Thank you, God, for deliverance.
Thank you that ________ has given birth
and that we can hold baby __________ in our arms.
Thank you for this mysterious process of childbirth,
the way a baby is formed and nurtured
tucked away in its mother’s womb.
Thank you for the intimacy of pregnancy,
with all its joy and uncomfortableness.
Thank you for labour pains, which opened a channel
to a new life out in the world.
Thank you that out of pain, new life comes,
out of despair, hope comes in the morning.
Thank you that you are there with us on our hardest journeys.
[Thank you for _______ their partner,
who journeyed with her through this time.]
Now be with _________ as she recovers from the birth,
help her body adjust as hormones change
and as she begins nursing.
Be with baby _________ as they adjust to life on the outside.
protect them from germs and every accident.
Bless the whole family as they begin to know each other,
forging bonds of love that will last a lifetime.
We pray all this in the name of Jesus,
who also took this journey of birth,
and knew the love of a family. Amen.
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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.