GIFTS
Prayer Shawls
PRAYERS
PRAYER TO BEGIN:
Loving and generous God, we thank you for the opportunity of sharing in this unique ministry,
For unique opportunities to work and pray together,
as well as unique opportunities to express our love and concern for others
Bless the fellowship we share, the work of our hands, and the lives of those for who we create.
Grant them Your comfort, hope and encouragement. Amen.
A SHAWL MAKERS’ PRAYER:
Dear Lord: Bless the work of my hands today. May each twist of the yarn guide me to create a pattern of love and comfort in my work and remind me of Your ultimate protection.
Wrap me in Your Spirit so that I will be more caring towards those in need.
Grant me patience as I create this shawl. And bless my handiwork as it travels to bring comfort and peace to someone in need of Your warming embrace. Amen.
GOOD GOD! (A Shawl Maker’s Prayer):
Good God!
Guide me through the:
knots,
kinks,
dropped stitches,
split yarn,
shredded fringe,
dye lot mismatches,
pattern mistakes,
errors,
and the myriad of other “issues”
that get in the way
of my centeredness!
Help me to see that these annoyances:
knotted emotions
kinked plans
dropped dreams
split relationships
shredded hopes
mismatched friendships
mistaken assumptions
errant goals
are actually metaphors of life!
As I create this shawl, I gratefully acknowledge and accept
the imperfections, weaving
them into my prayers and intentions
for the one who will be wrapped in and
Blessed by it all!!!
PRAYER OF BLESSING (Blessing for a completed shawl): [By: Janet Bristow - 2000]
May God’s grace be upon this shawl ...
Warming, 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.
PRAYER FOR CLOSING:
Dear Lord,
We thank you for the generous gifts we have received
and ask for your continued blessings on our homes and families.
May the Holy Spirit guide us as we share of our time, talents,
prayers and love in this Prayer Shawl Ministry.
We also ask you blessings on the recipients of the shawls
that they may feel comforted by Your steadfast love
and if possible that their health be restored.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
PRAYER FOR COMFORT:
As we wrap you in the prayer shawl of comfort ...
May the Mother of Mercy, the Father of Faithfulness,
and the Spirit of Compassion
Wrap you in their all-encompassing love this day.
May you find comfort
from all that appears too much to bear at this moment
from all that feels as if it might be the breaking point
from all that seems to threaten your peace of heart.
May this shawl be
a shelter for time of overwhelming grief
a shade in times of sorrow too deep for words
a shield from time of unimaginable loss.
May you be comforted
be the presence of those who love and support you
by faith in the eternal Loving One
by the memories of what you hold most dear.
May you be strengthened
in your daily comings and goings
in your tentative new beginnings
in your unfolding new memories.
Blessings of the Angel of Comfort be with you
and all you love now and forevermore.
