Lord God, Heavenly Father, God who creates me, God who has redeemed me, God who sustains me...

Give me strength, give me wisdom, give me courage, give me skill. Fill me with your love, your boundless love. As your Son Jesus took up a whip to cleanse the temple, driving from it all that was not of you, be with me tonight as I take up the whip.

Be with r. Give him strength, and courage, and fortitude, and charity. Give him the trusting heart he will need to allow me to take him to the center of himself. Guide my hands and my heart to be for him the one who will lead him on his journey.

I am only a man. I am beset with fear and doubt and trouble. Anything I build is like a castle in the sand, it will pass away. But you are the Eternal One. Anything you do through me will never fade away. For awhile tonight, let r. and I step outside of this world of sorrow, toil, and woe. Let us dance with angels. Let us see your face in each other. Let us drink from springs of living water, so that we will never be thirsty again.

Thank you, Lord God, for the gift of your love, for the gift of myself, and for r.'s great gift to me. With each gift comes a task. Let me bring your love to others. Let me be more fully who I am, the child of God that you created me to be. Let me do honor to the great gift that r. will give me.

Blessed be God.
Blessed be his Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus, the only begotten son of God, our Emmanuel, God With Us.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, God's Help For Us.
Blessed be the Holy Angels.
Blessed be the Communion of the Saints.
Blessed be the earth, God's own creation.

I am persuaded to believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Neither heights, nor depths, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor principalities, nor even the efforts of the Evil One.

This I pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.