Gathering Prayer
Gracious God, God of Life, God of Love, God of Compassion,

We give you thanks for your abiding presence and our shared joy that you are our God and we are your people. We give you thanks for the gathering of our knitting/crocheting circle. We give you thanks for the shawls we create. We give you thanks for each other and all those for whom we knit and crochet.

Bless, O God, our time together. Bless our hearts that they might be filled with your Spirit. Bless our hands that they might be touched by your creative power. Bless the work of our hands that the shawls may be filled with your love.

Gather us, Holy One, in your embracing arms. Fill us with your tender mercy. Nurture us with your compassionate presence. Breathe in us the gift of your grace so that our hearts may be your Heart, our hands may be your Hands, and our work may be your Work, now and forever more.
Amen.

Prayers of Blessing for a Completed Shawl

May God’s grace be upon this shawl…
Warming, comforting,
Enfolding and embracing.

May this mantle be a safe haven…
A sacred place of security and well-being…
Sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones.

May the one who receives this shawl
Be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace,
And wrapped in love.

Blessed Be!




Blessings are thrown across our lives
By the Great Creative Spirit
Unfolding the universe,
Knitting us together
In community.
Blessings are thrown
Across your shoulders
Over and over
As you wear this shawl,
Blessings woven in
As yarn was thrown over needles
Over and over as it was created.
May you rest enfolded
In the soft grace
Of this continuous thread,
Interlocking you with all goodness.
Amen.




Closing Prayer and Blessing

Leader of Prayer:
Let us bring our gathering to a close and gather the work of our hands with intention and purpose.

All:
Loving God, as we gaze upon this holy work within our circle, may our hearts be filled by what we see. May we behold you in the steady flow of yarn to needle, in the gentle weight of shawls growing long, in the many colors and textures here before us.

Leader of Prayer:
Let us give voice to the gratitude and love that rest within our hearts.

All:
Generous God, we thank you for bringing us together in this circle.

We thank you for the gifts of knitting and crocheting, and the gift of praying. We thank you for those who have passed on this ancient art to us. We thank you for those who created the yarn, those who brought it to market, those who stocked the shelves and those who have donated to this ministry. We are blessed by the lives of the many people who make our knitting and crocheting possible.

Leader of Prayer:
Let us pray for those who will receive these shawls.

All:
Compassionate God, we ask you to bless all the people for whom these shawls are being created. May these shawls be a reminder of your presence in their lives. May these shawls bring them love and light, hope and joy.

Leader of Prayer:
Let us pray for a safe trip home.

All:
O God, you who watch over us by day and by night, keep us safe from harm. Guide us to our homes with care and love. Be a bright light in our darkness. Grant us rest in the midst of our hectic lives. Bless us; bless those we love; bless especially those in pain and loneliness.
Amen.