A Mother’s Day of Peace

Welcome:
In recognition of both Mothers and Justice, we have designed today’s service around the issue of Peace – for it is the Mothers among us who have, over the years, often been the strongest advocates for building a more peaceful world.  So, again, Welcome.  Please join us in honoring all people – mothers, daughters of mothers, sons of mothers – who come together across centuries, to hope, dream and work for Peace within ourselves, among communities, and throughout the world.  And Happy Mother’s Day, a Mother’s Day of Peace!

Prelude: “Come, You Who are Filled” Choir
Come you who are filled whose feet burrow in rich pungent earth, whose fingers sift ripe golden grain.  who dance in a rainfall, who dance in a rainfall of blessings come.  Come you who have thirst, whose feet scuff powdery infertile soil, whose fingers scrape dry, dying seed. who stumble in the shower of indifference.  Come you who are thirsty.  Let those who are filled welcome you with dippers of cool clean water, that all children on earth that all children that all may come to bathe in the rivers of justice.  Sip from sweet pools of mercy, quench thirst in a water shed of love.

Chalice Lighting:  
Be the peace you want to see in the world.

Children’s Story: “The Mother at the Shelter” by Wally Myers

Meditation:  Mothers Make Peace Possible

Every mother has sacrificed to feed, protect, and comfort her children.  The bond of love is deepest between a mother and her children.  That caring, that sacrifice, that joy is the seed of good will and cooperation that grows throughout each child’s life.  Few creatures take care of their young for as long or as well as human parents.  It is that care, motivated by love and compassion, that makes human beings so peaceful in our day-to-day lives.  Without caring mothers and fathers peace is impossible.  Raising loving and compassionate children is the most effective peace work that any parent can do. 

“Let’s take one minute of silence to recall a time when your mom calmed down your anger.  Try to remember the details and how you felt”. (minute silence)

Mothers and fathers, live the peace you want your children to have. 

Responsive Reading: All the World’s Children
We all care about our children,
While some of us care about all the world’s children. 

We all want prosperity for our families,
While some of us want prosperity for all.

We all care about keeping our country and our community’s safe,
While some of us want to keep everyone in the world safe.
Cindy Sheehan, Peace Mom
Opening Hymn: “Where Gentle Tides go Rolling By”

Where gentle tides go rolling by
Along the salt-sea strand
The colors blend and roll as one
Together in the sand
And often do the winds entwine
To send their distant call
The quiet joys of Motherhood
When love embraces all.

Where oat and wheat together rise
Along the common ground
The mare and stallion light and dark
Have thunder in their sound
The rainbow sign, the blended flood
Still have my heart enthralled
The quiet joys of Motherhood
When love embraces all. 

Program
Julia Ward Howe and Smedley Butler

Emma Goldman on Patriotism
At the turn of the last century, Emma Goldman was a renowned lecturer attracting thousands.  In 1906 she founded the Mother Earth journal.  During the first World War she was jailed for conspiring to induce people not to register for the newly instated draft.  Linda Stratford will read Emma’s description of patriotism.
“Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who have had the fortune of being born on some particular spot consider themselves nobler, better, grander, more intelligent than those living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others. The inhabitants of the other spots reason in like manner, of course, with the result that from early infancy the mind of the child is provided with blood-curdling stories about the Germans, the French, the Italians, Russians, etc. When the child has reached manhood he is thoroughly saturated with the belief that he is chosen by the Lord himself to defend his country against the attack or invasion of any foreigner. It is for that purpose that we are clamoring for a greater army and navy, more battleships and ammunition...”  
Responsive Reading : Matriotism

Matriotism is built into our character by the nurturing of mothers and fathers. 
Character founded on love and compassion.

Matriotism extends the love and compassion we have for our families.
We become members of a Human Family.

Matriotism recognizes that love has no borders.
Compassion responds anywhere that need calls.

Matriotism encourages cooperation for the common good.
Generosity uplifts us all together.

Matriotism affirms that life is more important than wealth, land, or ideology.
Justice is not won by the sword.

Matriotism is Earth speaking through us.
Disarm, disarm do not kill my children.

On Parson’s Beach by Christina Stableford

Offertory Music: “The Clouds” Choir 

Gently falling rain, falling from the sky.  Streaming down like tear drops from on high.  Clouds tell us --What those tears are for?  Do you weep for something we've ignored? Could it be your lofty post so high above,--- you have seen how little we have given of our love?  Do you see the lonely, weary troubled and the poor?  Have you seen the fighting and the war?  Clouds, there must be some way to make your crying cease.  Share with us the secret of happiness and peace.  Do you mean to say that each of us can play a part?  With each spark of love we light a flame of love may start.  Reaching all around us, giving hope to those we know.  This, you say, can help true peace to grow?   Clouds, though you are parting, your point you made quite clear.  Peace will never happen unless we start it here, unless we start it here.

Music: Excerpt from “La Mer” by Claude Debussy, the lyrical interpretation "As with Water; so too with Love" by Wally Myers

The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

Last month at the Peoples Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth the following excerpt from the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth was proposed.

We, the peoples and nations of Earth, consider that we are all part of Mother Earth, an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny; gratefully acknowledge that Mother Earth is the source of life, nourishment and learning and provides everything we need to live well.
Just as human beings have human rights, all other beings also have rights which are specific to their species or kind and appropriate for their role and function within the communities within which they exist.
The rights of each being are limited by the rights of other beings and any conflict between their rights must be resolved in a way that maintains the integrity, balance and health of Mother Earth.
To that end that every individual and institution takes responsibility for promoting through teaching, education, and consciousness raising, respect for the rights of Mother Earth.

Closing Hymn:  “The Peace Song”
This is my song, Oh Mother of all the nations,
A song of Peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh Mother of all the nations,
A song of Peace for their land and for mine.


 
Responsive Benediction:

As your mother would wish no harm to come to you;
Do no harm to others.

As your mother helped with your needs;
Be as kind in helping others’ needs.  

As your mother forgave you;
Forgive others too. 

As your mother blessed you with her tender loving care;
Go and bless the world with tender loving care. 

Be the peace,
A mother’s peace on this Mother’s Day of Peace.