Living God we thank you,
for the people who have made us what we are,
who have cared for us, cleaned up after us,
fed us, had conversations with us.
We thank you for our mothers,
and what they are to us,
for fathers,
for grandmothers and grandfathers,
step-parents, aunts, uncles, all our family members
who cared about us.
We thank you for teachers,
for people in church,
who have helped us to grow
in body and in mind.
We thank you for Jesus Christ,
and what he is to us.
Lord, in your mercy…
…hear our prayer. Amen.
Confession
Merciful God, we confess
that sometimes parenting goes wrong;
that we have made the world such a place
that sometimes parents and other family members,
and those who should be trustworthy
have been cruel, neglectful, or exploitative.
God forgive us.
Intercession
God of love, we pray for all carers,
especially those at their wits’ end.
May they find encouragement,
and support that goes beyond mere applause
for all that they do.
We pray for those with no children,
whether that is what they wanted,
or whether it goes against a deeply-held
desire to be a parent.
Walk with them too, we pray,
in love and strength.