A Little Liturgy of Thanks For One Another And All We Have Shared

Opening Sentences

God sets us free:
Calls us in love to the fullness of life.

Christ respects our humanity:
Walks with us in all our struggles.

The Spirit celebrates our moving forward:
Dances ahead of us, leading us on.

It’s Not Easy

O God you know that Christmas isn’t always easy for us –
the birth of a baby
the focus on children.
We want to be free to love the children
of our friends,
our nephews and nieces,
but sometimes we are taken aback
by envy or fear
by anger or longing.
Father, forgive us
And set us free.

Hear the word to us in Jesus Christ.
There is no condemnation for those who believe.
Rise up and live in freedom and hope!
Thanks be to God.

Thanksgiving for One Another

We take a few moments to thank the Lord for one another.

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

The Affirmation

Let us affirm our faith.

We believe that every moment of our life
is important to God.
Every struggle is honoured,
every pain is felt,
every courage is celebrated
and every small victory
is marked with delight.
We believe
that every moment of our life
is held precious,
walked in by Jesus Christ
as though our experience
is worth knowing,
and our choices
are worth making.
We believe
that every moment of our life
could possibly hold
the dancing Spirit of God
as though we are part
of a great adventure,
the loved ones of the passion
whose every moment
could be a moment of grace.

Prayers

In the name of Christ,
who has walked every journey before you
and sees deeply into your heart in understanding,
we announce a new day.
Receive the grace of God
and the peace of the Holy Spirit,
in the name of Christ, Amen.

We anoint one another on the forehead or hand with oil and with the words ‘Receive the grace of God.’

Blessing

Go in peace.
And may the God of grace encircle your soul
God in Christ reach out to touch you
And the Spirit shine light on your path.
Amen