Prayers
Beginning To Knit Dedication © 2008 All Rights Reserved
By: Janet Bristow - 2000
Mantle of Love, Healer of Hearts,
I light this candle as a reminder of Your presence as I begin.
I ask a blessing from all who have come before me;
whose hands have been instruments of creation and beauty;
who have used humble tools and hand-spun wool in order to provide cover and warmth for
themselves and those they loved;
who have felt, as I will feel, the yarn in their fingers;
who have seen, as I will see, the growth of the fabric;
who have heard, as I will hear, the click of the needles.
Guide my attention to stay on course.
Hold me close and ground me.
Bless, also, this yarn and these knitting needles.
May any negative energy connected to them be cast away as I cast on;
and all positive energy bound in as I bind off.
In their simplicity, may I find comfort and solace.
Bless my hands...
Often just appendages at the end of my arms...
workers doing their job without appreciation...looked at, yet not really seen.
These instruments of love have done mundane tasks, yet also create beauty.
They reach out, touch, stroke, scrub, lift, grasp, gesture and guide.
These hands, my hands, gifts of great importance,
Blessings be on them and in them as I begin.
May the fruits of their labor be good!
Prayer Of Blessing (blessing for a completed shawl)
© 2008 All rights reserved.
By: Janet Bristow - 2000
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!
Ariadne's Blessing © 2008 All rights reserved.
By: Janet Bristow - 1998
Holy One,
Whose womb is threaded and waiting,guide us to pick up the thread
and walk the spiral through the dark anddifficult passages.
Life Cord,
Who sustains us as we move to our center, give us courageto meet our souls.
Comfort us through our dismantling, wrapped inYour loving embrace.
Mantle of Love,
Rebirth us with Wisdom, as we are knitted onceagain back into wholeness.
Starting Prayer © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Pamela Stiff
Dear Lord,
Take away all my negative thoughts and feelings as I work on this shawl of comfort for ___________. Guide my hands as they work and keep my thoughts positive and centered around her. I make each stitch with love and a prayer in my heart for her comfort, hope, and healing. May __________ feel Your loving arms around her as she wears this shawl and may it represent to her Your power to heal any hurt. Comfort her, Bless her, Heal Her. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen
St. Patrick Church - Starting Prayer - © 2008 All rights reserved
by Darcy Horon -Siepman
Dear Lord, Bless these needles that they stay strong and light so they don't tire the hands that wield them;
Bless this yarn with strength and softness that it will form a cloth of warmth and comfort;
Bless these hands with strength and skill so they may make well crafted gifts;
Bless this heart with strength and perseverance so I will see this work through to bring comfort to those in need;
But most of all dear Lord, Bless the wearer of this cloth with strength and comfort that
their burdens may be lightened and their hearts gladdened with the realization that they are loved.
Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and confirm for us the work of our
hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.
Gathering Prayer and Blessing (for group work) © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Cathleen O'Meara Murtha, DW
www.shawlministry.comAs we gather in community to share our prayer, our stories, the work of our hearts and hands, we pray for God's blessing on our endeavors:
A blessing to my mind - to be free to enter this time of contemplative activity...
A blessing to my hands - to be the source of creating something of beauty and love...
A blessing to my soul - to be open to the promptings of loving and caring...
A blessing to my yarn - to be shaped into patterns of loving and caring...
A blessing to my needles - to be the holders of stitches as they become a whole garment...
A blessing to my knitting - to be a work of heart and hands, body and spirit...
A blessing on the one who will receive the fruit of my prayer and my knitting...
May this shawl be welcomed in the spirit in which it was knitted...
May we become one with the One who knitted each of us in our mother's womb...
I join my blessing, my prayer and my knitting with women all over the earth in this common effort tobring healing and wholeness, comfort and celebration.
Nine Blessings © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Cathleen O'Meara Murtha, DW
www.shawlministry.com
I call nine blessings from above
In the name of God: the creator, the giver of life, the holder of time
In the name of Jesus: the savior, the healer, the lifter of pain.
In the name of the Spirit: the comforter, the consoler, the sustainer of life.
I knit a mantle of caring
I knit a mantle of protection
I knit a mantle of wholeness
I knit a mantle of strength
I knit a mantle of healing
I knit a mantle of patience
I knit a mantle to enfold you
I knit a mantle to encircle you
I knit a mantle to empower you.
Prayer For Healing © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Cathleen O'Meara Murtha, DW
www.shawlministry.com
In the beginning, creating Godde, you formed my being. You knit me together in my mother's womb.
To my flesh and blood you gave the breath of life.
O loving One, renew me this day in your love, grant me life as gift of Your faithfulness;
grant me light to journey by; grant me hope to sustain me.
May this mantle be for me a sign of Your healing presence. May it warm me when I am weary;
may it surround me with ease of my suffering; may it encircle me with caring when I am in pain.
O Christ who healed the broken in body and spirit, be with me and all who suffer this day.
Be with the doctors, nurses, technicians, chaplains and all who care for the sick.
Be with families and friends of those abiding with and comforting the sick.
May Your gentle, yet strong touch reach out to heal all the broken
and hurting people and places in our world.
Prayer For Comfort © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Cathleen O'Meara Murtha, DW
www.shawlministry.com
As you wrap yourself 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 prayer shawl be
a shelter for time of overwhelming grief
a shade in times of sorrow too deep for words
a shield from times of unimaginable loss.
May you be comforted
by 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.
Psalm 139: 13-14
You created every part of me, knitting me in my mother's womb.
For such handiwork, I praise you.
Awesome this great wonder.
Shawl Blessing For Two Uniting © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Betty Breen with Jeanne Grandy & Cathleen O'Meara Murtha, DW
Spring 2002 www.shawlministry.com
In celebration of the love, hopes, and dreams the two of you bring to this new dimension in your relationship-a gift, made for you with love.
As you wrap yourselves in it together, may it be for you a gentle reminder that
You are loved and cherished,
You are gifted and giving,
You share the riches of life experience;
You are knit together with the Creator,
the one who is with you always,
and with all those whose lives touch yours.
May this shawl be for you useful...
For fun, for love, for making up, for making decisions,
For comfort, for warmth
For strengthening your Togetherness.
May love and blessings flow from your new life
together to touch this world anew.
Shawl Blessing For New Birth © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Cathleen Murtha with Jeanne Grandy
www.shawlministry.com
In the beginning, creating Godde, you formed my being.
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
To my flesh and blood you gave the breath of Life.
O loving One, we celebrate this day, gift of your love.
You have granted life as gift of your faithfulness to all generations. Grant your light to journey by; grant your hope to sustain my becoming all that I can be.
Bless my parents and all parenting, that Wisdom will guide your children to will and to work for good to the benefit of all living on this planet home.
May this wrap, whether for nurture, warmth, or security, be a gentle reminder of my prayer and Your presence and love with us always.
New Baby - Shawl Blessing © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Janet Bristow
St. Patrick/St. Anthony Prayer Shawl Ministry
www.shawlministry.com
Loving God,
Bless this woman and this new life birthed into the world.
As she wraps her baby into this shawl, may she too, be enfolded in Your unconditional, motherly embrace.
Precious these two lives, forever bonded to each other - to You!
Bless too, this child's father... provider, protector, and guardian. As his child grows,
may he be given the strength, compassion, and tenderness needed to be the best role model
he can be.
Surround this family with comfort,
Wrap them in peace,
Bundle them securely in love,
Cradle them with hope in the future.
May their days together grow in joy, guided by Your tender, maternal love,
blessing this family through all the generations.
Amen
Prayer Shawl for Expectant Mother of Twins © 2008 All rights reserved
Good Shepherd Parish - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Prayers and loving thoughts were woven into the stitches of this prayer shawl as it was crocheted for you.
May it be a sign of God’s constant caring presence and His abiding love.
May it remind you to be ever thankful for your unique God given gifts.
May it remind you of the answer to your prayers, this miracle of new life.
May it encircle you with warmth and comfort when you are tired and stressed.
May hosts of angels surround and protect you and the babies at the time of birth.
May God’s generous blessings be bestowed on you and the unborn twins as it warms you.
May God bless you as new parents and grant you strength and wisdom along the way.
In wonder and thanksgiving, may you enjoy watching your precious little family grow.
Enjoy the shawl made with love, hugs and prayers,
And remember to trust in the Lord.
Prayer Shawl for Twins (name, or Baby) © 2008 All rights reservedGood Shepherd Parish - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Prayers and loving thoughts were stitched into this Prayer Shawl as it was made just for you.
May it be a sign of God’s constant presence and His abiding love.
May it remind you to be thankful for the precious gift of life you received and grateful for your unique God given talents.
May it remind you to treasure your parents and loving circle of family and friends.
May it surround you with warmth and comfort when you are weary.
May it be a mantle and sign of God’s healing presence when you are sick.
May hosts of angels surround and protect you as babies (a baby) and as you grow into adulthood.
May God continue to bless you and grant you strength and wisdom along the way.
May you (both) be blessed with good health in body, mind and soul with a kind, loving heart.
Enjoy your shawl made with love, hugs and prayers,
And remember to trust in the Lord.
PRAYER OF BLESSING (for pets)
(adapted from prayers by J. Bristow & S. Jorgensen; www.shawlministry.com)
May God's grace be upon this garment of prayer...
Warming, comforting, and embracing.
As you gently wrap this around your beloved pet,
May you both be surrounded by love knit into it,
enfolded by comfort and prayer,
graced with peace,
and kept in eternal life,
Knowing that our Lord has a special place in His heart for the animals created by His hand.
Amen.
Opening Prayer ©
2008 All rights
reserved
Written By: Cynthia D. Yee
West Avon Congregational Church
www.shawlministry.com
Jesus spoke to them, saying,
"I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness
but will have the light of life."
Gracious and loving God, as we light our candle we remember
Your Light which shines into darkness,
Your Son whose life, death and resurrection gives us hope,
Your Spirit which permeates every corner of our lives.
Be present here as we knit these shawls and enjoy each other's company.
We remember all those for whom we knit these shawls:
Those who are lonely and need to know they are loved,
Those who are ill and yearn for healing of body, mind and spirit,
Those who face challenging
decisions and search for guidance,
Those who are grieving and welcome comforting words and actions,
Those who are celebrating newness of life and rejoice in the warmth and
richness
surrounding them.
Again
Bind us together in one community of love, founded on the faith that Your love and grace are everlasting. Amen
Prayer used for opening the gathering of The Prayer Shawl Ministry
at West Avon Congregational Church.
In Celebration of the Group's Second Anniversary.
© 2008 All rights
reserved
Written By: Kay M. Donnelly
West Avon Congregational Church 5/13/02
www.shawlministry.com
Our Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to gather together and
celebrate our ministry. We've been blessed with the opportunity to share
our love and concern for others through something tangible - the prayer shawl.
We come in joy tonight recognizing our second anniversary,
and pray for our continued mission in the years to come.
Please give us your blessing as we daily reach out to others
and spread the word of Love.
Opening Prayer © 2008 All rights reserved
By: MJ Pattison - New Life Presbyterian Church - Rochester, NY
(prayer to be read after reading Psalm 90)
O Lord, indeed, establish thou the work of our hands
bless these new and empty knitting needles
so that they may become instruments of prayer and meditation.
As we fill them may our hearts be filled with the ones we hold dear
who need your special providence and embrace.
For those of us who are learning something new, give us perseverance
as we remember those who courageously face what they did not choose.
For those of us who are making sacred a hobby and a joy,
give us patience and gratitude as we pray for our friends who
inspire us with their patience and gratitude in the face of suffering
and the fear of losing life.
O Lord, establish thou the work of our hands
as we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Who know all the suffering we can know because he took it upon
himself for our sakes. - Amen
Prayer When In Doubt © 2008 All rights reserved
By: Ruby Ouelette -CT
(To my Mother, whose perseverance and wisdom while battling cancer
gave me the strength to write this poem God's speed - I love you!)
Oh, angel of mine please hear my prayers,
give me strength and remove my fears.
My heart is heavy and I'm having doubts,
I'm asking you please help me out.
I'm not asking for a sign just a little love
between your heart and mine.
I know you are with me every night,
guide me so I know what I do is right.
In loving memory of Mary Ouelette
June 25, 1947 - July 4, 1998
The Healing Shawl
Co-Authors Marilyn Maxen and Carol Wertheimer - © 2008 All rights reserved
I woke as the dark began to fade
A ray of light played on the shade
I'm surrounded by a warm, soft glow
It is love...that I know.
It's not the love of my youthful days
But the love of a stranger far away.
She knitted for me a healing shawl
And prays for strength if I should fall.
These silky strands which embrace my soul
Surround me with love and make me whole
Below this warm fabric lay the depth of it's meaning
Healing and love is what it is bringing
The love of strangers, family and friends
Nourish my body and urge it to mend.
Prayer for All - © 2008 All rights reserved Tish Hoar
Dear Lord, please bless these needles of mine.
That I may make a shawl of strength, faith,
health and love. Give this shawl the ability to comfort,
the ability to heal, the ability to give strength
where it is needed and of your will it to be.
May the recipient be able to know that you are with
them and that they are not alone.
That they are cared for and loved and prayed for.
That your loving arms are around them,
to protect them for whatever reason they should need,
whenever they put this shawl on.
Lord, thank-you for the
blessings that this shawl is given. Amen.
Prayer for Shawl Ministry - Closing Prayer
- ©
2008 All rights
reserved
Good Shepherd Parish - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
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 your 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.
A Shawl Maker's Prayer
© 2008 All rights reserved - By Diane Burgess
Dear Lord; Bless my hands as I knit 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.
A prayers from the Bahai faith:
Submitted by: Sandra Klassen
Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy.
Nearness to Thee is my hope and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to
me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world yet to come.
Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
2nd prayer: submitted by: Sandra Klassen
Is there any remover of difficulties save God? Say praise be God!
He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding!
Blessings For You
- © 2008 All rights reserved Tish
There is many blessings in this shawl I made for you,
It starts with a prayer and some yarn (with a lot of help from the Lord too),
As hours go by and your shawl has grown,
I pray all the prayers and blessings for you and hope you will have known,
That someone cares and thinks of you,
Like The Lord above and me too.
There is a lot of Blessings in this shawl I made for you,
It ends with a prayer and some yarn and gifted with Blessings anew.
From the Lord and me and delivered to you.
The Divine Knitter - © 2008 All rights reserved
Sister Theresa Ann, cps
The Divine Knitter
The pattern selected,
the color chosen,
the Knitter rejoices
in loving
anticipation.
Jesus,
The Knitter sits
silently
casting on the yarn,
touching
with reverence
its texture,
feeling
its softness
flowing
through His fingers.
I, the pattern
I, the yarn
held
in loving anticipation.
I am
Being knit
Into being.
Into the Image
and
Likeness of God.
God, Who delights in
My unfolding,
God, Who finds joy
In the shawl
I am
Becoming.
Jesus,
The knitter,
Loves me,
Cherishes me
Holds me
Close to His heart.
For
I am the shawl
The work of
His hands.
BORNE
By Janet Bristow © 2008 All rights
reserved
4/2005
www.shawlministry.com
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, a shawl skeins of yarn. Wings to fly above troubled waters
~~~Envelopment is from Solace~~~
~~~~~~~~~ unfurled ~~~~~~~~
Shelter Peace
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Comfort Rest
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Security Sacred
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Warmth
Provena St. Mary's Praying Hands Shawl
Ministry - Praying Hands Crafters
Kankakee, IL
Beginning Prayer: "God, bless the work of my hands, may it bring
joy to the wearer and
peace to the crafter. May the person who receives this shawl feel your
loving embrace. May this shawl be a tangible prayer and blessing. Amen"
© 2008 All rights
reserved
Prayer Tag that is packaged with the shawl:
"This shawl was crafted with prayers for your healing-Body, Mind &
Spirit. As you wear this shawl may you feel the warm embrace of our
Heavenly Father."
© 2008 All rights
reserved
Good God! © 2008 All rights reserved
~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 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 knit through the creation of the 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!
Say a Little Prayer - © 2008 All rights reserved
Written by: Tish H.
Say a Little Prayer
As I start this shawl I say a little prayer.
In hopes this shawl will be worn,
And not thrown neatly on a chair.
I say a little prayer that the Lord grants
your intentions that only you know.
I hope this shawl gives you comfort
where ever you go.
So, when you are happy, sad or you think
no one cares.
Wrap this shawl around you and say a little prayer.
Hope, Faith and Love is in each stitch I make
from beginning to end.
And with all the prayers I pray with this shawl that I send.
I pray that you know that the Lord is always there.
As I am finished with this shawl I say a little prayer.
Heavenly Father...............you who know the deepest desires of our
hearts.............to encourage..........to nurture.............to soothe
the weary worn travelers of this earth. As we wait expectantly for the
return of your Son, Jesus.......................we create these shawls
with purpose. Purpose to lift the heavy loads and burdens from the
backs of the bearers. With each stitch that is made, let it be a
representation of the love that flows freely from the throne room of
grace. Merciful Redeemer..............gives us the were withal to
accomplish this labor of love. Bless every part of our being, so that
we are able to create one shawl after another, never growing weary.
Let all be done to Your Honor and Glory.................in the Precious
Name of Your Son, Jesus.
Submitted by......................June Gauthier © 2008 All rights
reserved
www.shawlministry.com
Baha'i Healing Prayer © 2008 All rights reserved
Submitted by: Adair L. of Woodbridge, CT
"Thy Name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy.
Nearness to Thee is my hope,
and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world
and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, he All-Wise." Baha'u'llah
Prayer Shawl Tag
Prayer Written By: Gena Kathka, March 16, 2006
© 2008 All rights reserved www.shawlministry.com
This shawl was made just for you
To bring comfort
To know you are loved
To share in your joy
This shawl is to wrap you up
When you're cold
When you're hurting
When you need to snuggle
This shawl was knitted or crocheted
With Blessings
With Love
With Prayers
Made By _______________
Prayer Shawl Prayer
© 2008 All rights reserved
By Chuck Svihlik
Dear God, with You all things are possible
Bless these hands as they attempt to create this shawl,
may they do Your Bidding, and when complete may this shawl
give warmth and comfort to who ever receives it.
Let it be filled with Your Love. Amen
P.S. Chuck's wife Marianne uses this prayer when making shawls with her loom.
Prayer For Healing - By Sandy Mann © 2008 All rights reserved
Guided by God’s love for us, this shawl is knit for you.
Healing, strength and peace, to bless upon your spirit true.
Wrap yourself in warmth and love, entwined in every stitch.
Prayers said to God above, please heal, mend and enrich.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, intoned throughout the shawl.
Triune blessings knit within it, best wishes from us all.
A Simple Prayer - By Michele Maclure © 2008 All rights reserved
May this prayer shawl enfold you in warmth, comfort, healing and peace.
Prayer for the Seriously Ill by Leslie Hay
This Prayer Shawl was made for you, ………………., with hope
for your swift recovery, and complete healing in the name of the
Lord, Jesus Christ. May it warm you when you are chilled, and
comfort you when you are feeling down. And may God bless you
with His healing touch.
With Love and Blessings
…………………….
THE PRAYER SHAWL
I wrap the prayers of warmth and love around your weary frame,
Praising, thanking God for the gift of you as
I pray your name.
Every stitch sends forth a plea that Joy will fill your soul.
On and on the needles fly making a
pattern of prayer gold.
The shawl takes on a holiness for prayer
is wrapped inside,
It is so soft and warm , a place where
You can hide.
It then becomes a prayer itself, this pain
that you endure,
And it rises with love’s incense, sacred ,warm and sure.
So as you wrap the shawl around may you feel my
Presence there.
I may not sit beside you but I am no farther than a prayer.
PEACE AND LOVE
JEAN QUIGLEY
OCTOBER , 2004
Used with permission by the author
From the book: To Dance with Daffodils
On Earth, content, but spiritually rich!
Love and prayers in every stitch!
For you, I made this shawl
To use as through this life you walk –
Your private "closet", as you talk
To God, whose promise sure,
Keeps your secret things secure.
He is God over all.
Written by: Netagene in Birmingham
Age 63, became legally blind at age 59,
but sufficient usable sight to still knit and crochet.
|
A Knitted *insert
name* Comfort
insert name
= insert your
ministry/group's
Each strand of colour and texture
represents the members of *insert
name*.
The cast on row represents your
new found strong foundations.
Your empowerment, firmly
holding all together.
Each stitch entwines the colour of life
embowed, entwined within just as we are
altogether and connected,
linked forever more.
Each row is another step you take,
higher up than the first.
They represent our arms supporting you.
The last row, the cast off row
represents one of letting go,
releasement.
All these form a massive big
healing hug from all at *insert
name*.
May you feel the love for you
as you wrap yourself in this gentle hug.
Now for you, always to keep.
Love from all at *insert
name*
Copyright by
LittleFeathers2
aka Gloria
Currie - UK
27th Jan '07
|
Prayer to be said while knitting
By: Marti Belknap- Cardiff, CA Fall 2008
Bless this shawl that it may be
filled with healing energy.
_____(name)_____ is in my heart today
as I knit and as I pray.
May each stitch be filled with care,
comfort, strength, and warmth to share.
May the love in every row
help God’s sacred healing flow.
Beginning Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You are Alpha and Omega. You know our yesterdays, todays and
tomorrows.
Be with us now as we work together to bring your comfort and strength to those
who are in need.
We lift up the names of those who have received a shawl.
We lift up the names of those will receive a shawl in progress.
We lift up the names of those who will need a shawl in the future.
Be their tower of strength.
Be by their side.
Be their peace and comfort.
Bless our work as we knit and crochet these tangible gifts that will surround
your children with your love.
Amen
Written submitted by Donna Saltzberg
Trinity Presbyterian Church Prayer Shawl Ministry
Shoreline, WA
Shawls of Hope Candle Lighting
© 2008 All rights reserved
Written By: Helen Knowles
http://www.shawlsofhope.piczo.com
Intro
We have entered the Season of Advent, known for candle lighting ceremonies &
symbolism.
Therefore, I have chosen to begin our gathering with the lighting of five candles,
each symbolic of a significant aspect to shawl ministry.
First Candle
We light this candle for our shawl recipients & their families. Their names are
as follows.
Second Candle
We light this candle for potential recipients & those we haven’t yet been
identified …. the sick, the bereaved & the troubled.
Third Candle
We light this candle for shawl ministry around the world & for its founders.
Fourth Candle
We light this candle for Shawls of Hope, our knitters, the work of our
hands & our ongoing ministry.
Fifth Candle
The fifth candle is the Candle of Hope, which we light on the first Sunday of
Advent.
The Old Testament prophets were hoping for a Messiah, so their prophesies were
fulfilled in the humble Bethlehem birth. Hope is like a light shining in a dark place.
As we light this candle, we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ. As well,
we celebrate the hope, that shawl ministry inspires in
recipients around the world.
Prayer
Loving & generous God, we thank you for the opportunity of sharing in this
unique ministry,
for unique opportunities to work & pray together, as well as unique opportunities
to express our love & concern for others. Bless the fellowship we share, the work of our
hands & the lives of those for whom we create. Grant them
Your comfort, hope & encouragement. Amen.
Author Vicky Dawson writes; "I was knitting all the positive energy into a prayer shawl
during a Celtic Spirituality retreat and this prayer just flowed into my mind."
God in the clicking of the needles;
God in the yarn,
God in my fingers and hands.
God in the intentions.
God in the Ewe.
God in the weaving, for the sake
of Your Peace.
God's Peace in the making
Christ's Peace in the giving
The Spirit's Peace in the receiving.
Amen, Amen, Amen
With prayers for showers of blessing
from blue skies
and sunshine
and just enough clouds for rosy sunrises.
This poem went with a prayer shawl I crocheted while I was visiting my aging
parents. I'd used yellow
and blue and white, my favorite colors, crocheting horizontally so all the colors would be visible to the wearer.
I ran out of white just inches from the end of the row, so I asked Daddy if I might use some yarn from his stock.
He graciously granted permission, and I chose pink. Beth Hoffmann, Waukesha, WI
It is important to us that the origins of this ministry be honored. The information on this site is provided freely for your personal use.
If you would like to duplicate, distribute, or display any part of this material you must contact the Shawl Ministry first.
All copied material should have the Shawl Ministry web address (www.shawlministry.com) and credit given to its authors. © 2008
Click here to submit your prayers for consideration.
