Prayer of Worship
God of all, your wings have spread over us to protect us as your offspring. You have nurtured and inspired us along the way. You give us love unconditionally, even when we do not deserve it, and we find ourselves burrowed in your bosom blanketed in the warmth of your never-ending hope for our future while you are present in our now. We love you and openly welcome your presence here and throughout the world. Bless us this day and always with your reflection in the world. This we pray, amen.
Genesis 1:24-30
God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was. Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”
God created humanity in God’s own image,
in the divine image God created them,
male and female God created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened.
Ruth 3:1-18
Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I seek security for you, so that things might go well for you? Now isn’t Boaz, whose young women you were with, our relative? Tonight, he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. You should bathe, put on some perfume, wear nice clothes, and then go down to the threshing floor. Don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying. Then go, uncover his feet, and lie down. And he will tell you what to do.”
Ruth replied to her, “I’ll do everything you are telling me.”
So she went down to the threshing floor, and she did everything just as her mother-in-law had ordered.
Boaz ate and drank, and he was in a good mood. He went over to lie down by the edge of the grain pile. Then she quietly approached, uncovered his legs, and lay down. During the middle of the night, the man shuddered and turned over—and there was a woman lying at his feet. “Who are you?” he asked.
She replied, “I’m Ruth your servant. Spread out your robe over your servant, because you are a redeemer.”
He said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter! You have acted even more faithfully than you did at first. You haven’t gone after rich or poor young men. And now, my daughter don’t be afraid. I’ll do for you everything you are asking. Indeed, my people—all who are at the gate—know that you are a woman of worth. Now, although it’s certainly true that I’m a redeemer, there’s a redeemer who is a closer relative than I am. Stay the night. And in the morning, if he’ll redeem you—good, let him redeem. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, then—as the Lord lives—I myself will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
So she lay at his feet until morning. Then she got up before one person could recognize another, for he had said, “No one should know that the woman came to the threshing floor.” He said, “Bring the cloak that you have on and hold it out.” She held it out, and he measured out six measures of barley and placed it upon her. Then she went into town.
She came to her mother-in-law, who said, “How are you, my daughter?”
So Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said to me, ‘Don’t go away empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”
“Sit tight, my daughter,” Naomi replied, “until you know how it turns out. The man won’t rest until he resolves the matter today.”
The Mother of all…
Happy Mother’s Day, Church!
To all of you who mother—biologically, spiritually, emotionally, professionally—today, we honor you.
David Gross once said, "God could not be everywhere, and therefore He made mothers." Now, I know theologically that might raise a few eyebrows—we believe God is everywhere! But practically speaking? Have you ever tried to find anything in the house without asking your mother? Even God might call her to ask where the car keys are.
What does it mean to mother?
A definition from the Collins English Dictionary states Mother is a transitive verb…
If you mother someone, you treat them with great care and affection, as if they were a small child.
Synonyms: nurture, raise, protect, tend
The tradition of Mother’s Day dates back to pagan celebrations in ancient Greece for the honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. In Rome, too, Cybele, a mother of goddesses, was worshipped as early as 250 B.C. In the 17th century, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday" on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although it's often called Mothers' Day it has no connection with the American festival of that name. Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.
In the United States, the official Mother’s Day holiday began in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.
Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.
By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day wasn’t capitalized on for years to come and remains an opportunity for us to lift mothers and mothering. It has deep roots in our church and traditions.
In Genesis 1, we see God in full-on creative, nurturing, life-giving mode. It's less "Big Bang" and more "Big Birth." God says, "Let the earth produce..."—and boom! Livestock, creeping things, wild animals... I mean, let’s be honest: there’s something very mom-like about this. She gives you a garden full of options, then reminds you which ones are good for you. (And not to eat the worms!)
And then it gets personal.
God makes humanity—male and female—in God’s own image. Both. Together. Equally. So, to understand God fully, the parenting of both Father and Mother. Because God didn’t just give life—God gave instructions, food, responsibility, and purpose. Like every good mother ever, God didn’t just say, “Here, live.” God said, “Here’s what to eat. Be kind to the animals. Multiply, but not recklessly. And please, clean your sandals before you leave them by the heavenly door.”
Then, there’s Naomi and Ruth. Can we talk about Naomi for a second?
Naomi might not have given birth to Ruth, but she sure did mother her. She watched over her, advised her on how to find stability in a patriarchal world, and even coached her on some... let’s say, creative romantic tactics. (“Wait till he’s had a full meal, lie down at his feet, and just trust me, Ruth!”) Naomi is the ancient world’s version of, “Just go talk to him, honey, but wear something nice.”
And Ruth? She follows Naomi’s every word—not because Naomi has control over her, but because love and trust have created a bond stronger than blood. That’s what mothering is.
Mothering is being, not doing. It’s staying up late for science projects and life crises. It’s the bartered time, the whispered prayers, the packed lunches that carry more love than calories.
And through it all, we see that God mothers us.
In Isaiah, God says: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.” In Hosea: “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in My arms.” And as Meister Eckhart put it, “What does God do all day long? God gives birth.”
Let’s just sit with that for a moment.
God gives birth—again and again—to new hope, new chances, new mercies every morning. And God does it the way mothers do: with patience, endurance, worry, joy, and relentless love.
To those who mother in classrooms, in churches, in families not their own, to foster moms, adoptive moms, chosen moms, godmothers, aunties, and mentors: you reflect the image of God.
To those who mourn today, who long to be mothers or miss their own—know that God holds you in that ache.
To those who feel overlooked today because you don’t have children of your own—you are seen. You are valued. Because mothering is not about having children. It’s about loving people like they are your own.
So, as we celebrate today, let’s remember:
Motherhood isn’t just a role—it’s a divine reflection. It’s part of how God moves in this world.
God created the creeping things, yes, but then gave us someone to scream and swat them with a shoe.
God gave us freedom, yes—but also someone to call us when we haven’t eaten a vegetable in three days.
God gave us life—and then gave us someone to remind us how to live it well.
Let us give thanks today for all those who have mothered us, in love, in strength, in wisdom, and in grace.
Amen.