May our lives be reflections of the beauty, peace, and joy that is possible in the world, and may the love we find in this place sustain us as we go our separate ways.

Ours is a communion borne of words and welcome. Our communion finds expression in caring and commitment to our highest ideals. Our communion lives on in our hearts though this sacred hour is ended.

The flame is extinguished, but not our hope for the future, our courage in the face of crisis, or the love we share in all the world.

We call for this blessing on all sheltered here whether in body or in spirit... May the flame of our community ignite a love bold enough to share. And, in return May we all be embraced by a love that remains constant in times of sorrow and in days of great gladness.

As we prepare to depart, we give voice to these hopes: May we know ourselves bound in community, even while we are apart. May a passion for justice burn in our lives. May we carry the light of compassion in our hearts and in our every interaction....

Each week as we gather we light a common chalice. We sing and celebrate, we pray and think. Then we each gather strength from the flame and go out from here, taking the light with us.

After the words, a quiet; after the songs, a silence; after the crowd only the memory recalls the gathering. Peace and justice have need of you after the words, the music, and the gathering. God grant you the depth for dedication to justice. God grant you the will to be an apostle of peace. Amen.

We have come together to share our deepest concerns, speaking and singing words of inspiration and hope. We have committed ourselves to do what we can to ease the burdens of those who suffer, to stand for decency and compassion....

We have gathered here today to feel the truth in the depth of our being and to think on all that is most righteous and holy. Let us go forth to act in concert with those thoughts and feelings. Blessed be.

We have reached the end of this time For the gathering of memory And for letting the imagination play with future possibilities. We have enjoyed magic moments and edified each other. Shall it be concluded, then? Or will this adventure, now commenced, continue?— Our separate paths converging,...

We receive fragments of holiness, glimpses of eternity, brief moments of insight. Let us gather them up for the precious gifts that they are, and, renewed by their grace, move boldly into the unknown.

We walk this earth but a brief moment in time. Amid our suffering and pain, however great or small, let us continue to learn how to celebrate life. Let us continue to grow in our capacity to love ourselves and each other. And let us continue to move toward the goal of a just world community....

When all is quiet and we are small and the night is dark, may we hear the tender breathing of all who lie awake with us in fear, that together we may gather strength to live with love, and kindness, and confidence.

When we say, "Go now in peace," we mean the peace that asks us to stop grasping after power over and the peace that demands that we live fully, that we love with a fierce love, that we hope with a bold hope, that we pray and sing and struggle....

Who could do better than to be a singer on the high wind-swept hills of life, bringing songs to the soul, songs full of loveliness and hope for all people.

The Quakers speak not of a "worship service" but of their Meeting -- hence this benediction: With faith in the creative powers of life, With hope for the future of life in this world, With love for all others who share this life with us, Let us go forward together in peace. Our meeting has ended;...

Worship need not cease. It can echo in our lives, in our words, in our deeds, in our moods, in our dreams. Carry worship with you wherever you may go. Be a blessing in your going out and your coming in.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk exposing our true self. To place our ideas—our dreams—before the crowd is to risk loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to...

Take courage friends. The way is often hard, the path is never clear, and the stakes are very high. Take courage. For deep down, there is another truth: you are not alone.