. In England, since at least the 17th Century, the Fourth Sunday of Lent was known as “Mothering Sunday” and a tradition arose regarding the baking of special cake for the day to be shared by the gathered community and in homes after worship. The Fourth Sunday of Lent, complete with the very same cake, was also observed in some places as “Laetare (Rejoice/Refresh) Sunday””, the predecessor of our modern “Laughter” or <http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/abc-> laughtersunday.php>Holy

Humour Sunday.

See the links provided below for a children’s story that provides a brief history of Mother’s Day and for recipe for the cake associated with Mothering Sunday/Holy Humour Sunday.

There are also links to a few of our sermons and liturgies that have been delivered on “Mother’s Day”. Note that there are no special texts provided by the Revised Common Lectionary for Mother’s Day / Mothering Sunday. Our resources generally use whatever texts are suggested for the Sunday in the Christian Year that Mother’s Day happens to fall on – though in the spirit of “free churches” we have occasionally departed completely from the Lectionary.

http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/abc-mothers-day.html