Year Review (Gratitude)

Introduction & Welcome (1 min.)

I. Opening Prayer (5 min.)

Grace: To see God in the people in our lives and to respond in gratitude in concrete ways.

Use the grace or a suggested scripture above to create your own prayer, or use the one below:

Dear Lord, we thank You for the gift of this day, with everything it has brought and will continue to bring. We ask tonight especially for the grace to see You in the people in our lives and to respond in gratitude in concrete ways. As we begin this meeting, please help us listen to what relationships You might be calling us to spend time reflecting on for our time together.

Please help us call to mind two people in our lives—someone we are grateful for but might not have shown appreciation for and someone we might have a difficult relationship with and want to move forward with. Let us recall these two people now (pause for a minute).

As we think of these two people, help us to be aware of what feelings and thoughts come to mind. Let us continue to be attentive to these stirrings within us as we move into our exercise tonight, continuing to spend time in prayer with You about these people in our lives.

II. Check-In (5 min.)

• What were some of your high and low points of the week?

III. Focus Exercise (40 min.)

Materials Needed: Paper and pens/pencils, hard surfaces to write on (if desired)

Introduction

Tonight, we are going to focus on the two people in our lives that we called to mind in our opening prayer. We are going to write a letter to each of them, prayerfully talking to them and allowing God to speak to us through our words. We will try to continue to notice what might be arising within us as we write, any specific feelings or thoughts that God might be inviting us to pay attention to. Please spend however much time you want on each letter, letting your words flow freely. Don’t worry about what to say since you don’t need to give the letters to them. Also maybe try to

Exercise: Letter Writing

Invite each member to take papers as they begin writing their letters. Emphasize that this is a prayerful activity, in which we are inviting God to be present in and move through us to help us be attentive.

Letter #1: A person to whom you are grateful but have not had much opportunity to show your appreciation

Letter #2: Someone with whom you have a strained or difficult relationship, someone with whom you want to move forward in relationship with

Sharing

1. Are there any feelings and thoughts that you noticed while you were writing either letter?
2. Did you sense any insights or invitations from God about these people or yourself while writing?
3. Do you want to share anything specific that you wrote?

Listening Deeper

• What has struck you as you have been listening to others share? Do you notice any patterns or commonalities?
• How have you been feeling throughout the meeting? Comfortable? Anxious? Curious?
• Is there anything you would like to share after listening to another person share?

IV. Moving Forward (5 min.)

• Wrap-Up: Thank members for their openness and participation.
• Action: Invite members to pick one of the following:
  1. Offer the letter to the person you wrote it to. If you do not feel comfortable doing so, take the letter and destroy it, saying a prayer offering its intentions to the person to whom it is written.
  2. Do a small gesture to thank someone who has had a positive influence on your life.
  3. Do a gesture to thank a person who has had a challenging effect on your life. Offer a prayer of gratitude for the ways in which you have grown from that experience.
• Announcements:
  • Topic for next meeting and upcoming CLC events.
  • *Ask members to bring their agendas/appointment calendars for next week’s meeting.*

V. Closing Prayer (5 min.)

Create your own closing prayer or have a member bring one in to share. Encourage each member to voice any petitions they might have.