All life comes forth from water.
More than half of our own bodies are composed of water.
Today we offer up the waters of our journeys in this place of our gathering to bless it and to bless one another.
Just as our earth in quaking destroys but in flourishing sustains us,
Just as air in howling destroys but is the very breath of life,
Just as fire burns and destroys and also warms us and welcomes us here,
So, too, water has just now horrified us with a reminder of utter devastation both on the Gulf Coast and in our fellow Unitarian churches in Transylvania.
But water, too, is a primal blessing to us, the very water of life.
Water destroys and water sustains. Water curses and water blesses.
We here as we gather for another year of being together in joy would be a blessing to each other and to the world.
Let's start with those families with children; please join [insert name of worship leader] down in the center aisle and pour out your water into the gathered waters of this beloved community.
Now the rest of you can come to the center as [insert name of second worship leader] read some of the places from which we are bringing our waters.
[reading the places]
May the waters we have shared here bless all of us
and may this blessing extend beyond this place
to bring blessings and peace to our broken and troubled world.
