Written by Katie Roelofs
Loving God,
On this day we bless you and give you thanks for parents. With gratitude we remember that parents come to us in many different ways:Grandparents, aunties and uncles who are parent figures, godparents, parents by birth, parents by marriage, parents through adoption, spiritual parents within our church community.
Bless these parents and the work of their hands. May they know each and every day that their labor is not in vain.
We thank you that each of us has a parental role to play in the lives of those around us. For you call each of us to love and care for another, watch over those who are young, disciple and walk with people of all ages. Renew our calling today to parent: whether biologically or spiritually, the young or the old, the day-to-day or from far away.
Loving God, we also recognize that the work of parenting is complex and often times painful. It takes us from one emotional extreme to another – from tremendous joy and happiness, to deep pain and paralyzing fear. We lament the hardship of parenting and the many ways it wounds us deeply. We pray for those among us for whom days like this reopen those wounds. We offer up our prayers and ask that you be close to the brokenhearted today.
We pray for those who have lost a child of any age.
We pray for those who want to be parents.
We pray for those who tenderly care for aging parents.
We pray for those with complex and fraught relationships with parents.
We pray for those estranged from their children.
We pray for foster parents, and biological parents.
We pray for those who struggle to provide for their children.
[Insert additional petitions here]
God, on this day we both celebrate with gratitude, and we pray with heavy hearts for the work of parenting. Thank you for being our Heavenly Father – present with us in our highs and lows, our joys and our sadness. May one generation commend your works to the next, telling your praiseworthy deeds, your power, and the wonders you have done. Amen.
Ideas for Use
- Use this prayer on either Mother’s or Father’s Day
- Use in a service where your preaching text talks about the complex nature of parenting.