So I invite you now to get as comfortable as you can and close your eyes and let yourself settle in to your seat.

Let yourself really relax -
let go of the tension that is lodged in all those places you store it -
your shoulders your back
your hands or feet
and just breathe deeply.

Breathe in the breath of God
and breath out the concerns and worries of your life.
Breath in the peace of God
and breath out the uncertainty and doubt you carry with you.
Breath in the love of God
and breath out the guilt and shame about things you wish you hadn't done or the things you wish you had.

Let the peace of Christ which passes all understanding
be a part of your breathing.

As you are breathing,
think about a time
when you felt sure that you were a part of God's family.
Perhaps it was when you were baptized
or confirmed
or married.
Perhaps it was when you had an intimate conversation with another person
and as you talked
you felt not only their love
but the greater, more all-encompassing love of God
who rejoices when you rejoice
and holds you close in times of sorrow.
Perhaps you are still searching for that feeling of belonging
- yearning to know deep in your soul
that your whole person is loved -
God loves your mind
your heart
your spirit
your quirky sense of humor
God loves your body
and the way you encounter others with a sense of wonder
and the way you strive to be honest with yourself and others.

Breathe in
and out
and experience the fullness and completeness of God's love for you
- maybe stretch out your hands and your feet
Wiggle your fingers or scrunch up your toes
And let the love of God wash over you
like a cool refreshing breeze
on a hot and muggy day.
Now,
even as you know
and can feel
the closeness of God's love

Allow yourself to remember
the places in your life
where you feel you have let God down-
hurt someone else
or hurt yourself
perhaps you haven't been totally honest
with yourself or with someone else
perhaps you have gotten caught up in behavior you know is bad for you
perhaps you have simply lost sight of the good things in your life
and you dread the coming of each new day
or perhaps you spend so much time working
that you don't give yourself time to be with God.

In that place of hurt and failure
perhaps you wonder about God's love for you
in that place of lying and deceitfulness
perhaps you want to be as far away from God as possible
because you really don't want God to see you right now.
In that place of sorrow and despair
perhaps you doubt that God cares about you at all
or, if God does, then God is probably pretty disgusted with you.

Your heart feels heavy- and so does your body-
your sense of shame and guilt
wash over you like a wave in the surf
that tumbles you over in the sand
and makes you gasp for air.

And as you gasp for air
once again, you breathe in theat breath of God
and breathe in the love of God
and breathe in the forgiveness of God

The light of God's love
pierces through the darkness
of the deep hole you find yourself in.
The light of God's mercy
pierces through the fence
you have built around your hardened heart
the light of God's grace
pierces through the guilt
that has paralyzed you.

And God reaches out God's hand
and pulls you out of that hole
out from behind that fence
out of the darkness of guilt and shame
And God lifts you up
and places you on loving shoulders
and carries you back
- back to your best self
- back to the life you once knew
And God takes you by the hand
and leads you forward
- forward into a life in which you are set free, once again,
to love as you have been loved
- forward into a life in which you are made whole
no longer shacked by the burden of guilt.

And when you feel lost
in the darkness of that swamp that is sin
take heart -
be not afraid -
God is coming to find you!

We will now end this time of meditation and prayers with the Alleuia.