You have blessed us with supportive people who seek the welfare of Your people and Your church/school/ministry/business. All glory belongs to you. Father, please guide us so that this meeting can be productive. Amen. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Amen. Gracious God, for the good things we have We ask your blessing upon these young women and men who we honor today for their achievements. May the seal of God's love rest upon this food and upon this day now drawing to a close. A secular version of the famous Serenity Prayer can also work before a meal: Grant me the serenity Help us to resolve any disputes gracefully, be creative problem-solvers, and have great team spirit. - Christina Baldwin. I'd like to close in a bipartisan manner by quoting from two presidents I greatly admire-one a Republican and the other a Democrat. Prayer to Bind Our Hearts and Minds God of peace, we pray for unity in our meeting today. But there are also some longer or more formal wordings. We rarely get the chance to bring everyone together, so we do not take it for granted. Thank you for the blessings of our individual and collective God-given gifts. Lord, listen to our hearts. Some of the words might be a little unfamiliar to the younger Cub Scouts, but you could substitute appropriate simpler language as necessary. For those who hear us pray and are beginning to seek the Lord, When I have been asked to pray for a public meeting, I have kept my main focus, Teach your teens and older children these facts so they want to be porn free. Forgive us for having our minds set on other things and not giving you the honor you deserve. Obviously people who don't believe in a god are not giving thanks to God but they can say more than just "Bon Appetit!". Please guide us, Lord. Let the captives rejoice, for their Redeemer is born. Bless your church throughout the world, and all those who seek to do your will today. come and gather together this day. Please rest in this warm house that we may come to know each other. And so, mindful of your continuous care, we pause to be grateful for the blessings of this table. Here are some great invocation prayers to help start the meeting off right. The prayer is straight forward and provides us with the early understanding that all this is possible because of. Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this food. those who are hungry, sick and cold. Guide us toward the best way to take action to accomplish our goals. let us be truly thankful Understanding of Objectives Prayer God of truth, enlighten us now as we meet together so that we each have a clear understanding of the issues we need to discuss. May today be a memory that burns bright within them as they embark on life's great adventure. We must hold firmly to our unity, borne forward now not of tragedy but of loving kindness. Though once helpless and dependent on us, they have become the young adults we celebrate and admire today through a transformation that has never ceased to amaze us. I ask for your blessing on this ceremony, our awardees and all who are gathered with us today. We are grateful that they and their families entrusted Xavier's faculty and staff to engage them intellectually, morally, and spiritually. - Edward Hays. Help us to accomplish our goals while displaying your character. Thank you for protecting us as we traveled and providing an opportunity to meet, learn, and grow. Prayer For Sports Banquet Prayer For Sports Banquet Lord, You have watched them grow in our care, to develop and flourish and to find their own way. Help us not get distracted by things within or outside this room. Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You with all my heart that You have heard and answered my request for a scholarship, so that I may continue my studies, for which I praise and thank You. I especially pray for those who are deployed away from home. I pray that You direct our steps so that this meeting can achieve our kingdom aims. Help us to each listen politely as others share their points of view. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Father, we know you strengthen us when we link arms with each other. Nor does a secular benediction need to be explicitly atheist, or exclude anyone because of their beliefs. May their devotion to You enable them to easily bear the mantle of leadership bestowed upon them. As their parents, we thank you for our treasured children, loved from the first moment we knew of their existence. We ask for your guidance in our lives, And we pray that your love would live amongst us. It's Me, Margaret" Is Here! In preparing today's invocation, I was reminded that several men of science, including Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Steven Hawking all believe in the First, the Republican: And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency, bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen. Amen. If there be anyone who is remiss and failing, we ask for humility to accept and learn from necessary correction. Whether it's appropriate to have an invocation at your corporate, association or organizational event isn't a path I'll choose to debate. Earth maker and Lord of all creation, we are mindful that this food before us has already been blessed by the sun, earth, and rain. Here are ten special opening prayers you can pray at your gatherings. opening prayer for a worship service Opening prayer for a worship service God of grace, We open our hearts, minds and souls to worship to you. Amen. But most of all for those we love. We place You at the center of this. Thank you for the blessings of our individual and collective God-given gifts. Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen. The Prayer of Blessing. O Who is like you, God, who is holy and loving like you? God is great, God is good. God is great, and God is good, let us thank Him for our food; By His blessings we are fed, Give us Lord, our daily bread. let us be truly thankful I pray that we seek You for advice. It reminded me of the importance of praying at the beginning of every occasion. I feel very grateful for their public support. Thank you for every gift In either situation, you may find the following advice and examples useful. The first prayer is appropriate for a time of celebration, such as wedding reception or baptism. For the meal we are about to eat, Give us the wisdom to walk the path youve set before us. Amen. - John Wesley. JesuitResource.org is a service of Xavier University's Center for Mission and Identity, Xavier University Center for Mission and Identity 3800 Victory Parkway Cincinnati, OH 45207 513-745-3777, Multi Faith Calendar of Religious Holy Days, Foundational Documents on Jesuit Catholic Education, Xavier University's Center for Mission and Identity. Wedding prayers and blessings from parents are often emotional as it comes from a deep place. May this be a safe space for people to express their opinions, and a place where ideas matter more than titles. Then one person gently squeezes the hands of the people seated adjacent; this signal is quickly passed around the table and people then begin to eat and talk. I pray that you will fill each employee with satisfaction at the great work they are doing for the sake of their country. Thank you for this time away from our busy lives to reconnect with you. Place in our hearts the desire to make a difference to our families, to our community, to our country, and to the many cultures and peoples worldwide. Dear and beloved stranger, please eat this food with us that we may all be nourished. But let us not forget that many are less fortunate. Amen. Come and reveal Your will in every aspect of our life and ministry. For an example of a secular invocation that is inclusive, although given by someone identified as representing a humanist viewpoint, read this article by Herb Silverman. what's on this page? "Lord, into your most holy presence we now come. All: We light a candle to light the way to a better world for our children and our children's children, and all the children of God. Lord God and giver of all good gifts, we are grateful as we pause before this meal, for all the blessings of life that you give to us. When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer. - Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, A Book of Blessings, 183. Finally, we thank you for Ignatius of Loyola, whose leadership has made this institution a wonderful place to work, to learn, and to grow. I pray that we feel Your presence during this meeting because You are with us wherever we go. A Christian Wedding Reception Prayer Dear Lord, we gather in this place in a spirit of celebration and gratitude. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love is patient, love is kind. If your club chooses to open a meeting with an invocation or pledge, always take care to respect the diversity of club members and visitors. For rest and home and all things good. Amen. Please submit one here: Submit a Prayer, To provide feedback, please email: [email protected]. And as their friends, we thank you for the gifts of loyalty and kindness they have shared with us, and for the models of service and dedication they have been as we ourselves have struggled to grow to adulthood alongside them. We must pledge our best efforts to help one another, and to defend the rights of all of our citizens and residents. We ask in Jesus' name. We come expecting to make a mark on this earth that is significant, but we can only do it with Your guidance. Even if we have different opinions, give us unity of spirit. God bless each one of us here tonight. - President John F. Kennedy. Let the just rejoice, for their justifier is born. Secularists argue that government should not hold religious events because they have the effect of endorsing religion and relegating the non-religious to second-class status. And let us each one be good company to the others; Bless those whose work to prepare this meal has truly been a work of prayer, and bless all of us who shall share it with Easter love and joy. In sharing in this meal You are worthy of praise. Retirement Dinner Invocation. We pause to be grateful for the hidden gifts of life in this food. I pray that we will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Amen. Thank you for food in a world where many know only hunger; For our faith in a world where many know fear; For friends in a world where many know only loneliness. Amen. Through our invocation prayers, we corporately come to God humbly, with reverence and praise, invite Him to purify our hearts and align them with His eternal purposes, and invite His presence. - Author Unknown. Psalm 118:24 says, This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Father, with joyful hearts in the spirit of thanksgiving, we ask you to bless this banquet and each person here. God, you remind us how important it is to spend quiet time with you in Psalm 46:10, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. As we begin our retreat, we give our cares and worries to you. We lift up this bread; may it be food and symbol for all of us who shall eat it. and for all the good memories we share. O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us.