Dear
When I first started in ministry, Mother’s Day was the second highest attended Sunday of the year (assuming that Christmas Eve did not fall on a Sunday). Most people knew they could please their mothers by going to church with them. In recent years, I’ve noticed a drop in attendance on Mother’s Day. I suspect it is because Mother’s Day is a difficult day for many for a diversity of reasons. A close friend in Richmond who is a devout and devoted church member told me how she never goes to church on Mother’s Day because she was made to feel incomplete by not having children. Mother’s Day is not in the Bible, but there is plenty in the Bible that can help us to reckon with what makes Mother’s Day problematic for some folks. We’ll focus on one such lesson this Sunday in worship at Messiah.
Last Sunday, we invited folks to offer special gifts for building a house in Haiti. I’ve encouraged the Haiti Team to be available again this Sunday to receive your gifts. I already sent the money to build the house because the woman who will occupy it is pregnant and will have a baby very soon. I knew I could count on your generosity and I will venture to suggest that such a gift is a great way of honoring the mother(s) in your life.
We will focus on Isaiah 49:14-19 in traditional worship with a sermon entitled “Attachment Repair.” At the 8:15 service, Jessica Irish will present
“Whither Thou Goest”
as the anthem. At the 9:30 and 11 am services, the Men’s Choir will present
“I Said a Prayer for You Today”
as the anthem. The 9:30 am service will also enjoy anthems by the Cherub Choir
“If I Were a Puppy”
, the Carol Choir
“Faith, Hope, Love”
, and the Good New Singers
“For Who You Are”
. The 9:30 am service will also feature the Heavy Metal Ringers presenting
“All Things Bright and Beautiful.”
The 11 am service will also feature the Chancel Ringers presenting “
Celebration
.” Pia Diggs will be leading our Risk worship service at 11:00 in the Lord Youth Center. She will be focusing on Acts 9:36-43 and her sermon is entitled “
Please Come at Once.
” We hope you will come to Messiah this Sunday!
