God of beauty, thank you for golds and blues.
Thank you for the yellow golds of poplars and hostas,
thank you for the red golds of oak trees in the sun,
thankyou for the dusty gold of stubble fields.
And for blues: thank you for the deep cobalt blue of the lake,
the bright high blue of the sky
the cloudy blue of a baby’s eyes.
[substitute colours that you see in your location]
Your colours amaze us, as do the textures,
smells, tastes and sounds of this great world.
Thank you for giving us life and breath on this beautiful day.
Thank you for the cycle of birth, growth, decline and death,
followed by birth, growth, decline and death,
the cycle of the seasons,
this circle of life which we are so much a part of,
yet which we understand hardly at all.
Today we pray for the ________ family
as they grieve the loss of their loved one.
Be with the family in this tender time.
Hold them close, fill them with happy memories
and let the funeral be a celebration of a life well-lived.
Comfort them in the weeks and months of sorrow to come.
Help all here who are sorrowing,
all who are filled with anxiety about their health, or about finances.
Thank you that you are our Leader, our Captain,
that you are beside us, helping us find a way through every situation.
We ask for your grace this week in the little things.
The tiny decision of what expression to wear on our face
when we answer a question,
the decision to see this person or that person,
to answer a call or an email, or not to answer it,
what to do with that bit of extra money we have.
We want every decision to be directed by you,
every action for the good of Jesus’ team,
the team of love, the team that cares for others.
We ask for your forgiveness because too often we go our own way.
We want to be our own captain,
we want to do what we want.
We have ended up alone, lonely, unfulfilled.
Thank you that you find us, you save us, you direct and guide us.
Today especially we pray for people who are wondering,
“Whose team am I on? What is life all about?”
Help us to share your good news with everyone we meet,
to share it with words,
to share it with actions,
to share it through the strength of our community,
our gathered group of your people here at [name of your church].
We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.