God, whom we know as love

Prayer - Wayne Arnason

O God, whom we know as love, we gather here this morning as seekers and finders, creators and destroyers, givers and receivers of love. From the day of our birth we have asked for love, and yet as we grow and change in time we realize how little we really know about how love is given and how to grow within its nurture. Help us to recognize the love that surrounds us and in which we have our being. Help us to understand how we can be perfect channels for that love. Help us to see ourselves as the loving people we are and can be. In silence now, we bring to our minds' eye the people who have loved us and continue to love us:

People who are not here with us today, but whose love we carry with us -- People who are there every day, and whose love we sometimes take for granted -- People who might be within our circle of love, could we but extend it a little further --

In silence now, we hold these people in our hearts.

(Silence)

In returning from silence, we ask that our hearts may be opened to all whose names and faces have crossed our minds. We ask that old wounds may be healed, that constant joys may be celebrated, and that the love we share with the people in our lives may be our abiding teacher. Amen.