Slow Down

We Sing

Gather your people, O God, here in this time and this place.
As we wait, as we hope, as we long for your coming, O God.

© 2006, Monica Brown. Published by Emmaus Productions
All rights reserved. Used with permission.

We Gather

God of all times and places, life is full of things we would like to avoid: we don’t want our family to struggle; people we love are not supposed to be hurting; people we care about are not supposed to die. If salvation promises us a way to make sense of all of this, then help us to reach for the salvation you say is nearer to us now than ever before. Is now the moment? Amen.

We Listen

Psalm 139: 14

I thank you, High God – you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration – what a creation!

We Reflect

Have you stopped recently to notice quite how wonderful the world is that God created? So often we rush through life at such a pace that we simply miss the beauty of birdsong, the many dappled colours of creation, the intricate detail of the created world.

We Pray

Praise God for the wonder of the world God has created.

We Act

Look carefully at a piece of holly or at a pinecone. Take time to notice its shape, its texture and its colours.

We Bless

We sign ourselves with the sign of our faith as we pray:

May God, Creator, bless us.
May God, Redeemer, heal us.
May the Holy Spirit enlighten us and give us all we need.
Amen.

We Go

Ready the way, ready the way, ready the way of the Lord.
Ready the way, ready the way, ready the way of the Lord.

© 2004, Curtis Stephan. Published by Oregon Catholic Press.
All rights reserved. Used with permission.