Prayer.

What is more important than

going to God with our lives, full of joys and sorrows and all that life

brings?!

On this Mothers' Day what

is more important than going to God with a prayer for families?!

Let us pray.

"Eternal God, Father

of all families of the earth, and the Head of all homes where Your name

is honored, we come to You as children come to a loving earthly father.

We are Yours. We have learned to trust Your goodness and Your guidance.

Today we give You THANKS for

our parents, especially for our mothers! For mothers who have been devoted

in the home, we thank You. For their love when called upon to endure all

things and to hope all things, we thank You. For their love that willingly

sacrifices for the sake of others in the household, we give You thanks.

Bless, O Lord, the homes in

our own community. May children and youth find their parents deserving

of honor, so that they may keep Your command to honor father and mother.

May mothers praying this prayer find joy and fulfillment in serving the

needs of their families. Help us to see again the high calling of motherhood

as a sacred and holy vocation.

Enable us, O God, whether

as parent or child, husband or wife, brother or sister, to make our homes

places where the power of love and forgiveness are at work every day.

Give us the grace of patience when tempers are tried. Give us the grace

to forgive when we feel offended. Give us the grace to respect the rights

and privileges of others in our home, even as we want them to honor our

rights. And give us the grace to turn to the resources of Your love and

guidance in every decision and in every problem. Grant new appreciation

and enthusiasm in our families for worship and the journey of faith.

O Lord, hear our prayer for

others today. We pray for children who have not known or do not now have

father or mother. We think of children who in many countries have lost

a father in battle, and are left innocent victims of war, alone now in

life and not understanding why. We pray for children in this country who

for some reason are left without father or mother. Show us how we can

care and make a positive difference in these lives.

Bless the efforts of those

who work with children teachers, pastors, Sunday School teachers, youth

advisors, social workers, law enforcement officers, and others.

We pray for parents who have

lost children, or whose children have turned to patterns of life that

bring sorrow and disappointment. Give them healing and peace in things

too hard to understand.

These thoughts of prayer and

all others which we can now say silently in our own hearts, we bring to

Your throne of Grace, O God. You can be trusted. You will always be faithful.

We know You hear us. We know You love us. We love You.

We pray in Your holy and precious

name.

Amen."

Finally, on Mothers' Day,

allow me the "personal privilege" to honor my own mother, Doris

Lee Kollmeyer. Having finally succumbed to cancer nearly seven years ago,

she was a devoted and loving mother to me, my sister, and my brother.

My father is also a Lutheran pastor, and you might think that I have "followed

in his footsteps", which I have, of course. But I honor my mother

is equally "following in HER footsteps"!

My mother was a gifted organist

and played for services for over fifty years, mostly without any monetary

compensation. In our home she taught us grace and mercy, confession and

forgiveness, respect and honor. She WAS JESUS to us. Not in perfection,

but in loving us unconditionally.

She made house rules and enforced

them, for which I am grateful. She labored tirelessly in our home to make

it a place of learning, safety, and faith. She served us relentlessly

providing meals, clean and pressed clothes, fun and laughter. I'm eternally

thankful for her! Thank You, O God! Thank You!!

To my mother still, and to

all mothers today: "Happy Mothers' Day"!

Kollmeyer is Sr. Pastor

at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Hwy. 314 in Fayetteville.