May I become at all times, both now and forever A protector of those without protection A guide for those who have lost their way A ship for those with oceans to cross A bridge for those with rivers to cross A sanctuary for those in danger A lamp for those without light A place of refuge for thos...

The human spirit has enormous resilience. But it is pushed to the limit by grief following the tragedy we have witnessed: sudden and unexpected death, the loss of so many lives. These vicious attacks defy our understanding. It hurts. We grieve....

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is sadness, joy; where there is darkness, light....

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....

Source of Life who is known by many names; Over-turner and illuminator of hearts; We gather with gratitude for the earth and all who journey in it. We give thanks for the interconnectedness of all creation....

Spirit of Love, we pray for all your people. For people who are blind and cannot see and for those who can see but are blind to people around them Spirit, in your mercy, help us touch each other....

Spirit of Life, known by many names yet by no name fully known—we gather today with hopes and dreams and also with fears and wounds... [briefly name some of the things lifted up during the candles of joy and sorrow]. May we be reminded that all things come and go; that today’s joys and today’s...

Let us join our hearts and minds in the quiet of meditation and prayer. How shall we pray? First, let us be open to the silence. Let us hear the sounds in this room, the noises outside, and the comfortable murmur from the children downstairs. Let us begin to hear the soft beating of our hearts....

We invoke thy gentlest blessings, God, on all true lovers. We praise thee for the great longing that draws the souls of two persons together. We thank thee for the revealing power of love, and the glory of joyous celebrations. We thank thee for the universal ritual of sharing—sharing of love, and...

Universal Spirit of love, O God within each one of us, whose power reaches to the stars, whose love connects us one to another and to all creation—we are one. We cry out with the pain of this broken world. With all our capacity for love, we ask: why can't we wrap this world in love and bring...

Shall we pray? Too often, God, we have ignored you. We have lived as though you didn't matter. We have denied the new life that you would have us embrace; we have perpetuated that which depletes life. Forgive us for hesitating when we knew action was the needed response. Forgive us also for...

Spirit who is all things to us; Presence in which we live and move and breathe and have our being: What a gift to be here together, sharing our food, our spirit, ourselves! We ask no blessing upon this food, nor upon ourselves, because the blessing is always here, if we but pay attention....

Spirit of Life, The beginning of the holiday season is filled with temptations to conspicuous consumptions, and pleas for generosity. The contrasts between the values represented by this time of year, and our ability to fulfill them, remind us how great the distance can be between aspirations and...

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...

Spirit of life and love, your prophet Isaiah called us to worship you by freeing the oppressed, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and housing the homeless. Your follower St. Francis cried out, "Make me an instrument of Thy peace." Jesus instructed us to love our neighbors—and our enemies—as...

[In this difficult time of war and destruction,] We call to our minds today the life of a man of peace, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We pray that like Dr. King, we may have the courage to live our convictions even in the face of overwhelming opposition....

Spirit of Life whom we have called by many names in thanksgiving and in anguish— Bless the poets and those who mourn Send peace for the soldiers who did not make the wars but whose lives were consumed by them Let strong trees grow above graves far from home Breathe through the arms of their...

Spirit of creative good, be with us when we are afraid. Grant us the courage to do what we have to do. Grant us the peace that passes understanding. When we fail to find courage, or peace, May we find compassion for our brothers and sisters who also fail. May we sometimes win the prizes that we...

Source of life and death, ground of all being, Spirit of our spirits, whose we are in life and in death—Life itself is the great mystery and death a part of it. In truth we know not the one nor the other. We live and die in the mystery of being from moment to moment till at the end we merge with...

Oh power of springtime, Spirit of green grasses and warm breezes; Goddess of creativity of birth of life renewed You sing all about us at this time. The birds call your sacred name. Buds burst forth with your vestment....