Aim: To begin to explore something of the giftedness of God around us

• Light-coloured fabric
• Glass bowl
• Different fruits
• Matches and large candle
• Small coloured candles
• Strips of coloured paper, about three from an A4 sheet
• Pens and paper
• Bundle of different-coloured ribbons
• CD:    - Quiet reflective music

- River of Peace by Margaret Rizza

Welcome, introductions, explanations

Suggested focal point: 

Light fabric with bowl of fruit, and large candle surrounded by coloured candles.

Gathering music: "Creator God" from "River of Peace" by Margaret Rizza.

Song:         

In the darkness of the still night, 
in the dawning of the daylight, 
in the mystery of creation, 
creator God, you are there.

In the breath of every being, 
in the birthing and the growing, 
in the earth and all its fullness, 
creator God, you are there.

In the homeless and the hungry, 
in the broken and the lonely, 
in the grieving of your people, 
creator God, you are there.

In the tears and the heartache, 
in the love through which we serve you, 
in the anguish of the dying, 
creator God, you are there.

In our hearts and in our thinking, 
in the longing and the dreaming, 
in the yearning of our heartbeat, 
creator God, you are there.

In the love for one another, 
in the sharing of our being, 
in receiving and forgiving, 
creator God, you are there.

In our joys, our hopes our healing, 
in awakening and revealing, 
in your call and our responding, 
creator God, you are there.

In our prayer and in our service, 
in our praise and in our worship, 
in your love that is eternal, 
creator God, you are there.

Centring exercise: Take time to reflect on the words of the song.

Invite the group to "buzz" on the meaning of the word abundance.

Share illustrations about what it is to "open our eyes to abundance."

• "Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God."
(Emily Dickinson)
• "We alone can devalue gold ... feathers, shells and sea-shaped stones are all as rare ... to love what is plentiful as much as what's scarce."
(Alice Waller)
• "In you all things consist and hang together. The very atom is light energy, the grass is vibrant, the rocks pulsate. All is in flux; turn but a stone and an angel moves," (George MacLeod)
• "Creator God, source of all life, how gloriously does your name resound, echoing to the bounds of the universe!" (Psalm 8 refrain - Jim Cotter)

• "The more aware of abundance in your life, the more beautiful your life will be." Brood on these words for a while.

• In the light of the foregoing spend no more than 10 minutes writing down 50 things you are grateful for - the ordinary and the extraordinary. Jot them down on the coloured strip of paper.

• Dwell for a while with the reality that all is God's gift: "What have you got that is not given to you?" (1 Corinthians 4.7)

• Ponder on the abundance of life that sight, for example, has brought you.

• Would you have been the person you are today if you had never
• seen the sun rise and set?
• seen people's faces?
• seen the vast spectrum of colours, shapes, sizes, textures, etc?
• Let your heart return to scenes of beauty on which you have feasted your eyes.
• If wonder is at the heart of contemplation, reflect on how many mystic moments your eyes have given you. Seek them out ...
• To end, thank God for "opening your eyes to abundance."

Suggested focal point
Light fabric with loosely bundled different-coloured ribbons.

Invite the group to individually reflect for five to ten minutes on each of these questions, jotting down thoughts, feelings etc in words or images.

• "What memories does the colour orange or any other specific colour evoke from early life, but also in the now?"
• "Which colour most reflects something of your faith journey, and why?
• "Is there a colour that reminds you of a painful happening in your life, or in the life of someone close to you?"
• "Which colour(s) most reflect your present feelings around worship?"
• "Is there a colour that speaks to how you relate to God currently?"

Worship:
An opportunity, for those who choose, to share something of their reflections. Bring into the worship the strips of paper, each with the "50 things you are grateful for", folded in a concertina, and each as a thank offering to God.

Spend time after the sharing and movement in stillness, thanking God for "opening our eyes" to something of God's giftedness, and then randomly invite individuals to respond with a single word of something to thank God for.

Close with a quiet piece of reflective music.

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