My Hands, God’s Hands

Introduction & Welcome (1 min.)

I. Opening Prayer (5 min.)

Grace: To serve others humbly and generously, out of gratitude for the ways God touches our lives through the hands of others.

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

Gracious God, help us to be grateful for the way in which You have loved and cared for us through other people. Help us to be Your hands to others. Teach us to be humble servants, doing Your work in the world around us. Make us generous with our gifts and help us to use our talents for the service of others. Amen.

II. Check-In (5 min.)

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

III. Focus Exercise (40 min.)

Materials Needed: CLC journal booklets, CD Player and the song “Hands,” by Jewel (or a similar song), paper, pens, scissors and markers

Introduction

Explain today we will use a song to help set the tone for the meeting.

Listen to the words of a song, such as Jewel’s “Hands,” and ask the group to reflect on the words as they listen. The lyrics can be found in their journal booklets.

Exercise 1: Hands (by Jewel)

Invite them to mark or underline key words or phrases that touch them as they listen to it. After the song, invite them to spend a few minutes to reflect on specific people who have served and cared for them.

Sharing

When every member has completed their hand, invite them to reflect and share on the following suggested questions:

1. In what ways have these people loved and cared for you?
2. How has their influence in your life shaped how you love and serve others?
3. How might your loving and serving others be an act of faith? How might you be an extension of God’s hands in your service to others?

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 during 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: Mission/service is one of the three pillars in CLC (community, spirituality, service)
  • Begin to discuss possible group service projects (e.g., tutoring children, etc.)
  • Goal: to do group service projects at least once per quarter.
• Action:
  1. Invite members to imagine with God how they can best serve others around them this week, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized. Next, come up with a concrete action to do.
  2. Switch prayer partner
• Announcements:
  • Topic for next meeting and upcoming CLC events.
  • Next meeting: Take pictures of the places where you usually pray and experience God. Bring them to the next meeting.

V. Closing Prayer (5 min.)

As St. Teresa of Avila says:

“Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which

He looks Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are His body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which

He looks compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

God, fill us with overflowing gratitude so we may

better discern Your call and become more willing

to do Your work. Teach us humility and to

compassionately serve others. Amen.