Here is a litergy that I wrote for a friend a little while ago, but lately it has felt very appropriate for not only her life, but also mine and many others in my circle so I wanted to share it.
*Lord, God you are Alpha and Omega,
beginning and the end
You are God of our beginnings
You are God of our endings
*God of the ending
*God who causes the sun to set
And the leaves to fall from the trees
*God who inspires the caterpillar to crawl into the cocoon
And the tides to rise and recede
You are in the endings
*May we be a people who end well
*This is a day of ending
We mourn together for that which will not be again.
(silence)
*We say goodbye to the years that have past,
And thank you for the years gone by
*We thank you for your presence
*We thank you for your guidance and provision
*We thank you for your love
We thank you for the work of your spirit
*We thank you for the mystery of cocooning,
*The darkness of uncertainty,
*The tears of yesterday.
*We thank you for the beauty of the setting sun,
the wonder of your presence in our midst,
the laughter that has been.
*May we never forget where we’ve been and where we come from
*May we honor the past that has been,
But move forward in power and freedom
*God of endings, break clean the ties that hold us down,
tear loose the chains that bind us
And set us free to fly into new beginnings
*God of the beginning
*God who causes the sun to rise
And flowers to blossom in new life
*God who inspires butterflies to burst forth into the sky
And the tides to rise and recede
You are in the beginnings
*May we be a people who begin well
*This is a day of beginning
We sing together for that which is yet to come
(silence)
*Together we welcome the coming tide of change
and look forward to the years to come
*We look forward to your presence with us
*We look forward to your guidance and provision
*We look forward to your love
We look forward to the work of your spirit.
*We thank you for the mystery of new birth,
*The lightness of your presence,
*The freedom of tomorrow.
*We thank you for the beauty of the new dawn,
the wonder of your presence in our midst,
the laughter which is to come.
*May we move forward in strength into that which is yet to be
*May we lean into your leading in our lives,
Move us forward in power and freedom
*God of beginnings, break clean the ties that hold us down,
tear loose the chains that bind us
And set us free to fly into new beginnings
*Alpha and Omega, you are God of All
*Be God of this new season. Amen.
* change readers
Bold read in unison
Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman
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Beth Stedman. wife. mommy. daughter. friend. homemaker. sinner. believer. writer. cook. dreamer. artist. yogi. photographer. expat. 



3 Comments
This is fabulous! I am working on a litany for the retirement of a church musician. Mind if I borrow some of this?
Sharon, of course not. Feel free to use it!
Thanks!