blessing – Wandering and Wondering

Gravestone Blessing

I have been asked to bless a gravestone. The funeral was almost a year ago now. The family would like the “service” to be relatively brief.

Here is what I will offer. I hope that it might help you if you are asked for such a liturgy yourself. I had a hard time coming by one online, so perhaps this may inspire you.

The opening and the benediction are original pieces with the prayers coming from AI after I fed the entirety of the memorial liturgy into it to create the blessing.

Blessing of a Gravestone

WELCOME AND PURPOSE
We are here today to bless the headstone that marks the resting place of [Name]—wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

We are here to again remember and give thanks for her life,
and to honor the grief and the loss that still sits in our hearts as a result of her death.

We come knowing time goes on,
and not wanting to forget her or let her be forgotten.

This is a day of marking this space and this place in her name.
This is a day to remember the love that she imparted and the life that she lived.

Throughout history, stones have been a way to mark the final resting places of those we love.
In fact, some say that the placing of rocks upon the graves of those we love marks a turning point in human evolution:
a point where emotion and connection overtook utility.

Over time, simple acts to mark a grave were enhanced with more formal commemorative markers—
meant not just for those who already knew the one who had died,
but also to proclaim who they were to the world for all time.

One of the earliest burials in our sacred story comes from Genesis 35,
where Jacob buries his wife Rachel and sets a stone to honor and remember her.
The scripture says:
“So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem),
and Jacob set up a pillar at her grave. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.”

And so today, we bless this stone which has been set in honor of our beloved [Name].

PRAYER
O God,
We pray for your presence in this place,
for your Spirit to rest upon this stone,
and for your love to surround all who gather here.

Bless this marker, O Holy One,
that it may stand as a witness to a life well-lived—
a life of beauty, of kindness, of devotion,
of gardens tended and homes made warm,
of dogs rescued and meals prepared,
of love poured out in quiet, steady ways.

Let this stone be a signpost of memory,
a place where grief is honored and love is rekindled.

May it speak not only of death,
but of the life that continues in those who remember,
and in the communion of saints that surrounds us still.

MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE
Let us take a moment to be still—
to remember [Name]’s laughter, her labor, her love.
To recall the way she made a house a home,
the way she moved through the world with purpose and grace,
and the way her life continues to shape our own.

(Silence)

BLESSING OF THE STONE

Holy and Loving God,
by your mighty power you gave us life,
and in your love you have given us new life in Christ.
We now bless this stone,
set here in memory of [Name].

May it stand as a testimony to her life and legacy,
a place of peace for those who mourn,
and a reminder that nothing—not even death—can separate us from your love.

May all who pass by this place feel the warmth of her spirit,
the strength of her devotion,
and the beauty she cultivated in every corner of her life.

Benediction
May this gravestone stand as a reminder to all of [Name]’s love and life,
and may each of you be living stone, which also speaks of her to the world.
In her honor,

may you go and live life to the fullest,
enjoying nature, each other, and each day that you are blessed to continue to walk this earth.
May her memory live through you and may it continue to be a blessing to you.
Go with God’s blessing and peace. AMEN

A Blessing for Your Journey

For those times when goodbyes are necessary, it is important to mark the occasion so that the community can both celebrate and grieve.

You are each a blessing.
We have been richer for your presence.
We are thankful for the time you have shared in this gathered body.
A part of us weeps at your absence,
but a greater part of us celebrates with you as you take this next step in life.

As we send you off, we offer you this blessing:

Go with our love in your hearts.
Go knowing you have made an impact here.
Go knowing you will always be a part of us.
Go with our blessings—

May God bless you and keep you as you reestablish your roots.
May you build community and find a new church home.
May you create new memories and be filled with joy
as you grow into your new life.
And as you are blessed, may you share that blessing
with all whom you meet.

We send you with love.
We send you with hope.
We send you with our support, if ever you need it.
May God watch over you,
and may this be a wonderful new adventure.

Amen.

You go with our blessing—and our love goes with you.

An Easter Blessing / Devotional

I thought this was such a wonderful idea that I asked the deacon of my church if I could share it. She said, “of course!”

At each of our deacon meetings, we start with a devotional or simple prayer. She entwined the two by having us each choose an egg. Inside each egg was a delicious piece of chocolate or jelly beans and a tiny little scroll that she tied closed with a piece of the green grass.

On each of the small scrolls was a line of blessing that when read in any order created a beautiful prayer.

It didn’t matter if all the eggs were taken or only some. It didn’t matter who started or who ended. The prayer in the form of a blessing just continued to unfold.

What blessings can you think of:

May we . . . .

May God . . . .

May the world . . .

Blessed to be a blessing

“I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:2-3

Can you imagine a world where we walked around consciously blessing one another and the world around us? Might this simple act deflate the tensions and anxiety that pervade our society. Could you imagine if we sought to find the holy chard (tikkun olam) that everyone and everything contained? or sought the holy fingerprint of the potter himself (Isaiah 64:8)?

What would it mean to begin to see the world as holy, to act as if it were, and to encourage it to be so? The act of blessings is an ancient practice that perhaps we should reinstitute. Doing so does not require an act of congress, nor a majority vote, it simply means that you and I make it so. Maybe, if we are lucky, the practice will grow.

Step one is simply to look with new eyes and see the beauty before us (Remember beauty is not always external; and beauty is not always what society names it to be.).

Step two is to name what you see or what you hope to see. If I were blessing my fireplace this morning, I might offer a blessing for the many days of warmth that it has brought to my house allowing me to be comfortable and to invite friends and family within. If I were blessing a person, I might offer a hope, “May this new year offer you opportunity and growth. May you find your footing, feel your strength, and be granted the courage to live fully into who you were meant to be.”

Step three is to share your blessing. You may say it quietly to God, say it aloud to the another person, or maybe take a moment to drop a note or a text to let them know that you are thinking about them. You might even post it on social media.

Blessings can also be done quietly within your heart as a prayer to God. I started to bless my feet in the morning after my mother passed away. She had thrown blood clots in her legs which subsequently caused an unhealing foot wound and caused the loss of several toes. My kids even were known to refer to her as Grandma Boo Boo Foot because, in their memory, she could never wear two shoes and usually need the assistance of a wheelchair. So now when my feet hit the floor I try to remember that even getting up in the morning and standing is not a blessing that everyone is afforded.

A Blessing for Feet

I wiggle them awake

and say, “Thank you!”

I touch them to the ground

and say, “Thank you!”

I press my weight upon them

and say, “Thank you!”

“Thank you little toes

and feet

and ankles.

Thank you phalanges

and metatarsals

and navicular bone.

Thank you to my muscles

and my tendons

and all the nerves

that go into each step I take.

Thank you God for my feet.

Bless them as they carry me through my day.

AMEN

NOTE: All rights are reserved for this blessing or anything published on this page. Permission is given for usage in religious or educational settings with citation.

If you would like to read some more blessings including two of my own, check out Ruth Burgess’ book from Wild Goose Publications, Blessed Be God:

The Title & An Offering

The inspiration for the title. of the blog title

Thank You, O Lord – Blessings!

by Rev. Dawn M. Adams

The clouds turn pink

and bow goodnight.

The day is done

but not my work

because before I lay my head to pillow,

I must offer thanks

for the blessings of my day.

Thank you, O Lord,

for the air in my lungs

and for allowing me to wake.

Thank you for the will and

ability to get out of bed.

Thank you for the warmth of blankets,

the comfort of a shower,

and all my meals today.

Thank you for the roof over my head

and for the door which lets me out

and in again.

Thank you for my friends and family,

and all the people

with whom my path crossed.

Thank you for this day, which I know not everyone was afforded.

Let me, this night, fall to sleep in the warm embrace of my many blessings.

Amen.

Reflection and Action

Sometimes it is hard for us to remember that a day need not be spectacular to be a blessing. To just wake up, get up, and be able to interact with others, we are blessed. It is worthy to take time to count our blessings. Sometimes, when we take the time to account for the blessings of our day, we are surprised by the many which we walked by virtually unnoticed and definitively unappreciated.