Blessing for a Home
Adapted from the ELW
Blessing for a Home is a celebration of vocation in the deepest and broadest sense. We thank God for the gift of a home while honoring the ways people practice their faith in their life at home: chores and hobbies, cooking and eating, ways of relaxing, relationships within the household and beyond it, caring for our bodies, connecting with the creation.
Gathering
When all have gathered in a convenient place, the leader begins.
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who spreads forth the heavens like a tent,
who shelters our lives,
who comes to make a home with us.
Amen.
Peace to this house/dwelling/room and to all who enter here.
Friends in Christ: Today we give thanks to God and we seek God’s blessing as we gather in this dwelling and pray for those who make it their home.
A reading from Proverbs: By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4)
A candle may be lighted, and these words may be spoken.
Jesus said, I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will have the light of life.
The people may move around the home, stopping in various places to read scripture and to pray. Choose which areas of the blessing make the most sense for your home.
Blessing
Welcome and Community
A place of entering and leaving, such as the outside doors
A reading from the Psalms The Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)
Let us pray.
O God, watch over name/s in all their going out and their coming in; keep all evil away from their door; and let them share the hospitality of this home with all who visit, that those who enter here may know your love and peace. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Move to A place where common activities are shared, such as a living room
A reading from Ecclesiastes: So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
Let us pray.
O God, you set apart time for rest and enjoyment of the world you made. Bless those who gather here for fellowship and recreation, that they may be renewed and refreshed. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Household Work
A place for studying and communicating with others
A reading from Proverbs: Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. (Proverbs 25:25)
Let us pray.
O God, you are the teacher who leads us to all truth. Grant that those who learn in this place may use knowledge to heal and help your world. Draw us together through our technology for every good purpose. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
A place for making or fixing things, such as a sewing area or workshop
A reading from the Psalms: May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork. (Psalm 90:17)
Let us pray.
O God, you are the source of our creativity. You fashioned our minds to imagine and our hands to shape new things. Prosper the work that is done in this place. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
A place for preparing meals, such as the kitchen
A reading from Joel I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied. Be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God. (Joel 2:19, 23)
Let us pray.
O God, you fill the hungry with good things. Send your blessing on those who prepare food here, and make us all ever thankful for daily bread. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Caring for Ourselves
A place for sharing the gift of food, such as a dining table
A reading from the Psalms: The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:15-16)
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, Creator of heaven and earth, for you give us food and drink to sustain our lives and make our hearts glad. Make us grateful for all your mercies, and mindful of the needs of others. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
A place for recognizing the gift of clothing, such as a laundry area
A reading from Exodus: So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. (Exodus 19:14)
Let us pray.
O God, you are our clothing, wrapping us in love. We bless you for the gift of clothing, and we pray that all who live here / name may be clothed and blanketed in safety. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
A place of caring for the body, such as a bathroom or an exercise area
A reading from the Psalms: You yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. (Psalm 139:13-14)
Let us pray.
O God, through the waters of baptism you raise us up and make us alive together with Christ. Let the waters of this room refresh and renew all who use them / name in each new day. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
A place of rest for the body, such as a person’s bedroom
A reading from the Psalms: In peace, I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me rest secure. (Psalm 4:8)
Let us pray.
Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
Amen.
—a couple’s bedroom
A reading from Colossians: Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:14-15)
Let us pray.
O God, let your love be a seal upon the hearts of name and name , a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their companionship and in their rest, in their sleeping and in their waking. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
—a child’s bedroom
A reading from the Psalms: The Lord watches over you; God will not fall asleep. (Psalm 121:5, 3)
Let us pray.
O God, hold name in your unfailing love. May she/he dream peacefully and grow in health and strength. Bring her/him in safety to each new day. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
—a teenager’s bedroom
A reading from Jeremiah: “I will satisfy the weary, and all who are faint I will replenish,” says the Lord. Thereupon I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. (Jeremiah 31:25-26)
Let us pray,
O God, may name find here rest and respite, privacy and connection, challenge and enjoyment. And in all these things, may she/he hear you calling her/him by name. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Caring for Creation
A place where a pet sleeps or animals are kept
A reading from the Psalms: Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save humankind and animals, O Lord. (Psalm 36:6)
Let us pray.
O God, we thank you for bringing pet’s name to name/s to be their companion and friend. May they be blessings one to another. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
A garden or an outdoor space
A reading from Job: Ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In God’s hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being. (Job 12:7-10)
Let us pray.
O God, we praise you for the green plants that make the oxygen we breathe and for the animals that breathe it with us. Sustain us all together in this place by your Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Almighty God, by the power of the Spirit you have knit your servants together into the one body of your Son, Jesus Christ. Look with favor upon them/ name in their commitment to serve in Christ’s name. Give them courage, patience, and vision; and strengthen us all in our Christian vocation of witness to the world and of service to others; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Water may be sprinkled on the people in thanksgiving for the gift of baptism. During this time, a hymn may be sung.
Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer may be prayed by all. The leader may introduce the prayer with these or similar words.
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Blessing
Dwell here in peace. Christ is with you.
Thanks be to God.