Gracious God, we gather to acclaim our thanks and praise. You have called us into birth and gifted our youthfulness. You have protected our growth and blessed our maturity. You have graced our transitions, amid the changes of life. And you have called us as a people of faith, to embrace our world with faith and new vision. With gratitude in our hearts we thank you for being our companion on the journey. And in union with all who lift their voices in joy, we, too, acclaim our song of praise:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the One who comes, in the name of our God, Hosanna in the highest.

Gracious God, all creation celebrates your empowering presence.
All your creatures hunger for the new life you promise. In Jesus, our friend and liberator, you reveal our humanity come of age, the evolutionary fulfillment of many eons, the invitation to wholeness and the promise of new life. In the power of the creative Spirit, Jesus lived life to the full. We, too, are blessed in the power of that same Spirit, which we now invoke upon all gathered here, to celebrate the transformative energy, symbolized in our gifts of bread and wine, given to nourish and sustain us into the fullness of life.

While sharing a feast at table, Jesus took bread, blessed you, God of all good gifts. Jesus broke the bread, and along with the cup, shared it among friends and said:

(Please extend your hands and say these words together)

Take this all of you: eat and drink; this is my body which will be given up for you.

After the meal, Jesus took another cup, poured out in a spirit of solidarity and empowerment. Jesus gave thanks and handed the cup to those at table saying:

(Please extend your hands and say these words together)

Take this all of you and drink from it; this is the cup of my life-blood, the life of the new and everlasting covenant.
In prophetic solidarity, it is poured out for you and for all.
Sustain one another in sacred memory.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Nurtured by your Word, nourished by your food;
Called anew to be your people, we acclaim your praise.

As a Christian people we inherit a story of liberation and new life.
We remember the blessings of ages past, and we look forward in hope,
knowing that you, our wise and faithful God, will continue to empower us in our earthly mission.

As a people called to mature and adult faith, we invoke upon all gathered here, the empowering Spirit of courage and wisdom,
so that we, too, are empowered to be agents of Gospel liberation.

We unite in thought and prayer with all who are weighed down by oppression, trapped in poverty, victimized by violence and exploitation.
We grieve for all who will never reach their full potential,
because of the greed perpetuated by unjust systems.

Bless us, O God of liberation, to work for the freedom of all, to bring about a world where justice can reign and love can flourish. In the fellowship of our faith, with all the living and those gone before us,
confirm our hearts in this resolve. May we never betray that fullness of life to which you invite all your people.

This prayer we make in the name of our Creator God and liberating Spirit, whom Jesus embodied as our primary model: in with and through whom we offer our praise, this day and forever. Amen!

Eucharistic Prayer (Nurturing, Mothering Focus)

God of life, you nurture and sustain your people.
You bless us with abundance; you gift us with your presence,
you know our every need.

In the birthing forth of creation you call us into being.
You gift us with the unconditional love of a mother; you make us whole; you nurture us throughout our lives. You feed your hungering people. You call us to work for justice, to share our table with all creation, to feed the needy at our door, to see nobody left in need. You call us to birth a new church. For the blessing of your gifts, and the challenge of your call to us, we lift our voices as we acclaim your gracious love:

ALL: Holy, Holy, Holy, God of birth and life, heaven and earth are filled with your love. Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed are You who dwell among us. Happy are we who are called to be fed at this banquet of unending joy. Hosanna in the Highest.

The table we share is adorned with the gifts of creation,
gifts given for all to share in equality and justice, a table where all are welcome and from which nobody is to be excluded,
As a Christian people we celebrate the open table,
proclaimed by Jesus our liberator and our friend,
a table of abundant life, inclusive love, and joy-filled liberation.

In the power of the creative Spirit, Jesus lived life to the full.
We, too, are blessed in the power of that same Spirit,
which we now invoke upon all gathered here,
to celebrate the life changing energy
symbolized in our gifts of bread and wine,
given to nourish and sustain us into the fullness of life.

While sharing a feast at table, Jesus took bread, blessed you, God of all good gifts. Jesus broke the bread and along with the cup,
shared it among friends, and said:

(Together)
Take this all of you and eat and drink:
this is my body which will be given up for you.

After the meal, Jesus took another cup,
poured out in a spirit of solidarity and empowerment.
Jesus gave thanks and shared the cup with his friends,
(Together)

Take this all of you and drink from it; this is the cup of my life-blood, the life that I laid down in the name of Love.
In prophetic solidarity, it is poured out for you and for all.
Sustain one another in the power of sacred memory.

Nurtured by your word, nourished by your food;
Called anew to be your people, we rejoice in this meal.
As we celebrate this Eucharistic feast, we call to mind that we are a people nourished throughout the ages; and we look forward in hope to that day when the justice of our God will guarantee food and nurturance for all who hunger and thirst for the fullness of life.

With grateful hearts we receive the gifts of this table.
May Sophia who provides these gifts,
activate in our hearts, too, a hunger for that justice
that will guarantee food, peace and justice for every human being.

In the spirit of this celebration, we rejoice and thank our God for all
we have received; but we do so in the painful awareness
of all who are excluded from the table of God’s abundant life.

Awaken in us, O God, a passion for equality and generosity of spirit, that all may be brought to the table of abundance,
from which our Mother God wants no one to be excluded.

This prayer we make in union with all God’s people, living and dead, and particularly with those laboring for justice in our world. May we all know the blessing of our loving God, Mother and Father, Creator, Liberator, and Holy Spirit, in whose power we gather here, nourished and sustained, now and forever. Amen.

ALL: THE PRAYER OF JESUS as interpreted by Miriam Therese Winter

Our Mother, who is within, we celebrate your many names. Your wisdom come. Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day you give us all that we need. You remind us of our limits, and we let go. You support us in our power, and we act with courage. For you are the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us, and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Mother of the cosmos, you have loved us into being. You sustain us with mother love. May we continue to move together towards the wholeness of unconditional love for all peoples. Empower us to feed as we have been fed. Help us grow into the church that you envision for us. Lead us to new life and inspire our work and play with creativity and joyful enthusiasm.

ALL: Amen

Possible Reading: An excerpt from the original Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870:

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism is that of water or of tears! Say firmly: We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. The earth says in the words of Mrs. Howe “Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”

All: In the name of God who desires that all peoples live in peace and dignity, may we renew our commitment to be peacemakers, to speak for those who are voiceless, to weep with those who are who are ravaged by war and hatred. Grace us with the wisdom of Sophia that we may find ways to stop the carnage, bind up the wounds and be the Word and Bread for our broken world. Amen

Wise and faithful God, you have birthed us in goodness,
gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth.

In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer,
invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment,
that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with
all who sing the ancient hymn of praise:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna, [Hosanna, Hosanna]* in the highest. Blessed is the One who comes, in the name of our God, Hosanna, [Hosanna, Hosanna] in the highest. *[One Hosanna when spoken]

Creator God, we see around us the work of your hands,
the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of
creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power.
We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom,
thus hindering your creative presence in our midst.

Sending among us Jesus, our Savior, you birth afresh
in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the
gift of the Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew,
amid the variety and wonder of life.

That same Spirit we invoke upon the gifts of this
Eucharistic table, bread of the grain & vine of the grape,
that they may become the body and blood of Jesus –
to nurture afresh in us the discerning gifts of
wisdom, light and truth.

Gathering the disciples around the table of shared wisdom,
Jesus took bread; blessed you God of all good gifts,
broke the bread and along with the cup
handed to those seeking nourishment,
with these words:

(Please extend your hands and say these words together)

Take this all of you, eat and drink:
This is my body which will be given up for you.

After the meal, Jesus took another cup,
poured out in a spirit of solidarity and empowerment.
Jesus gave thanks and shared the cup with his friends,
saying:

(Please extend your hands and say these words together)

Take this all of you and drink from it;
this is the cup of my life-blood,
the life of the new and everlasting covenant.
In prophetic solidarity, it is poured out for you and for all.
Sustain one another in the power of sacred memory.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
In faith and hope we are sustained,
In grace and dignity reclaimed,
In praise, we thank our God.

As we celebrate this sacred meal, we recall the wise and gracious
gifts bestowed on us down through the ages; and we look forward
in hope, knowing that you, our wise and faithful God,
will continue to endow us with abundant blessings.

In the power of this Eucharistic meal, bless us afresh
with the gift of the Spirit, that our hearts may be open
and receptive as you invite us into the fullness of life.

In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts
and prayers, asking wisdom and courage:
– to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances
of our daily lives;
– to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and
suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
– to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf
of the poor and marginalized;
– and to love all people with generosity of heart,
beyond the labels of race, creed and color.

And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things the
Spirit makes possible, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty,
into the fullness of life to which all are called,
participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.

In the wisdom of our triune God, Creator, Liberator, and Holy Spirit,
we are blessed with the gifts of this Eucharistic table, and with all
the good things bestowed upon our world, now and forever.

(Sung) We sing Amen, (repeat), all glory and praise be yours, Oh God. We sing Amen, (repeat), with faith and hope and love we sing Amen.)

(Said) Amen!