WORDS FOR LITURGY
Opening Words
for a Coming of Age Service
If I were able to travel back in time to when I was your age, I would tell myself not to worry—that it is all going to be okay. I would tell myself that stormy sea of emotions will calm, and that I will learn how to surf—even sometimes rule—them. But mostly, I would tell my young self I was worthy—worthy of love, worthy of friendship, worthy of success AND failure, worthy of kindness, worthy of respect.
This is a tender moment, a tender time, as you step into your power. Have courage. Know you are loved.
Opening Words
Like the lily opening at dawn,
our tender hearts turn towards the sun.
Barely believing the miracle of a new day,
we too, open hungrily
for the unearned warmth of its rays.
As we gather together this morning,
may we be open to what nourishes,
vulnerable to transformation,
and ready to receive what we need.
Meditation
I invite you to find yourself in your pew.
Find your sit bones resting evenly on the pew, and your feet gently on the foor
Tune in to your breath. Feel moving in and out of your nostrils, filling your belly.
Come into being here, and now.
Let our minds quiet and focus on (W)Holy Becoming.
Awaken our hearts to our true desire, and our best selves.
Let us know who we are, and see what we hope to become.
May our hands do sacred work and our bodies move to the tune of service. May we remember this every morning, every breath, renewing our commitment to love.
Blessed be.
Prayer
Spirit of Life and Love, Holy One of our Being and our Becoming, that which is Sacred Within, Among, and Beyond Us,
We look to our own inner joy, delight, and desire to know where we are being called. May we learn to trust ourselves, learn that delight is a blessing, not a something shameful. May we be able to distinguish between desire for healing and desire that harms. May we be present to our full selves today, in all our complex aliveness. May we notice the crisp fall air, the beginning flickerings of yellow and orange in the trees, may we hear the crunch of leaves beneath our feet. Let us know the joy and beauty of existence as a counterpoint to tragedy. May we be awake to it all.
May it be so. Amen.
A Prayer
A Prayer
Spirit of Life and Love,
Holy One of our Being and our Becoming,
that which is Sacred Within, Among, and Beyond Us,
We invite you in. You, who goes by many names, and no name, and is beyond all naming. May we make space for something more today. Space in our lives and our hearts for something beyond our separate selves. May we be open to surprise, open to wonder and awe, invite sweeping wind, spirit of life, breath of wonder in to our lives. May we have room for it. And may we have the courage to experience the divine disruption of the moving spirit. May we have the curiosity to be open to the call of holiness, however it comes. May we have the hunger to call it in. Come in, come in, Spirit, Come in.
May it be so.
Joys and Concerns Ceremony
A congregation is a community in which we share in one anothers’ lives. We recognize that our relationships with one another are sacred, and we hold each other in love through celebration and grief.
-
We light a candle for those people and cities rocked by terrorist attacks this week, including:
-
Paris, where people are grieving loss and reeling from violence. We send them our comforting thoughts.
-
Beirut, where people are grieving loss and reeling from violence. We send them our comforting thoughts.
-
Baghdad, where people are grieving loss and reeling from violence. We send them our comforting thoughts.
-
-
We light a candle to celebrate the life and mourn the death of [relative's name], aunt of [congregant], who passed away peacefully last week surrounded by family at the young age of 103. We send our thoughts and prayers to [relative’s] family.
-
We light a candle in hopes for healing for [congregant], who is recovering from eye surgery this week. We send her our comforting thoughts and hopes for healing.
-
We light a candle in celebration for all those with birthdays this month. We are glad you were born.
-
We light a candle in celebration for school personnel appreciation day, which will be this Wednesday, and celebrate all those who have served our children, including our own [congregant].
-
Finally, we light a candle for all those joys and concerns that remain unspoken but still move in our hearts.
Closing Words
The poet and political organizer Arundhati Roy wrote, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” She comes within as love to dwell, she comes without as organizing power. She comes as hope, and justice, art, and song. She is coming.