May we view each other as partners, comrades, friends on the journey

You have given us a day unique from any other.

We are mourning the dead and fighting for the living. We're singing for joy and striving for meaning.

May the invitation of prayer and meditation embrace this holy house and each precious person, moving each and all to connect with a sense of affirmation— sound, movement, or silence— in whatever way your body knows to be true. [chime] Spirit of Life and Love, our hearts are overflowing with...

Spirit of Life, love which holds us, We gather in reverence and thanks for You. We are grateful for the gift of another breath, and for each moment of connection, beauty, and truth. Cry with us in our pain for our world. Remind us that we are loved, just as we are. Remind us that we are connected...

Prayer of Thanks for Hoes & Scythes & Spatulas & Toothbrushes & Binoculars & the Myriad Other Tools & Instruments That Fit Our Hands So Gracefully & Allow Us to Work with a Semblance of Deftitude Lovely little inventions, just right for the job at hand—a lawn edger, for example, or an arrow, or...

In the spirit of community and a sense of purpose in our ministry: Let us commence the discovery of our strengths, our concerns, our grief and our joy. Let this journey be one of love, authenticity and reverence....

O Thou unseen source of peace and holiness, we come into thy secret place to be filled with thy pure and solemn light. As we come to thee, we remember that we have been drawn aside from the straight and narrow way; that we have not walked lovingly with each other and humbly with thee; that we have...

Holy One who has given us the breath of life, Today we remember To breathe deeply To rest To take in To pause before we act… And then to take in another deep breath poised on the edge And risk jumping in Risk taking action Risk speaking up Risk using the gifts we have been given So that at the en...

We ask to have clarity of Spirit come forth into our lives with the power of a mighty wind

Spirit of life, help me remember that all animals belong. Bless the bats for eating mosquitoes. Bless the crows and buzzards for cleaning up the dead, and bless even the snakes, who keep the mice out of the rice. Each of them is important. And each does good in its own way. Blessed be.

From arrogance, pompousness, and thinking ourselves more important than we are, may some saving sense of humor liberate us. For allowing ourselves to ridicule the faith of others, may we be forgiven....

Like most traumatic scars, the ones that are found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are permanent: reminders of the terrible damage human beings can inflict. Similar scars can be found in the hearts and souls of people around the world who understand this terror: scars of grief, sadness, fear and even...

Spirit of Life, known to us in beginnings and endings, In possibilities and promises We give thanks for all that has led to this moment, And all that is yet to come. We give thanks for those who mentored us— The women and men in our lives who were our teachers, Who said the turning words of...

O Mysterious God whose ways are many, we ask for your comfort today. Help us feel your healing spirit as we work with the wounded. Help us feel your life-giving spirit as we work with the dying. Help us feel your spirit of hope as we witness the suffering....

Lord of all being, the longer I walk upon this great green earth the less do I understand my purpose in being here; the less am I able to fathom the reason of my birth and span of life....

Holy One, known by many names -- Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer -- you make your presence known to us in the sunshine of winter, in the dance of the flame, and in the lingering embrace of a trusted one. Fill us this day with your warmth, your power, your strength. Help us to see our lives with a...

Loving God, We pause in the stillness to rest for a moment, to quiet ourselves so that we can feel what stirs within us. Each breath draws us closer to the pulse of life and with each exhalation we make room for something new. May we find in this gathering the comfort of those who care. May we...