LITURGY
OF RECONCILLIATION AND HEALING
Opening
sentences
We
meet together because
Jesus
died for each one of us
And
the Holy Spirit calls us to live lives right by God
We
confess our difficulty in forgiving people who have wronged us
And
we seek God’s help to forgive and put behind us injustice to free us to be
healed, restored in ourselves, and in our relationships with others.
In
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Reading:
Matthew 5:43-45
RITE
OF HEALING AND FORGIVENESS
Pebble!
Take a pebble to represent the wrong that has been done to you.
For
the wrongs we have experienced-A moment of quiet
Loving
God, we have been subjected to
Abuse,
unkindness and injustice
By
words and actions directed at us.
These
have affected us deeply
And
we have found it difficult to forgive those who have wronged us.
We
therefore ask for your help to take our pain and anger so we can heal and move
on
Even
though we may not be able to forgive the perpetrator/s
And
they may not even have asked for forgiveness or expressed any remorse.
Loving
Jesus, you were nailed to the tree.
It
was your love that pleaded for your murderers and prayed, “Father, forgive them.”
Help
us, Great God, to grasp something more of your love, to receive your
forgiveness, and to learn to forgive others, as we have been forgiven In Jesus
Name, Amen.
Reading:
Luke 6:27-28
For
wrongs we have done to others- A moment of quiet
So
also Loving God deliver us
From
any hatred and unkindness.
Conscious
or unconscious
From
hardness of heart and bitterness
From
violence, being abusive, being unjust and causing injury to others in word or
deed.
From
being passive
and dishonest
Lord
in your mercy
Forgive
us
We
have hurt each other deeply and tarnished your Name
And
we ask for your forgiveness. In Jesus Name, Amen.
We
place our pebble at the foot of the cross
So
we come to Gods work of healing in our bodies our minds and our souls
PRAYERS
we say together
Loving
God, you are the way of peace.
Come
into the brokenness of our lives with your healing love. Help us to come to you
in true sorrow and to accept one another in real forgiveness.
By
the fire of your Holy Spirit, melt our hard hearts and consume what separates
us.
Fill
us with your love, which will bind us together.
Amen
Light
candles
Song
"Light of the world"
LIGHT
OF THE WORLD
(Each
person holds a lit candle).
Blessing
of the Light
Loving
God, you are the light of the world. Sanctify this light and let it light us
within and give us healing and hope for the future.
With
this light cleanse us from the past
With
this light burn down the walls of division among us.
With
this light let us feel each other’s warmth and drive out the divisions of the
past.
Renew
a zeal in us to build a new community, a new future based on forgiveness.
We
ask you to send your Holy Spirit upon us to enable this to happen. Amen
SHARING
OF THE PEACE
Prayers
of Healing/Anointing with oil
BLESSING
Jesus
you invite us
To
journey with you
Whoever
we are,
With
what we bring
Loaves
and fishes
To
sustain us on our way.
(C)
Pat Nimmo
Adapted
from the South African Council of Churches Liturgy of Reconciliation, Unity and
Equality
