Spirit of life and love, In this season of beginning Some of us are hurried and harried. Some of us feel sorrowful and afraid. Some of us are not yet ready to step forward into the future. May we minister to one another with wisdom, Meeting our friends with open ears, open eyes, and open hearts....

Source of all gifts, Giver of all peace, On this silent and holy night we celebrate once again our deep faith that this venture we call existence is not meaningless, is not hopeless....

As we gather here together May we be attentive one to another. May we listen carefully, may we freely speak. May we be respectful of one another. May we be serious, yet not somber. May we be light of heart And full of good cheer. As we gather here together May we work toward common goals....

Long ago the chalice of communion wine was set apart for priests alone. We would have all share in the bounty of the earth: wind and milk, bread and meat, that none may go hungry. Long ago those who spoke their minds freely were put to death by fire. We would use fire to warm all bodies and light...

I wasn't flattered when one of my daughters confided that she had thought of me as "The Big There-There" when she was three years old. If I remember correctly, I was in the middle of a phase where I was hoping to reassure myself that I still had a fertile mind as well as a welcoming bosom. Now,...

Spirit of Life, We pause to give thanks for many gifts of life that are ours, gifts we find expressed and enhanced in the community of this church. We are grateful for our family and friends and all they mean to us....

Spirit of life and love, thank you for the gifts of life and love. Help us to embrace fully the sweet and the bitter moments of our days. Help us to treasure the times of abundance and to find meaning in the times of emptiness....

Spirit of kindness and compassion, we come from different places to this sacred ground of communal caring. We are enriched by the company of each other, and are drawn closer to the heart of love in this time of service. Touch this gathering with tenderness so that we may be refreshed anew by the...

Many of us, O God, don't believe in prayer. We're more comfortable with meditation, particularly the silent part. And some of us aren't sure we believe in God, or we scarcely know what the word means. But we do know that we care, that we care about one another and the kind of world we live in. We...

Once upon a time, a thief snuck into the room of a sleeping Buddhist monk. As the burglar rummaged about, the monk awoke. The startled thief ran into the snowy streets with the monk racing after him, "Please stop!" the monk called, and the man finally did, realizing that his pursuer was no threat.

O Thou whose power we see in the stars and whose presence we experience as love, we would today be sustained by that power and open to that love. Help us to remember that "as we sow, so shall we reap"—that whatever we project out from ourselves also comes back to us....

Come into this house of worship. Come in bringing all of who you are. Rest and quiet your week-worn spirit, for you are here to touch again eternal springs of hope and renewal. Calm your hurried pace. For this hour let the cares, the fretfulness and worry be set aside. Forgive yourself—you are so...

Our time in this place may have ended, but our connection to each other and this community remains. Together may we walk the path of justice, speak words of love, live the selfless deed, trod gently upon the earth, and fill the world with compassion. Until we meet again, blessed be.

Our eyes and minds turn now toward the ordinary. Leaving this space made sacred by our presence, take with you at least some seed of understanding, hope and courage and drop it into the confusion of the world....