Prep: carnations for each woman in your congregation–or you could do a paper heart or leave out this part.

Gather the children. Welcome them to worship

Read them verse 26, “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Jesus says these words to his disciples–do you know who disciples are? (take answers)

Jesus is talking to the first disciples who were with him but Jesus is also talking to all of us! Disciples are those who follow Jesus and here Jesus wants us to know that we are all a part of God’s children and that we are all made one in God’s love. This verse also got me to thinking about how it’s mother’s day and that God gives us mothers of all kinds. Sometimes they are the mothers who are the ones who gave birth to us or take care of us everyday or maybe sometimes they are our grandmothers too, but because Jesus says we are all one, we have other mothers too. Jesus is praying in this verse that we may know the love of God that he has shown us and that we can show it to others. So really, that means that all of us need to work together to show God’s love to eachother and to the world. When you are baptized all the people promise to help you raise you in God’s love and promises–so all the women and all the men who are here today and who are in our lives showing us about faith are like our Christian parents. Today we are going to share a special blessing for all the women because it’s mother’s days and we want to say thank you to all women–old and young, those who have children here today and those who do not–because they are a part of the oneness in God’s love that Jesus prays for and God promises.

So after we pray, we will say a blessing together to all the women here and then you can each take a few carnations and hand them out to all the women.

God-thank you for making us one, for giving us Christian adults in our lives to help us know your love and grace. We pray especially for all the gifts the women of our community bring to us your children. Grant them love, peace, and joy in you. Amen

May you know God’s love today and always. (have children repeat this and then hand out carnations if you have them)