The Grieving – Rowland

As we remember the wonder of Christ’s love,

we know that we are humble and fallible human beings.

When we grieve our failures,

Christ is beside us in that moment

and gives us pardon and strength.

            Silent reflection and confession

Loving God,

when a marriage has ended,

we face an experience of death;

the death of hope for a relationship,

the death of what we saw as our future

the death of an image we had of ourselves

as people who would always honour the commitment

we made before you and our family and friends.

O God, sometimes we are wrong in our beginnings

and sometimes wrong in our endings.

We come into your presence now,

believing that we have faced things

that were too great for us

and knowing that you understand and never forsake us.

We come before you,

the Christ who has entered

all the painful experiences of our life,

and we grieve that, in the complexities of human relationship,

we have failed to sustain our vows.

We have wounded ourselves

and those we love.

Forgive us, O God.

In our brokenness,

we need your healing and your recreating,

your power to restore to us

the hope of the fullness of life.

 

Forgive us, O God.

Readings:

Isaiah 40: 28-31- her scripture for him

Revelation 21:3-5a – his scripture for her

Addressing each other with words of confession and affirmation

Communion

 

Play U2‘s song ‘Grace’

Prayers of Intercession – Rowland

Gracious God,

in you we see the promises of all that is new.

We see the barren earth grow green in the spring

and new leaves when the winter has passed.

We see the generations of humanity, living and dying,

struggling and failing,

despairing and hoping,

held safe by the rock of your faithfulness to us

through the ages.

We pray for all who grieve a loss in their lives this day.

May they be comforted.

We pray for all who are bowed down by guilt or pain

and for all who look to the future with anxiety.

May they experience your loving presence.

 

Specific prayers for the couple

Hold us all in your loving hand, Parent God,

and remind us of the hope to which we are called.

 

Amen.

Blessing:

Play Sammy Horner’s song ‘the blessing’