May 14, 2023
The Sixth Sunday of Easter 
Mother’s Day / Festival of the Christian Home
John 14:15-21 | “Coming to You”

Call to Worship

One: *Bathala Maykapal (Bat-ha-la My-ka-pal)—Creator God, you call us. 
Many: We say, yes, to your invitation and we gather as one to worship you.
One: Bathala Maykapal—Creator God, you invite us to stay with you.
Many: You never leave us, you never forsake us, you abide with us, and we gather as one to worship you.
One: Bathala Maykapal—Creator God, you love us.
Many: Extravagant is your welcome, great is your faithfulness, your grace overflows, and we gather as one to worship you.

Invocation

Loving God, we give you thanks and praise for being with us today and always. You have gathered us here to celebrate you—our Creator, our Mother, our Father—with the gift of your Holy Spirit. Let our worship be all about you as we humbly pray for the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts, minds, and souls in tune with the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Honoring Mothers—Pagmamano 

Today, as we celebrate our mothers—biological and/or spiritual—we greet them with a gesture in the Filipino culture called, pagmamano.

Pagmamano is a Filipino gesture often done by young people to the elders as a sign of respect. The young person giving the greeting bows down toward the elder or taking the elder’s hand and gently pressing it on the forehead saying, mano po. (See photo below) 

Usually the elder responds with, “Kaawaan ka ng Diyos” (May God have mercy on you) or “God bless you, anak” (child).

Who are the mothers and mother figures in our worship gathering this morning? We invite any/all of you to approach them and greet with pagmamano gesture. 

As you are able and comfortable, we invite the young ones to come and greet all of our mothers and spiritual mothers with pagmamano. 

Youth/Child: Mano, po or Greetings, mom/aunt/grandma/nana. 

Mother/Elder: God bless you, child. 

Prayer for Transformation and New Life

We come in boldness and in brokenness Loving God. We come in repentance asking for your grace and mercy for the indifference we do towards you and our neighbor. Many times, we have failed to keep your commandments to love you above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Give us the grace to abide in you as you remain abiding in us that we may live as Christ lives in this world. 

Words of Grace

God whose goodness and mercy chase after us, finds us, and gathers us like a mother hen gathering her chicks. Under her wings, God covers us with God’s grace and holds us close declaring, “My child you are forgiven. Come back to me for you are loved.” Amen.

Invitation to Generosity 

We come in thanksgiving for God’s great faithfulness and abiding presence. We come responding with generosity for kindom building and to be avenues of God’s provisions. 

Thanksgiving and Dedication

May these gifts be our testimony of our faithfulness to you, Abiding God, even as we offer to you all that we are and all that we have for your glory, honor, and praise. Amen.

Benediction

The Bathala Maykapal (Bat-ha-la My-ka-pal) is with you and all around you—upholding, sustaining, loving. Go, and be Christ’s justice and peace! Go, and be God’s goodness and love! Go, and be the Holy Spirit’s visible expression! Amen.

_____________________

*Bathala Maykapal is the name given to God by ancient Tagalogs which means transcending supreme being and the origin of the universe. The name, Bathala, was encountered by both Muslim and Spanish missionaries arriving in the Philippines hearing it from the natives referring to the supreme being and maker of the universe. 
In ancient Philippine mythology Bathala is the supreme god and creator of all. Though the Spanish friars with Christian doctrine eventually got rid of the other deities (called anitos), they upheld Bathala which they retaught to the natives as equal to the Christian God. 
Even today the name, Bathala remains in many Filipino expressions such as, Bahala na meaning, God will take care of it or surrendering to God's will. In recent years, many churches have readopted the name, Bathala to be more inclusive to indigenous communities in the country who remain practicing ancient ways of worship with the Christian tradition.
Calling God Bathala / Bathala Maykapal allows the Filipino to reconnect to Philippine ancient roots and spirituality. It affirms that God indeed is the God of many names and expresses the God-self in various ways even in ancient stories.

Coming to You: Service Prayers for the Sixth Sunday of Easter/Mother's Day/Festival of the Christian Home were written by Rev. Epenito "Rambu" Ursos, Jr., Senior Pastor of First Filipino American United Church of Christ (FAAUCC) in San Bruno, California. To see the latest happenings at FFAUCC go to http://www.facebook.com/FirstFilipinoAmericanUCC/.

(In Photo) Thank you, Grace and Mykel for demonstrating pagmamano.